分类： sports

What was meant to be a 90-minute battle for continental football supremacy has stretched into a nine-month legal saga, and the long-awaited final chapter of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is finally set to begin this week. Instead of being decided by penalties or a last-minute strike on Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium pitch, the 2025 Afcon title will be settled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sport’s highest global legal body, which will hear Senegal’s appeal against the controversial decision to strip the West African side of the championship they celebrated lifting in January. Fans hoping for an immediate resolution have already been told a final ruling will not come on the day of Thursday’s hearing, leaving both nations and the global football community waiting longer for closure.

The chaos that sparked this unprecedented legal fight began on a charged night in the Moroccan capital, where 66,000 raucous home fans packed the stadium to watch their team chase a first Afcon title in nearly 50 years. With the final deadlocked at 0-0 deep into stoppage time, Senegal thought they had secured a dramatic late winner through Ismaila Sarr, only for referee Jean Jacques Ndala to disallow the goal after blowing his whistle for a Moroccan free kick moments before Sarr’s shot. Controversy escalated minutes later when a VAR review led Ndala to award Morocco a penalty. Tensions boiled over completely: Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw led a number of his players and staff off the pitch and into the tunnel, while clashes broke out between supporters and stadium security that briefly left the venue without order.

Play eventually resumed after the unrest, and in the 124th minute of extra time, Morocco missed a golden chance to claim the title when Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz saw his Panenka penalty saved by Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Shortly after, Pape Gueye scored the decisive strike to give Senegal a 1-0 win, and the side lifted their second Afcon trophy in front of the world. Or so they thought.

Within days of the final, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FMRF) filed an official complaint with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), citing tournament regulations that punish teams that leave the pitch without referee approval. Article 82 of CAF’s competition rules, found under the chapter covering match withdrawals, states that any team that exits the playing field before a match concludes without the referee’s explicit authorization will be considered the losing side and eliminated from the competition. In March, a CAF appeals board upheld Morocco’s complaint, ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, and awarded Morocco a 3-0 default victory and the 2025 Afcon title.

The ruling divided football observers across the continent. While CAF has a history of overturning results in Afcon and World Cup qualifying matches, some critics — including a former senior CAF official — have argued that only the match referee has the authority to officially abandon a game in the event of a team walk-off. Senegal’s national football federation (FSF) dismissed the ruling as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable” and immediately launched an appeal to CAS, the independent Lausanne-based legal body that serves as the final arbitrator for disputes in international sport.

Founded in 1984 to handle the growing number of commercial and regulatory disputes as global football grew into a multi-billion-dollar industry, CAS handles more than 900 cases annually across more than 50 sports, covering everything from doping violations and transfer disputes to corruption claims and tournament organization conflicts. Senegal’s appeal will be heard by a three-arbitrator panel led by 76-year-old French legal scholar Gerald Simon, founder of the University of Burgundy’s Sports Law Laboratory and a CAS member for more than two decades. If the panel cannot reach a unanimous decision, Simon will cast the deciding vote.

While the closed-door hearing — requested by both federations — is scheduled to conclude Thursday afternoon, CAS has already confirmed that no ruling will be issued that day. Under CAS rules, final appeal verdicts must be issued no later than four months after a hearing, with an informal target of three months, though high-profile cases have moved faster: in 2020, Manchester City’s appeal against a UEFA European ban over financial fair play violations saw a verdict issued just five weeks after the hearing.

A ruling overturning CAF’s original decision would deal another significant blow to the governing body’s reputation, which has already faced widespread criticism for the retrospective title handover. CAF president Patrice Motsepe has already stated the organization will accept and respect any ruling CAS issues, and a ruling in Senegal’s favor could force amendments to CAF’s official tournament regulations. Already, the chaotic events of the January final have driven a global rule change: the International Football Association Board (IFAB), football’s global lawmaking body, updated its rules in April to state that any player leaving the pitch in protest of a referee’s decision can be sanctioned with a red card, and any team official that incites a mass walk-off faces similar punishment, with teams responsible for match abandonment expected to forfeit by default.

The fallout from the final has already cost two head coaches their jobs: Thiaw was fired by Senegal following the team’s 2026 World Cup round of 16 exit, while Morocco’s Walid Regragui was dismissed in March. For both federations, however, the stakes remain far higher than just the title: Morocco invested heavily in hosting its first Afcon since 1988, and senior FMRF officials argue Senegal’s walk-off permanently tarnished the tournament’s global image. For Senegal, the dispute has amplified long-held frustrations across parts of African football over what the FSF and Senegalese government describe as disproportionate Moroccan influence within CAF; tensions were already high before the walk-off over incidents including laser pointers directed at Senegal players and a scuffle that saw reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf tackled by three Moroccan ball boys when he intervened to stop them moving starting goalkeeper Edouard Mendy’s towel.

