The Senegalese Football Federation has made serious complaints about the way its national football team is being treated in Morocco ahead of Sunday’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against the host nation.
The federation, known as FSF, issued a statement in the early hours of Saturday morning in which it criticised an alleged lack of security arrangements for the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with the team’s accommodation, issues with the training facilities, and difficulties getting a fair ticket allocation for its supporters.
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It called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the local organising committee to “immediately take every corrective measure to guarantee respect for the principles of fair play, equal treatment, and security indispensable for the success of this celebration of African football”.
Senegal’s players travelled by train from Tangier to Rabat on Friday, but found what the federation said was a “clear lack of adequate security measures” upon their arrival.
“This deficiency exposed the players and technical staff to overcrowding and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final,” the federation said.
The federation said it had to file a formal written complaint to get adequate hotel accommodation for the team after its arrival in Rabat. It did not describe the condition of the accommodation that the team was first offered.
The federation said it notified CAF of its “categorical refusal” to hold team training sessions at the Mohammed VI Complex, which is where the Morocco team has been based for the whole tournament. Morocco will also train there on Saturday.
The federation said it “raises a question of sporting fairness” and that it still had not been informed of where the Senegal team can train.
In the media activities agenda for Saturday, shared with the media on Friday, Senegal’s training session location was still to be confirmed.
The federation said the ticketing situation was “concerning.” It was only able to purchase 2,850 tickets for its supporters as per the maximum limits authorised by CAF.
The federation said the allocation is “insufficient given the demand” and that it “deplores the imposed restrictions, which penalize the Senegalese public”.
The capacity of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which is hosting the final, is 69,500 fans. Morocco has been buoyed by vociferous support in all its games so far. It’s unlikely the final will be any different.
Morocco is bidding to end a 50-year wait for its second Africa Cup title. Senegal, which won the 2021 trophy, is also going for its second title.
Fresh from winning a gong at the Golden Globes, actor Timothée Chalamet is tipped to win Best Actor at the upcoming Oscars. He tells how years of preparation went into playing the ‘morally ambiguous’ character
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Widely tipped for a best actor Oscar for his performance in Marty Supreme, like the character he plays, Timothée Chalamet is on course to achieve his dream. He beat Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney to a gong at the Golden Globes for best actor in a musical or comedy film, for his portrayal of hustler-turned table tennis ace Marty Mauser.
Describing the film, set in 1950s New York, in which Mauser – a young man in his 20s – goes to hell and back in his pursuit of greatness, Chalamet says: “It’s about dreaming big. It’s about a young dreamer in New York who dreams of being the greatest table tennis player of all time.
“And if that sounds like small stakes for a film, somehow, because of the amazing work of the director Josh Safdie and the cast, it becomes a metaphor for pursuing your dreams relentlessly in life. You know, when you’re in your early 20s and nobody believes in you, that’s a challenging thing to do.”
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Under intense public scrutiny since his breakthrough role in Call Me By Your Name in 2017, which earned Chalamet, then 22, an Oscar nomination for his role as 17-year-old Elio, he understands the pressures of trying to achieve your dreams young better than most people. Now 30 and professing in the past to feeling judged by social media, especially over his private life, he said at the 2022 Venice Film Festival: “To be young now, and to be young whenever – I can only speak for my generation – is to be intensely judged.”
As well as appealing to him because of its optimistic outlook, he feels Marty Supreme encapsulates the silliness of 20-something life. Chalamet, who has been linked to makeup mogul Kylie Jenner, 28, since 2023, says: “I like the optimistic tone that the movie strikes at a time when things are quite gloomy.
“Your dream is your dream in life and nobody can really tell you otherwise. The movie is equally about being an idiot in your 20s. Being a bowling ball and not necessarily having the best relationship with others.” Yet Chalamet felt challenged by Marty’s moral outlook.
He says: “That was one of the greatest challenges of this role – Marty is really morally ambiguous. The ethical lens of the film, and of Marty, is all over the place. It’s a selfishness pursuit.”
