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If Sadio Mane, the talisman and striker from Senegal, had consented to his late father’s wishes, he might have missed out on a glittering football career.

Because his father, a practicing Muslim, wanted his son to concentrate on his religious studies, the 33-year-old was told to avoid playing football as a child.

Mane, who would become an African football icon, revealed this to a senior Confederation of African Football (CAF) official.

The two-time African player of the year emphasized his love for his father and how devastated he was when his parents passed away, even though there were many different opinions about football.

My father would always tell me how proud he was of me when I was younger. He had a big heart, and he was. He passed away, affecting both me and the rest of my family, Mane said.

I told myself, “I must now try my best to assist my mother,” I said. When you are so young, that is difficult to deal with.

But he was successful, joining clubs in France, Austria, England, Germany, and Saudi Arabia and contributing to his nation’s first-ever AFCON victory in 2002.

Mane joined Southampton in 2014 after spending time with Metz and Salzburg, and his 176-second hat-trick against Aston Villa is still the fastest in Premier League history.

After the 2028 edition, the Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years.

Mane joined Liverpool after two seasons with the Saints, where he worked alongside Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah, who helped bring many awards to Anfield.

The silverware haul included the League Cup, Premier League, FA Cup, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and League Cup.

Mane spent one season with Bayern Munich before moving on to the lucrative Saudi Pro League with the Reds.

Happy memories&nbsp ,

In Yaounde, Mane converted the spot kick that earned Senegal the glory in the 2022 AFCON final despite Egypt’s goalless 2022 final.

Victory was especially heartening because the Teranga Lions had already advanced to the previous AFCON final in Cairo three years prior, but they had already conceded after just two minutes and lost to Algeria with a score of 1-0.

However, Senegal was unable to win back-to-back titles in 2024, falling to hosts and eventual champion Ivory Coast in a round-of-16 encounter on penalties.

At the Moroccan AFCON in Morocco, which begins on Sunday, they have been drawn with Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Benin in Group D.

The Senegalese, who defeated the Congolese 3-2 in Kinshasa in October to advance to the 2026 World Cup, will bring back happy memories of the encounter.

Mane did not score in the capital of DR Congo, but he did score twice in a 4-0 home victory over Mauritania that earned him a spot in the World Cup.

Mane led the World Cup qualifiers with five goals, one more than Pape Matar Sarr’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur in that country, scoring 22.

When head coach Pape Thiaw chooses his strikers, Senegal are left with a lot of options.

Some of the options include Ismaila Sarr of Crystal Palace, Mane of Al Nasr, Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea, Iliman Ndiaye of Everton, and Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea.

Ibrahim Mbaye, 17, from Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning champion of the Champions League, made his international debut last month in a friendly defeat by Brazil.

In another AFCON warm-up match, he scored twice to make Senegal the youngest scorer, beating Kenya 8-0.

A timely reminder to AFCON rivals that Mane’s hat-trick against the east Africans has not diminished his predatory instincts.

Many observers have favored Senegal to win the tournament once more in Morocco, and Mane will likely play a crucial role if they succeed.

“We are among the favorites, and we are confident in that.” In the Senegalese squad that advanced to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals, Thiaw said, “I want a team that dominates.”

Manchester City won the Premier League title game 3-0 at West Ham while Chelsea held on to salvage a draw at Newcastle on Saturday.

Arsenal can reclaim the top spot for Christmas when they travel to Everton later, but City put on more pressure on them with a seventh straight win.

When Haaland fired home after just five minutes, the Hammers feared a draw.

Before the ball broke nicely for Haaland to fire into the top corner, Alphonse Areola saved the Norwegian’s first effort.

Tijjani Reijnders scored his first goal at the Etihad just before halftime, and Haaland provided for City’s second.

West Ham’s early chances to reduce the deficit early in the second period are largely wasted because they are still in the relegation zone.

