Al Merreikh of Sudan and Djoliba of Mali could this weekend become the first qualifiers for the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals. Merreikh, the only Sudanese club to win a Pan-African club competition, can clinch a last-four spot from Group A if they win at compatriots Al Ahly Shandy and fellow Omdurman club Al Hilal do not lose at home to InterClube of Angola.
The scenario for Group B pacesetters Djoliba is simpler — a win at Wydad Casablanca of Morocco will assure the Bamako outfit of featuring in the knockout stage of the second-tier competition that offers a US$660,000 first prize.
AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville, the surprise side this season, host 2009 Confederation Cup winners Stade Malien of Mali in the other matchday four fixture with the action spread over three days from today.
Merreikh, winners of the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup in 1989, won 2-0 at home to Ahly two weeks ago in a match marred by post-match stone throwing which hospitalized legendary Egypt goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary.
Ahmed Al Basha claimed his fourth goal to put the match beyond the reach of Ahly, competing in Africa for the first time with the usual Sudanese mix of local and imported talent and coached by Tunisian Mohamed Kouki.
Hilal were held 1-1 in Luanda, Angola, by 2011 Confederation Cup semi-finalists InterClube with Zimbabwe-born striker Edward Sadomba equalizing after Kialunda have nudged the Luanda police team ahead.
However, steamy Omdurman will be less to the liking of the under-performing policemen, who have captured just one point from a possible nine, and any result other than a Hilal victory would be an upset.
Merreikh have seven points, Hilal five, Ahly three and InterClube one halfway through the six-round mini-league phase of a competition dominated by Moroccan clubs recently with FUS Rabat and Moghreb Fes winning the last two editions.
Wydad were runners-up to Esperance of Tunisia in the more challenging CAF Champions League last season and appeared a sound bet to go all the way this year and maintain a record of winning a CAF club competition every 10 years.
However, two draws followed by a stoppage-time loss at Djoliba have left them five points adrift of the leaders and they need maximum points at home to rein in the Malians and boost their own titles chances.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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