Know Afrika

  If confirmed, his contract will shatter Cristiano Ronaldo’s world record deal. Egyptian football star, Mohamed Salah, has reportedly been offered close to $80 million to tempt him to leave Liverpool for two seasons in Saudia Arabia. The 32-year-old is in his last season at the English club if he does not sign a new deal with the team. But the lure of a salary that is reportedly about double the one he makes at Liverpool would be hard to resist. The forward is one of three footballers believed to be considering leaving The Reds, with the transfer window well underway. There have reports in several media that Salah is in serious negotiations with Saudi’s Al-Hilal club to secure his transfer to the team. The expected departure in the summer of Brazil’s Neymar means that the club will have space in their squad to register another overseas player. There are also reports suggesting Al-Hilal is in talks with Liverpool’s management to purchase the remaining six months of Salah’s contract...

  Yazeed Al-Rajhi became the first Saudi to win the Dakar Rally when he completed the race on home sand on Friday. After 13 days of desert racing and more than 5,000 kilometers of specials, Al-Rajhi beat home Henk Lategan of South Africa by less than four minutes, the smallest margin in 15 years. Daniel Sanders won the motorbike crown, the second Australian champion after two-time winner and mentor Toby Price. Sanders won the first three stages and was never caught. He's the first rider to dominate from start to finish since Spain's Marc Coma in 2009 when the rally was in Argentina and Chile. Lategan led the car standings for a week by capitalizing on consistency. He appeared to cement victory on Monday when he won the eighth stage. But a navigation error on Tuesday opened the door for Al-Rajhi as the race entered the Empty Quarter dunes.

  South Africa’s Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie has given his support to calls for a boycott of Afghanistan at the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan, adding his voice to those of British politicians who have   called on England   not to play the South Asian nation at the tournament next month. More than 160 British politicians have signed a cross-party letter to the England and Wales Cricket Board, calling for a boycott of England’s fixture against Afghanistan in Lahore on February 26. ECB chief executive Richard Gould responded by calling for a uniform approach from all member nations towards Afghanistan’s participation in international cricket. Australia are the other team scheduled to take on Afghanistan, in Lahore on February 28. Cricket Australia indefinitely postponed a bilateral men’s Twenty 20 series against Afghanistan last March citing “deteriorating human rights for women and girls in the country under Taliban rule” but they did play them at the World Cup in In...

  The AFCON 2023, officially known as the Africa Cup of Nations 2023, is currently underway in Côte d’Ivoire, spanning from January 13 to February 11. This prominent football event in Africa, where Senegal emerged victorious in the previous edition, has seen the commencement of competitive matches. The tournament has witnessed some unexpected outcomes. Ivory Coast secured a victory over Guinea-Bissau, while Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea played to a draw. Egypt, captained by the renowned Mohamed Salah, secured a late draw against Mozambique, and Cape Verde surprised observers by defeating Ghana. The competition features six groups, each comprising four teams. The top-performing teams from these groups will advance to the next stage, known as the Round of 16. Teams from various African nations, including Morocco, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Algeria, and Nigeria, are fiercely competing for success. In Group A, Ivory Coast currently leads after their triumph over Guinea-Bissau, while Nigeria...