Chalamet, who grew up bilingual – with dual French and American citizenship, because of his American mother and French father, attended New York’s LaGuardia High School, followed by a brief stint at Columbia University. Before Call Me By Your Name, he appeared in Homeland in 2012 and Interstellar in 2014.
Since then, his major films include Beautiful Boy (2018), Little Women (2019). Dune (2021), Dune: Part Two (2024), Wonka (2023) and A Complete Unknown (2024) chronicling the early years of Bob Dylan. And he used Covid as an opportunity to simultaneously improve his skill playing both table tennis and the guitar, in preparation for his roles playing Mauser and Dylan.
Determined to make it look like he could play table tennis “to a high level,” he explains: “Like with the Dylan movie [for which he learned to play the guitar] the table tennis aficionados, I wanted them to not flinch when they saw the movie. Everyone has got a passion in life and when you see it represented on screen and it’s not accurate, you scoff. You almost feel offended.”
Some of the Marty Supreme table tennis shots actually imitated those played in real life. Chalamet says: “They were pulled from real history, from actual flashy players from 1950. That footage is online. That’s the famous ‘Reisman twirl.’ Marty Supreme was a project that first came together in 2018, that’s when we had our first meeting.
“Through Covid, I got rid of all the furniture I had in my apartment and put table tennis equipment there and had Josh [Safdie] come and play with me. He rolled an ankle – I was 23 years old and my apartment was dusty. I had loads of time to train in Covid. Then the big productions I was on had long dated schedules, like Dune, with days off in between, so I was able to carry on – learning the guitar and table tennis.”
A perfectionist, Chalamet painstakingly prepares for every role. He says: “You get one go at it. You prepare and prepare and prepare for a role and then you kind of abandon it all at the door and give your all to a scene. I’ll do whatever is demanded. I think this method acting thing can get a bad rap at times. I call it ‘method energy’. “I’m not trying to stay in character, but I avoid anything that might take away from it – keeping my phone off during films, or as much as I can.”
Chalamet, who made his Broadway debut back in 2016 in Prodigal Son and is known for portraying complex, emotional characters, tries not to be distracted from his work when he is playing a role. The New Yorker continues: “My focus is mostly on ‘how do I really make sure the real world doesn’t affect me on set? How do I loosely stay in the zone as much as possible?’”
He hugely appreciates how lucky he has been to land such unusual parts in some off-beat movies, that have gone on to be massive hits. He says: “Every shoot day is a precious thing. A movie like Marty Supreme – it’s a miracle that it gets made … a 1950s table tennis thriller! So, every day we’re on set, it’s a gratitude exercise that we get to work on something great. Especially at the moment, you know, with AI and all sorts of stuff.”
But while parallels can be drawn between the upward trajectory of Marty’s life and that of Chalamet’s, the actor’s attitude to any movie accolades – with the Oscars coming up in March – are, he professes, far from selfish. He says of the awards season: “Any association with that conversation is for the movie. I want the movie to get a lot of love. The awards stuff doesn’t matter.”
*Timothee Chalamet was speaking on The Arts Hour, broadcast on the BBC World Service.
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Novak Djokovic says he does not think the forthcoming Australian Open is “now or never” for his hopes of winning a standalone all-time record 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic, 38, has been tied on 24 major victories with Australia’s Margaret Court since his last triumph at the 2023 US Open.
Unsurprisingly, the Serb has shown signs of decline in recent years, yet still managed to reach the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams last year.
Given he is a record 10-time men’s champion in Melbourne, and has had plenty of recovery time going into the first major of the season, the consensus is that the Australian Open represents his best chance of landing the elusive record-breaking title.
“There has been a lot of talk about the 25th, but I try to focus myself on what I have achieved, not what I’m possibly achieving,” Djokovic, who is seeded fourth at Melbourne Park, said.
“I hope it comes to that [winning 25], but 24 is also not a bad number. I have to appreciate that and remind myself of the amazing career I had.”
