Proposed 32-team Club World Cup elicits strong resentment from clubs and football associations
Fifa President Gianni Infantino has confirmed the introduction of a new quadrennial men’s Club World Cup that will kick off in 2025 and feature 32 top teams from across the globe. The Fifa Council met in Qatar on Friday to discuss a variety of matters, including international match calendars and...
America rolls out plan to neutralise Russia, China in Africa with President Biden tour to next year
President Biden has announced his intention to make his first presidential visit to Africa next year as he seeks to convince African leaders that the United States is serious about engaging them in international decisions and countering China’s rising influence in the region. During remarks at the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit,...
World Cup: Africa teems with talent but local leagues should pay players competitive salaries to retain them
In Africa itself, professional football doesn’t do so well, certainly not the club leagues. I’m afraid that, for all the solemn promises and grandiose schemes from Fifa, this will continue. It shouts to the powerhouse football countries that elite-level coaching in the lesser developed world is first-class. And the skills...
Power generation using fusion reactor is now a reality as experts warn efficiency will take longer
For the first time on Earth, a controlled fusion reaction has generated more power than it requires to run, researchers have confirmed. The experiment is a major step towards commercial fusion power, but experts say there is still a vast engineering effort needed to increase efficiency and reduce cost. Rumours...
Biden assures African presidents US ‘is all in on Africa’s future’ as he pledges $55 billion funding
President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced an agreement aimed at bolstering trade ties between the United States and Africa after years in which the continent took a backseat to other US priorities as China made inroads with investments and trade. “The United States is ‘all in’ on Africa’s future,” Biden...
UN tells South Sudan government to take urgent steps to halt inter-communal clashes, sexual violence
The UN special envoy for South Sudan urged the country’s leaders on Tuesday to intervene to halt clashes and sexual violence and urged that a two-year delay in holding elections not be used as “a holiday break.” Nicholas Haysom told the UN Security Council that while some noticeable progress has...
Decolonising science: How to confront racism in Black maternal healthcare in the US
Science is steeped in injustice and exploitation. Scientific insights from marginalised people have been erased, natural-history specimens have been taken without consent and genetics data have been manipulated to back eugenics movements. Without acknowledgement and redress of this legacy, many people from minority ethnic groups have little trust in science...
Morocco’s painful loss to France in World Cup semis signals shift in balance of power in football
Morocco can leave Qatar with their heads held high. It was the feet of Theo Hernandez, however, held even higher, that got France through this semi-final. What a battering the world champions took. Ultimately it was Hernandez’s fifth minute goal – the fastest in a World Cup semi-final in 64...
Frugal Morocco have a date with history in semis against reigning World Cup Champions France
Frugal Morocco have a date with destiny as they face off with high-flying World Champions France So Morocco are in the semi-finals of the World Cup, and there is no question that they are there on merit. They have been the most consistent team at this tournament, topping their group...
Silent coup: ‘The corporation has completely eaten the state that created it, we don’t live in democracy’
“Since the Second World War, the corporation has completely eaten the state that created it,” according to investigative journalist Matt Kennard. “It is wrong to think of the state as acting in our interests,” he said. Comedian and political commentator Russell Brand spoke with Kennard about his new book, “Silent...