With the 2027 Afcon set to kick off in less than a year, fans have already begun speculating about a potential on-pitch rematch between two of Africa’s top national sides. But regardless of where the final verdict lands, there is widespread agreement across the global football community: the winner of a major continental title should be settled on the grass, not in a Swiss courtroom.

As Kenya prepares to make history as the first African nation to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka has issued a clear call: the country must cement its reputation as a credible, clean home of global athletics to live up to the moment.

Banka wrapped up a three-day working visit to Nairobi last week, where he held high-level talks with Kenyan President William Ruto, senior government and sports officials, leadership from the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK), active athletes, and national law enforcement representatives. The trip was framed as a progress check at a pivotal juncture, coming months after Nairobi won its bid to host the 2029 flagship event.

“Kenya calls itself probably ‘home of champions’, but every home has to have a good host and has to be clean to be credible,” Banka shared in an interview with BBC Sport Africa during his visit. “We absolutely need to instill the culture of clean sport.”

Kenya’s selection as host in September 2024 brought longstanding scrutiny of its doping challenges into the global spotlight. Since 2017, the Athletics Integrity Unit has issued suspensions to more than 140 Kenyan athletes, the vast majority of whom are elite distance runners – a discipline that has long been the cornerstone of Kenya’s global sporting legacy. Just one recent high-profile example: former half-marathon world record holder Kibiwott Kandie received a seven-year competition ban for anti-doping rule violations.

During his meetings, Banka confirmed that he received a formal, unwavering commitment from President Ruto’s administration to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for doping in Kenyan sport. However, he emphasized that tangible outcomes will be the true measure of success, rather than political pledges alone.

“WADA will monitor this situation and observe the dynamic. Action speaks louder than words,” Banka said. Talks also centered on shoring up the operational independence of ADAK and ensuring the agency receives consistent, sufficient financial and political support from the Kenyan government to carry out its mandate effectively.

Beyond policy commitments, Banka identified two core systemic challenges that Kenya must address ahead of 2029. First, he noted that the global anti-doping movement already has clear, robust rules and global standards – the gap that remains is consistent, effective enforcement at the national level.

Second, a critical gap in regional testing infrastructure remains. The only Wada-accredited doping control laboratory on the African continent, based in Bloemfontein, South Africa, lost its accreditation earlier this year. WADA first suspended the facility in March 2024 over multiple failures to meet the organization’s International Standard for Laboratories, and formally revoked its accreditation in May 2025 after compliance issues were not resolved. While Banka confirmed Kenya has expressed strong political will to develop its own accredited laboratory, he cautioned that the accreditation process takes multiple years to complete, and it is highly unlikely a new Kenyan facility will be ready in time for the 2029 championships. As a result, Banka said Kenya’s immediate priority should be strengthening its existing testing framework rather than pinning hopes on a new in-country lab.

Pushback against framing doping as an African or Kenyan-exclusive issue, Banka stressed that the problem crosses all geographic and national boundaries. “Doping has no colours and flags,” he said, pointing to high-profile doping cases in long-established sporting powerhouses including the United States, Germany, and his native Poland. “The problem would be to ignore this issue, not to tackle, or to pretend that there is no doping here.”

A key point Banka emphasized throughout his visit is the limit of WADA’s own authority: the agency can investigate anti-doping violations in sport, but it lacks the legal mandate to dismantle the transnational criminal networks that traffic performance-enhancing substances to athletes.

“We are not a superpower. We are not law enforcement,” he said. “They [Kenyan law enforcement agencies] have tools to really go after those who are destroying the credibility of the sport and the country.”

Banka added that WADA intelligence confirms prohibited performance-enhancing drugs are already being produced within Kenya’s borders, and that Africa as a whole has become a significant market for illicit doping substances. He argued that athletes are too often the easiest targets in the anti-doping system, when they are frequently exploited by powerful, well-resourced actors who see elite competitors as a profit stream. To truly clean up the sport, Banka said authorities must not only sanction rule-breaking athletes, but also hold accountable the coaches, doctors, team managers, and criminal suppliers that enable doping in the first place.

In closing, Banka noted that rising detection rates of positive doping tests are actually a sign that Kenya’s anti-doping monitoring system is working as intended, and he reaffirmed that WADA will continue to support Kenya as it builds out its clean sport framework ahead of the 2029 World Championships, which represent a defining moment for both Kenyan athletics and the broader African sporting community.

Twenty-one years after Lionel Messi first etched his name into global football folklore by lifting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup against an African opponent, another West African side will step onto the pitch to cap the closing chapter of his legendary international career. On Tuesday, Benin will face Argentina at Buenos Aires’ iconic Monumental Stadium for a star-studded farewell match celebrating the 39-year-old’s decorated tenure with the Albiceleste, where Messi will earn his 208th senior international cap.