By contrast, Haaland was brutal as he scored his 38th goal of the season for the club and country with a 21-minute break in stoppage time that put City one point ahead of Arsenal.

Read more about Man Utd’s potential rivals for the Premier League title in the coming years, according to Amorim.

Chelsea are still in fourth place thanks to Enzo Maresca’s recovery, who was saved from further rumors about his future.

After winning against Everton last weekend, the Italian claimed that he and his players had not received enough support despite a difficult run of results.

In recent days, Maresca was suggested as Pep Guardiola’s replacement at City.

Newcastle Angry

Chelsea’s last five league games have resulted in their only one win, leaving their desire to challenge for the title.

Maresca could have had a worse situation, as Newcastle were 2-0 up in the Magpies’ dominant opening half thanks to Nick Woltemade’s double.

The Blues were reinstated after a brilliant Reece James free kick, but Joao Pedro equalized after Malick Thiaw made an error mistake.

Eddie Howe’s men were left languishing in 11th place as a result of two late appeals for penalties and James’ dismissal.

“My last week was good, not difficult. In terms of results, I’m happy because we defeated Everton, Cardiff, and Cardiff in the League Cup, and we drew with Newcastle away.

“Again, there are things we can definitely do better,” he said, “but I believe we are heading in the right direction.”

Liverpool and Spurs sign Salah-Less.

When Liverpool travel to Tottenham later, the English champions will aim to keep their momentum going.

After a run of nine losses in 12, the Reds are unbeaten in five games.

Salah has left to take the helm of Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations challenge, which has put rumors about his future on hold for a while.

A victory for Liverpool would place them fifth overall.

Thomas Frank is under pressure to win a rare home Premier League match as Spurs take on them in the 13th minute.

Wolves are currently the worst team in Premier League history and are still without a league win this year.

Brentford defeated Molineux 2-0 to move 10 points clear of the relegation zone with the goals of Keane Lewis-Potter and Keane Lewis-Potter.

Armando Broja’s 90th-minute goal gave Bournemouth a 1-1 draw, ending their seven-game losing streak.

Prior to the January window, City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham were interested in the highly sought-after Antoine Semenyo, but the Cherries have now lost eight games without winning.

After drawing 0-0 at Brighton, Sunderland moved up to fifth place.

As Chelsea came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Saturday, Chelsea rescued Enzo Maresca from more tense questions.

After Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade scored twice in the first half at St James’ Park, Maresca’s side was in danger of a crushing defeat.

Reece James’ excellent free-kick and Joao Pedro’s eye-catching solo effort gave Chelsea a second chance after the break.

Chelsea have only won one of their last five top-flight games, which places them fourth in the Premier League.

After a turbulent week that sparked questions about the Italian’s long-term future with the club, Maresca’s gritty comeback was crucial.

Maresca asserted on Friday that there was “100% speculation” about his potential replacement for Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.

Should Guardiola leave at the end of the season, according to reports from City, Maresca will be put on a list of candidates.

Maresca’s criticism of a lack of support from the Chelsea hierarchy led to the release of the City link.

After last weekend’s win over Everton, Maresca, who is currently on a contract with the club, claimed that his last 48 hours had been his worst because he and his players had not received the support he needed during a troubling run of results.

This season, criticism has been made of Chelsea’s rotation policy, which occasionally leaves the team with disjointed and poorly organized.

 , Nigeria’s 2025 AFCON Fixtures, Kickoff – Group Stage, and READ ALSO:

Jig of Joy 

Maresca switched to his senior stars after making 11 changes for the League Cup quarter-final defeat of third-tier Cardiff on Tuesday, but they had a poor start on Tyneside.

After conceding to the Magpies 1-0 defeat at bitter rival Sunderland last weekend, Woltemade was unwaveringly determined to find redemption.

In just four minutes, the enthusiastic German striker had made the desired impact.

Anthony Gordon received a cross from Jacob Murphy at the far post, and Woltemade made a good save from five yards before slotting his shot past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.