Djokovic has never made a secret of his desire to achieve even more history, but is now attempting to release some of the “unnecessary” pressure he places on himself to surpass Court.
He starts his latest bid against Spain’s Pedro Martinez in Monday’s night session on Rod Laver Arena.
“I don’t think it’s needed for me to really go far in terms of make-it-or-break-it or a now-or-never type of mentality,” said Djokovic, who is aiming to become the oldest Grand Slam men’s champion in the Open Era.
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Djokovic is the last man other than Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Jannik Sinner – who is bidding for a third straight success in Melbourne – to win a Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, 22, and Sinner, 24, have swept the past eight majors between them, creating a compelling rivalry which is dominating the men’s game.
Last year, Djokovic reached the Australian Open semi-finals after a memorable quarter-final win over Alcaraz, but injured himself in the process and had to retire from his semi-final against Germany’s Alexander Zverev as a result.
“I know that when I’m healthy, when I’m able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together on a given day, I feel like I can beat anybody,” said Djokovic.
Why Djokovic left players’ union he co-founded
Djokovic also spoke for the first time publicly about his decision to walk away from the Professional Tennis Players’ Association – a union-style body he co-founded in 2020.
Having become disillusioned with its direction, Djokovic announced earlier this month he had “stepped away completely”, citing concerns about “transparency and governance”.
Last year the PTPA launched legal action against tennis’ governing bodies, including the ATP and WTA tours, over what it claimed were “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare”.
However, it was telling Djokovic was not among the plaintiffs – and he became frustrated with his name being “overused” in PTPA business.
“I still have the opinion that the system is failing us and I think it has to change,” Djokovic said.
“I also didn’t like the way the leadership was taking the direction of the PTPA.
“Does that mean that I’m not supporting PTPA? No, I am. I am still wishing them all the best, because I think there is room and a need for 100% players-only representation organisation existing in our ecosystem.”
Djokovic’s comments came shortly after the PTPA announced it had reached an early stage settlement with Tennis Australia, which runs the Melbourne Grand Slam, in relation to the lawsuit.
The agreement could strengthen the PTPA’s hand against the other defendants – the ATP Tour, WTA Tour, French Tennis Federation, All England Club and US Tennis Association.
James Harden scored eight of his 31 points in overtime and added 10 assists as the visiting Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Toronto Raptors 121-117.
Ivica Zubac had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Clippers, who overcame a 14-point deficit to win their fifth game in a row on Friday night. The Clippers finished the game on a 20-8 surge – including Harden scoring the last eight points of regulation.
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Kawhi Leonard did not play for the Clippers because of a sprained right ankle.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for the Raptors, who have lost two of three. Brandon Ingram added 19 points, and Jamal Shead had 15 points and 13 assists.
Nets 112, Bulls 109
Michael Porter Jr scored 26 points, including the go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds remaining, as host Brooklyn eked out a victory over Chicago after blowing a 20-point lead.
Noah Clowney added 23 points and 11 rebounds to help the Nets stop a five-game losing streak and earn their second win over the Bulls this season. Day’Ron Sharpe contributed 14 points, rookie Danny Wolf chipped in 13, and Nic Claxton grabbed a season-best 14 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 19 points and Dosunmu contributed 18 off the bench. Coby White contributed 17 and Matas Buzelis finished with 15 as Chicago lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Cavaliers 117, 76ers 115
Jaylon Tyson scored a career-high 39 points and set up Evan Mobley for the winning bucket as Cleveland posted a victory over Philadelphia to sweep their two-game road series in Philadelphia.
Tyson shot 13 of 17 from the field, 7 of 9 from 3-point range and 6 of 6 from the foul line in a splendid shooting effort. De’Andre Hunter added 16 points while Donovan Mitchell chipped in with 13 points and 12 assists for Cleveland, which played without Darius Garland.
Joel Embiid scored 33 points and Tyrese Maxey had 22 points and nine assists to pace the Sixers, who took their third loss in four games. Cleveland has won three of the past four.