For Benin assistant coach Tunde Adelakun, the fixture carries a perfect, full-circle symmetry that ties Messi’s entire international journey to African football. “Africa has been at the heart of Messi’s remarkable career,” Adelakun told BBC Sport Africa. “I was actually there in the stands when they beat Nigeria in that 2005 final, where he won the tournament’s most valuable player award. It’s an absolute honor that when he closes the book on his international career, Benin gets to be part of this historic moment.”

Messi first announced his retirement from international football in August 2026, following Argentina’s narrow defeat to Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in North America. As Argentina’s all-time leader in both caps and goals, the captain has notched 125 goals across his 207 previous senior appearances, a record that solidifies his status as one of the greatest players to ever represent the national side. The Argentine Football Association organized Tuesday’s tribute match to honor his legacy, with all members of the nation’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad invited to take part in the pre-match and post-match celebrations.

For Benin, a side currently ranked 93rd in the FIFA global rankings that has never qualified for a senior World Cup, the unexpected invitation to this high-profile event caught the entire program off guard. “Everybody was absolutely over the moon when we got the call,” Adelakun recalled. “It came right in the middle of our preparation for two critical Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, but there was no question we would make the trip.” The Benin side has started its qualifying campaign strong, earning a 1-1 away draw against Burkina Faso before picking up a 2-1 victory over Mauritania in their opening two fixtures.

Benin head coach Gernot Rohr, a German manager with deep ties to African football who previously led Nigeria, acknowledged that the occasion will carry a celebratory tone, but stressed his team will not travel to Buenos Aires simply to play the role of guest opposition. “We’re here to enjoy a historic moment with Messi, but we’re also here to compete,” he noted.

The long-running connection between Messi’s international career and African opposition stretches all the way back to that 2005 Under-20 World Cup final in Utrecht. Then an 18-year-old prodigy, Messi scored two penalties to lift Argentina to a 2-1 win over Nigeria, finishing the tournament as top scorer and claiming the Golden Ball for best player. Three years later, the two sides met again in a gold medal match at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where a young Argentine side featuring Messi, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano claimed Olympic gold with a 1-0 win, powered by Di Maria’s match-winning goal.

Across six senior World Cup appearances, Messi has faced off against African opposition six times. After three consecutive meetings with Nigeria in 2010, 2014 and 2018, he faced Algeria, Cape Verde and Egypt during Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final. Rohr, who coached Nigeria during the 2018 World Cup meeting in Russia – a 2-1 Argentine win where Messi scored the opening goal – has called Tuesday’s match an unparalleled “historic moment” for his current side.

Adelakun’s own personal connection to Messi dates back to that 2005 under-20 final, making the invitation even more meaningful for the Benin coaching staff. This match marks the first time Benin will ever face Argentina at the senior international level.

While Benin captain Steve Mounié, who has represented the side since 2015, will not be able to take the pitch due to injury, that has not stopped him from making the trip to South America. “When I realized I would have to miss the match, my first thought was ‘Oh no, I can’t miss this,’” Mounié explained. He ultimately paid for his own travel to be part of the occasion, and hopes to sit on the bench alongside the Benin technical staff for the match. “Football is my passion, I couldn’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

For the Benin program, the fixture represents far more than a friendly exhibition: it is a rare opportunity to showcase the talent of the nation’s players on a global stage that few lower-ranked African sides ever get to access. “I’ve told my players over and over that this is their big chance to show what they can do to the entire world,” Adelakun said. Mounià echoed that sentiment, saying he hopes the match will “prove to the world that Benin can compete with the best teams in football.” He described the Benin side as a tight-knit unit built on collective effort: “We fight for each other, we’re a team like a family.”

Adelakun added that supporters back in Benin are far more excited about the historic occasion than they are focused on the final scoreline. “I don’t think many people back home are even talking about what the result will be,” he said. “What we’re celebrating is the fact that Benin is getting this huge moment on the international football map in such a big way.”

For Adelakun, Messi’s enduring greatness comes as much from his unmatched longevity and competitive mentality as it does from his trophy haul and goal records. “He is the very best to ever do it,” he said. “I wish he was African.”

When asked whether Benin’s players planned to compete to swap shirts with Messi after the final whistle, Mounià said the moment should be reserved entirely for the Argentine legend. “To be honest, if I was in his position, I wouldn’t give my jersey to anyone after this match,” he said. “He needs to enjoy this moment as the football legend he is, and he deserves every second of this celebration to himself.”

The race to secure hosting rights for the 2036 Summer Olympic Games is officially underway, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirming that seven countries across four continents have formally entered the early bidding process, including one contender that would make history as the first African nation to ever host the Summer Games.