Woltemade celebrated only his second goal in his last 12 games, all competitions, leaving Maresca speechless over Chelsea’s poor defense.

Chelsea continued to fall further behind in the 20th minute because they couldn’t handle Newcastle’s intensity.

Chelsea’s sloppy defense waited too long for Gordon, who then delivered a pin-point cross that demanded a finishing touch.

Woltemade obliged, sticking out a boot to fire home from close range before a drawn-out VAR check revealed the German was onside.

On the eve of half-time, Gordon and Woltemade carved open Chelsea once more, but this time it seemed more straightforward.

In the 49th minute, James reduced the deficit with a sublime free-kick that flew past Newcastle’s goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, and Maresca’s half-time team talk had the desired effect.

Crucially, after Trevoh Chalobah’s barge struck Gordon, Newcastle were controversially denied a penalty.

In recent weeks, Eddie Howe’s team has been hampered by defensive injuries, with the injured Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Sven Botman, and Tino Livramento.

And Chelsea finally made the most of Newcastle’s weakness with Pedro Neto’s brilliant stop from Ramsdale.

As Sanchez’ long kick was deftly headed past Malick Thiaw in the 66th minute, Joao Pedro skillfully headed it past him before crashing into the Newcastle area for a clinical low finish.

Maresca danced a cheerleading jig on the touchline, and his joy was palpable.

In a significant change from what is currently a biennial showpiece, African football chief Patrice Motsepe announced on Saturday that the Africa Cup of Nations will be held every four years following an edition planned for 2028.

The president of the Confederation of African Football explained the change as part of a significant change that the continent’s international game has to accommodate in a busy global calendar.

Motsepe claimed that the introduction of an annual African Nations League competition, similar to the UEFA Nations League, would now help raise funds. An AFCON every two years was a crucial source of revenue for African national associations.

On the eve of the opening game of this year’s Morocco-hosted Cup of Nations, Motsepe said to reporters in Rabat on Saturday, “Our focus is now on this AFCON, but we will also be going to Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, and the AFCON after that will be in 2028.”

The first African Nations League will follow the FIFA Club World Cup in 2029, with more resources, prizes, and competition.

The AFCON will now take place once every four years as part of this arrangement.

Since its initial incarnation in 1957, The Cup of Nations has typically been held every two years, but over the past 15 years it has struggled to find a convenient location on the global calendar.

The eighth tournament to take place in Morocco will be this year, joining Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from 2012, which were the first two years before.

Coach Walid Regragui announced on Saturday that Morocco’s captain and star player Achraf Hakimi is fit and ready to compete in the world cup of nations, but he may not start in the tournament’s opening game.

“I’ll make my decision tomorrow, but he has done more than he needs to. Regragui’s injury was “not an easy one,” Regragui told reporters in Rabat, where Morocco take on the hosts of the Comoros in their opening game on Sunday.

“I still have a night to sleep before I can decide whether to start him or whether to protect him and watch how it turns out for the final games.

He can start, but he might not.

Hakimi, the African player of the year, hasn’t played since November 4 when he injured his left ankle in a Champions League match against Bayern Munich.

 , Nigeria’s 2025 AFCON Fixtures, Kickoff – Group Stage, and READ ALSO:

The 27-year-old clearly worried about his chances of appearing at the Cup of Nations after leaving the field that night. Later, a severe sprain was determined to be the cause of the injury.

I feel well, “. I’m sticking to the instructions given to me by the doctors and the coach, Hakimi, who also placed sixth in the Ballon d’Or this year, said on Saturday.

Regragui continued, “He has made sacrifices over the past four or five weeks that no one else could have made, and he has set the example for the staff and other players.”

“We can see that the protocol we put in place after his injury has been more than positive, but we still have to manage the competition.”

In Group A, Morocco will face Mali and Zambia in their first-ever Cup of Nations contest since 1976.

The final of the tournament, which will take place in Rabat on January 18, will follow the tournament’s length into the new year.