Kings 128, Wizards 115
Russell Westbrook made a season-best six 3-pointers and scored 26 points, and Domantas Sabonis energised the Kings in his first appearance since November 16 to help Sacramento beat visiting Washington.
Sabonis, back from a knee injury, made 5 of 6 shots and had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes off the bench. DeMar DeRozan added 17 points as the Kings extended their season-best winning streak to four games.
Alex Sarr scored 19 points and Tre Johnson had 18 for the Wizards, who lost their fifth consecutive game. Washington has dropped those contests by an average of 17.6 points.
Pacers 127, Pelicans 119
Jay Huff scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Andrew Nembhard went for a 19-point, 10-assist double-double, and Indiana scored its fourth win in the last five games with a defeat of visiting New Orleans.
Huff set a career scoring high with 13-of-17 shooting from the floor, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range. He was one of five Pacers to knock down multiple 3-point attempts, led by Pascal Siakam’s 4 of 8 effort. Siakam finished with 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Zion Williamson, who shot 10 of 12 from the field, led New Orleans with 27 points and seven assists. Trey Murphy III scored 22 points for the Pelicans, but was held to 7-of-21 shooting from the floor.
Rockets 110, Timberwolves 105
Kevin Durant capped a 39-point performance by sinking four free throws in the final minute as Houston sealed a victory over visiting Minnesota.
Durant finished 11 of 18 from the floor and 6 of 8 from 3-point range to lead Houston’s comeback from a 12-point deficit. Alperen Sengun posted 25 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out late. Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson each added 14 points for the Rockets.
Charlotte Bankes, a British snowboarder, won her first Snowboard Cross World Cup competition in Dongbeiya since breaking her collarbone in April.
The 30-year-old showed promise as she entered the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, passing the Chinese resort’s qualifying process as the fastest athlete and claiming both her quarter- and semi-final victories.
Then, to cap off the second World Cup competition of the year, Bankes won the Big Final, beating Josie Baff of Australia and Chloe Trespeuch of France.
The victory is Bankes’ first podium appearance since she won the Gudauri World Cup the same month as she took bronze at the Montafon World Cup in March.
The two-time Crystal Globe winner is now looking poised to challenge for an Olympic medal in Italy after fully recovering from the injury she sustained at the end of last year’s World Cup.
Bankes, the then-reigning world champion, was eliminated from the 2022 Beijing Games quarter-finals.
Dongbeiya will host a second race on Sunday as part of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will begin on February 6.
Neil Simpson also won the Saalbach World Cup Super G races on Friday, earning his third World Cup podium of the week.
Simpson won gold at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and the 2023 World Championships while competing with guide Rob Poth for his first Super G World Cup podium in the same category.
Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes won her first Snowboard Cross World Cup race since breaking her collarbone in April with a dominant display in Dongbeiya.
The 30-year-old showed she is in fine form heading into the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, moving through qualification at the Chinese resort as the fastest athlete, then winning both her quarter and semi-final.
Bankes then triumphed in the Big Final, finishing ahead of Australian Josie Baff and France’s Chloe Trespeuch to seal the second World Cup event of the season.
The win is Bankes’ first podium finish since she took bronze at the Montafon World Cup in March, and is her first victory since the Gudauri World Cup the same month.
Having fully recovered from the injury she sustained at the final World Cup event of last season, the two-time Crystal Globe winner now looks set to challenge for an Olympic medal in Italy.
The then reigning world champion, Bankes was knocked out in the quarter-finals at the 2022 Games in Beijing.
A second set of races will be held in Dongbeiya on Sunday, while the 2026 Winter Olympics open on 6 February.
Meanwhile, Neil Simpson took his third World Cup podium of the week with silver in the Saalbach World Cup Super G races on Friday.
Racing alongside guide Rob Poth, Simpson secured his first ever Super G World Cup podium in the discipline in which he won gold at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and the 2023 World Championships.
