CAF reinstates Sao Tome in AFCON qualifiers

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 15:00:01 +0000

CAF reinstates Sao Tome in AFCON qualifiers admin Sun, 06/19/2022 - 15:00

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Original Publisher

Original Article

CAF reinstates Sao Tome in AFCON qualifiers

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reinstated Sao Tome and Principe in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers following an appeal against Mauritius.

This was announced in a statement on the federation’s website on Wednesday.

The Falcons and True Parrots Team will now join Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau in Group A of the Cote d’Ivoire 2023 AFCON qualifiers.

Sao Tome had won the preliminary tie 4-3 on aggregate over Mauritius, but the losing side took the case before CAF.

Mauritius complained that Sao Tome’s Luis Leal had not followed the CAF’s COVID-19 protocol.

They added that the Bolivia-based striker, who scored the only goal in the first leg of the tie, was not eligible to play against them because his PCR test dated more than 72 hours before the match, infringing on CAF protocol that tests must be from 48 hours.

During an initial ruling last month, CAF disciplinary board upheld Mauritius’ appeal, awarding the country a work-over for the first game of the encounter.

However, in the latest decision, the CAF appeal board said, “the result of the match between Mauritius and São Tomé and Príncipe is ratified and validated.”

It added that “the appeal of the São Tomé and Príncipe Football Association is upheld, and the decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board is set aside in its entirety.”

“São Tomé and Príncipe Football Association took the decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board (May 8 2022) to overturn the results of their match against Mauritius in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations preliminary qualifiers played on March 24 2022, on review with the CAF Appeals Board,” read the statement.

“After hearing both parties’ presentations, the CAF Appeals Board ruled that: The Appeal of São Tomé and Príncipe Football Association is considered admissible in form. The Appeal of the São Tomé and Príncipe Football Association is upheld, and the decision of the CAF Disciplinary Board is set aside in its entirety.

Africa

News

1 Killed as Pirates Attack Cargo Vessel off Nigerian Coast, Turkey’s Military Plans Rescue Operation

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 04:40:01 +0000

1 Killed as Pirates Attack Cargo Vessel off Nigerian Coast, Turkey’s Military Plans Rescue Operation admin Tue, 02/02/2021 - 04:40

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Original Publisher

THISDAYLIVE

Original Article

1 Killed as Pirates Attack Cargo Vessel off Nigerian Coast, Turkey’s Military P…

Pirates on Saturday attacked a Turkish cargo ship off the coast of Nigeria, kidnapping 15 sailors and killing one, according to Al Jazeera reports.

The report said Turkey’s military was planning a rescue operation for the surviving crew members.

Quoting Turkey’s Maritime Directorate, the report said the crew initially locked themselves in a safe area but the pirates forced entry after six hours.

It said during the struggle, one crew member on board the M/V Mozart died. Turkish media identified the victim as engineer Farman Ismayilov of Azerbaijan, the only non-Turkish crew member.

The Liberian-flagged Mozart was sailing from Lagos, Nigeria, to Cape Town in South Africa when it was attacked 100 nautical miles (185km) northwest of the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe on Saturday morning.

The pirates disabled most of the ship’s systems, leaving only the navigation system for the remaining crew to find their way to port, according to Al Jazeera.

Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke to his Azerbaijani counterpart to offer condolences and said the body of the crew member would be transferred when the Mozart reaches port

Reuters, quoting Turkey’s state-run Anadolu agency, said three crew members remained aboard the Turkish vessel after the attack on Saturday morning as the pirates kidnapped 15 others while one was killed. The ship, abandoned by the pirates and now headed toward Gabon’s coast, initially had a full crew of 19.

Turkish media cited Istanbul-based ship owner Boden company as saying the owners and operators of the vessel were abducted at gunpoint.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan spoke twice by phone with Furkan Yaren, one of the captains who remained on the ship, his office said, adding he directed officials on the rescue mission for the other kidnapped personnel.

Anadolu Agency cited Yaren as saying he was “cruising blindly” toward Gabon with only the ship’s radar working. It was to arrive Sunday morning.

Yaren was alsobcited as saying the pirates beat crew members, and left him with an injured leg while another still aboard the ship had shrapnel wounds.

“The owners and operators of the M/V Mozart, which was hijacked at gunpoint in the Gulf of Guinea, have regretfully confirmed that one of its crew has been killed and others abducted,” Istanbul-based Boden Maritime said in a statement.

The Gulf of Guinea – off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin and Cameroon – is the most dangerous sea in the world because of piracy, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Africa

News