admin

The first sign that the World Cup is close are the squad lists. Until then, we hear rumors, we still watch end of season in a club football, we comment on players who got injured and won’t feature, but the real excitement starts when a national manager comes out and hands over a list of travelers to the World Cup. And the feeling of finding out those 26 names is one of excitement, but the absence of some names creates excitement as well. All fans, TV pundits and former managers/players are commenting on absent footballers and criticize/support national coaches in their decision. This World Cup is not different from any other in that matter.WC Countdown: Best 11 Africans playing for other teamsThere are various reasons for excluding some players and national coaches are trying to explain that. Some of them even admit that they haven’t called the most talented players (Thomas Tuchel), some are just keep calling the same players which were regulars during qualifications, some of them act ..

A new William Saliba in the making at Arsenal, or simply the Gunners’ revenge on Paris Saint-Germain?The Parisians handed a painful defeat to the North London club in the recent Champions League final, and now the losing side could strike back away from the pitch – by stealing one of the rivals’ brightest prospects.According to Le Parisien, Arsenal are highly interested in PSG’s 18-year-old defender, Emmanuel Mbemba, the captain of their U-18 team, whose youth contract with the European champions is set to expire in 24 days. Their offer of a professional contract is on the table, but the left-back may choose a different path.##EDITORS_CHOICE##That’s where the Gunners come into the picture. They have reportedly scouted Mbemba several times and are hoping to hit the jackpot just as they did seven years ago when they signed then-18-year-old William Saliba from Saint-Etienne, pulling off one of the best transfers in the last two decades.Still, if the teenager doesn’t want to go far from ho..

Kabras Sugar RFC winger/centre Derrick Ashiundu has explained the importance of positional versatility in modern rugby after seamlessly switching between centre and wing throughout the season.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe speedster spent much of the 2025/26 campaign operating at outside centre, a role he embraced as part of the team’s needs.However, during the Enterprise Cup final, he returned to his natural position on the wing and delivered a performance that reminded fans of his finishing prowess, scoring a brace of tries to help Kabras secure victory.Kabras RFC head coach identifies biggest problem ailing Kenyan rugbyFor Ashiundu, the ability to adapt has become a crucial part of his game.”With the way rugby is played today, versatility is important. I can comfortably play on the wing or at centre, and I’m willing to contribute wherever the team needs me. I had become accustomed to playing at centre, but muscle memory kicked in and helped me quickly readjust to my..

Two-time World Marathon champion Abel Kirui has credited Mozzart Bet’s sponsorship for helping transform APS Bomet from relegation candidates into one of the success stories of the 2025/26 FKF Premier League season.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKirui, who currently serves as the Deputy Director of Sports and Chaplaincy at the Administration Police Service (APS), praised the betting firm’s contribution after the side secured a comfortable 10th-place finish in their maiden season in Kenya’s top flight.APS Bomet orchestrated a remarkable turnaround after spending much of the campaign in the relegation zone.Letsile Tebogo offers advice to Africans seeking lucrative running deals abroadThe Bomet-based side put together an impressive 11-match unbeaten run, winning seven matches during that period, to finish the season with 44 points and comfortably preserve their Premier League status.Among their key results was a 2-0 victory over Bandari in Mombasa, while the side also went un..

People say one cannot escape fate. If something is predestined to happen, it will happen one way or another. This sometimes merciless and sometimes kind lady, Mrs. Fate, will arrange it herself.Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa’s appearance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup was neither plausible nor realistic for various reasons.WC Countdown: Can you find them on a map? Debutants ready to stun the worldHe’s almost 41 and past his prime. He was relatively standard between the posts of the eighth-placed side in the Cypriot league, AEL Limassol, but still played at a significantly lower level than his competitors for a place in Javier Aguirre’s Mexico squad, Luis Malagon, Raul Rangel, and Carlos Acevedo, who all represent domestic giants: Club America, Chivas Guadalajara, and Santos Laguna. On top of that, he had not been called up since July 2025, nor had he featured for Mexico since November 2024. The national team door seemed closed to him.The days when Memo was the popular El Tricolor’s key player and ..

Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Peter Odongo has outlined the key areas the national women’s rugby team must address as they continue their quest to secure a place at the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Lionesses recently finished second at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup after falling to continental champions South Africa in the decisive encounter. Despite missing out on the title, the campaign earned Kenya a qualification to World Rugby’s WXV competition. This global tournament serves as a crucial pathway towards Women’s Rugby World Cup qualification.Shujaa troubles continue after Great Britain defeat leaves them winless in BordeauxReflecting on the performance against South Africa, Odongo praised his charges for their resilience against one of Africa’s strongest rugby nations.”South Africa really brought the game to us. It was a closely contested match, but the loss of some of our key players shifted the momentum in their favou..

What would you say if someone told you that N’Golo Kante had fallen out with a teammate? Naturally, you wouldn’t believe it. The Fenerbahce midfielder is one of the nicest people in football, according to everyone who knows him, from teammates to coaches and staff members.But what if someone told you he had fallen out with Kylian Mbappe? It would sound much more plausible, wouldn’t it?Foreign coaches have never won the World CupNot that the France national team captain has a reputation as a troublemaker, but some things are quite indicative.Paris Saint-Germain desperately tried to win the Champions League with him, and once he left, the Parisians achieved that dream – not once, but back-to-back!On the other hand, Real Madrid won their last (15th) UCL trophy two years ago, and Mbappe was supposed to make their squad even more ruthless and ease the pursuit for number 16. Instead, Los Blancos ended the season empty-handed both domestically and in Europe. On top of everything, their locker..

For respectable football names and icons of this sport, he was “a true professional and a great man”, “a wonderful presence around the dressing room”, “such a competitor”, “a winner”, “one of the nicest and toughest teammates”…Yet throughout it all, he was the only thing he could be. He was Cheick Tiote – a relentless fighter who never gave up on any ball, a true warrior on the pitch, and a player even his opponents would have loved to have in their team.Tiote’s lifelong friend, Sekou Cisse, confirmed this claim four years ago in an interview with Dutch Voetbal International.”Back in the day, we used to fight over Cheick in the street. Everyone wanted him on their team. No one wanted to play against him, that was the main thing,” Cisse recalled growing up with his friend Cheick, with whom he shared the same sad fate.Sekou Cisse (#18) and Cheick Tiote (#21) representing the Ivory Coast (©Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/Gallo Images)”Cheick and I were always together. We had a lot in common. W..