South Africa, the trailblazer aiming to break Africa’s long-standing drought as an Olympic host, has advanced its plans to stage the 2036 Games across three major urban hubs: Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg. While Durban was originally selected to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games before pulling out in 2017, the country has moved forward to reframe its large-scale event experience into a bold Olympic bid.

South Africa is joined by four other first-time hopefuls: Hungary, India, Qatar, and Turkey, all of which have ramped up preparations to bring the Olympic movement to their shores for the first time. Two veteran hosts, Germany and South Korea, have also entered early talks with the IOC, bringing decades of major international event experience to their 2036 bids.

Under the IOC’s revised timeline for future host selection, all seven bidders are currently engaged in ongoing, structured dialogue with the Olympic governing body. National committees are required to submit their formal notices of intent by October 31, per the IOC’s announced schedule. Following the submission deadline, all interested parties will deliver virtual presentations to the IOC Future Host Commission in November 2025. Independent feasibility assessments of each bid will be completed by March 2027, after which the successful shortlisted candidates will advance into formal strategic dialogue with the IOC ahead of a final selection.

Breaking down the details of each national bid: India has selected Ahmedabad as its proposed host city. The western Indian metropolis is already lined up to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has submitted a bid for the 2036 Asian Games, and it boasts the 132,000-seat Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket venue, which has hosted four of the last five Indian Premier League finals.

Hungary has tapped its capital Budapest as its host city, which most recently proved its ability to handle elite global competition by hosting the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Qatar, which successfully hosted the 2022 men’s FIFA World Cup across a network of purpose-built venues in its capital, is putting forward Doha as its bid city. Turkey, which has fallen short in three previous Olympic bids for 2000, 2008, and 2020, has once again nominated its largest city Istanbul, which is already scheduled to host the 2027 European Games to build on its event credentials.

For the returning hosts, Germany is putting forward Munich, which previously hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics (Germany also hosted the 1936 Games in Berlin). South Korea’s bid combines its 1988 Olympic host city Seoul with the neighboring North Jeolla Province, drawing on the country’s decades of experience in managing elite global sporting events.

Beyond the 2036 contest, the IOC confirmed it is also holding preliminary non-committal talks with multiple other national Olympic committees interested in hosting Games beyond 2036. Most notably, the UK government confirmed back in May that it is holding early discussions about backing a potential British bid for the 2040s Olympics and Paralympics.

The Olympic host calendar is already locked in through the next decade: Los Angeles will stage the 2028 Summer Games, and Brisbane, Australia will host the 2032 edition, marking the first time the Games have returned to Australia since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

In a move that deepens an existing cross-continental rugby partnership, the South African rugby union side Cheetahs has confirmed that it will host its 2025-26 European Challenge Cup home matches at Ospreys’ St Helen’s ground in Swansea, Wales.

The two confirmed fixtures will see Cheetahs take on Welsh regional side Dragons on Sunday 13 December, followed by a clash against French outfit Perpignan on Sunday 17 January. Both matches are scheduled one day after Ospreys play their own home Challenge Cup games at the same venue, creating a unique back-to-back rugby match weekend for fans in Swansea.

Cheetahs have a long-standing arrangement of hosting their European Challenge Cup matches on the continent, rather than traveling back to South Africa between games, to cut down on travel time and costs. For the 2025-26 tournament, the side previously hosted its European home matches in Amsterdam, marking a new chapter with the move to Wales this season.

The partnership between Ospreys and Cheetahs is already well-established through shared investment ties. Y11 Sports & Media holds a majority controlling stake in the Welsh Ospreys side and also maintains an investment interest in the South African Cheetahs, with a growing track record of player transfers between the two clubs.

For Ospreys, the new agreement also comes ahead of their own historic first match at the newly redeveloped St Helen’s ground. The Welsh side will open their redeveloped venue with a United Rugby Championship (URC) Welsh derby against Dragons on Saturday 24 October, weeks before the first Cheetahs fixture at the ground.

Ospreys managing director Richard Lancaster noted that the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) granted necessary permission for Cheetahs to use the venue for the two matches. “We’re excited to welcome the Toyota Cheetahs for these two EPCR Challenge Cup fixtures. There is already a strong relationship between the two clubs and this is another really positive step in developing that further,” Lancaster said. “It also demonstrates the opportunities that St Helen’s can create. Having our own venue gives us the ability to bring additional high-quality rugby and events to Swansea.”

Frans Steyn, the former South Africa international who now serves as Cheetahs’ director of rugby, echoed the positive sentiment around the arrangement. “It’s great to be welcomed so warmly by our friends in rugby, the Ospreys,” Steyn said. “St Helen’s has a proud history, and we’re looking forward to playing there, experiencing the newly redeveloped stadium and making it our home in Europe.”