South Africa’s Fagrie Lakay scored on Friday to give Egypt’s Pyramids a 1-0 victory over TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the opening match of the 2024 CAF Champions League.
When the ball crossed from the right flank in the 54th minute, Fiston Mayele returned it to Lakay, who fired low past goalkeeper Alioune Faty into the corner.
Senegalese Faty replaced the injured Baggio Siadi, and Mazembe defender Kevin Mondeko was also left out of the Group A clash in Cairo.
The Pyramids, which have lived in the shadow of their more successful and popular neighbors in Cairo, Al Ahly and Zamalek, for many seasons, participate for the first time in Africa’s elite festival.
Five-time Champions League champions Mazembe returned to the organisational level after being eliminated in the standings in the last two seasons.
The other Group A match between South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and Mauritania’s Nouadhibou, scheduled for Friday in Pretoria, has been postponed to Sunday, AFP reported.
Sundowns, champions of the first African Football League, are expected to win the group, while Pyramids and Mazembe are fighting to finish second and qualify for the round of 16 as well.
Later on Friday, Algeria’s Chabab Belouizdad, quarter-finalists in all three editions of the Champions League, beat the Young Africans of Tanzania 3-0 in Algiers.
Abdelraouf Benguit and Abderrahmane Meziane scored in the first half of the Group D match and Gambian substitute Lamin Jallow completed the scoring in stoppage time.
Although the result was expected, the wide margin of victory was not there, as the Young Africans were inspired by reaching the final of the CAF Confederation Cup, second division, last season.
Defending champions and 11-time Champions League winners Al Ahly will host newcomers Medeama of Ghana in the same segment on Saturday.
Thousands of miles from the Middle East, in a stadium in Santiago de Chile, there is the Palestinian country, even if it is only for the 90 minutes that a football match lasts.
Chileans and Palestinians created this truth of exchange on Thursday when the Palestinian Sports Club, which has its origins in Palestinian immigrants who arrived in the South American country in the early 20th century, paid tribute to Gazans who suffered from the war between Israel and Hamas.
A banner reading “In memory of those who are no longer with us” was displayed in the stands, where a portion of the seats were left empty to constitute the fallen.
“We made the decision to have an area in our grandstand and leave it empty . . . as a signal to the other Palestinians and what is happening in Gaza,” the club’s president, Jorge Uauy, told AFP.
Chile is home to the largest Palestinian network outside the Arab world, with the first immigrants arriving from Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour.
As the community, now estimated at 500,000 inhabitants, grew, the football club was founded in 1920.
The players entered the field dressed in green, white and red striped shirts, adorned with a map of the territory before the creation of Israel, and observed a minute of silence.
They were accompanied by children dressed in keffiyehs. In a previous match, the players themselves wore the classic Palestinian headscarf.
“There are other tactics to express pain and closeness to Palestine. Today it is the young people who must show that they are the most affected,” said Uauy.
“We hope that (Palestinians) realize that there are other people in other parts of the world who are watching them and suffering for them. “
The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas, which rules the besieged Gaza Strip, began on October 7, when Hamas fighters, in a bloody cross-border raid, killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
The Gaza government says about 15,000 more people have been killed since the Israeli army bombardment and the ground invasion announced in response, most of them women and children.
“Very attached”
The club’s fans paid their respects in the stands.
“Gaza resists, Palestine exists,” the enthusiasts shouted to the sound of drums and trumpets.
But after 11 minutes of play, they stopped and a lone trumpet was able to play a funeral tune.
“We give them a little joy,” said Jorge Yarur, a 57-year-old fan.
Benjamin Contardo, a 20-year-old journalism student, says his enthusiasts are “very much in favor of the Palestinian cause. “
“For us, Palestine is more than a team. . . They are a total people, and we need to be the voice of one and both,” he said.
Formula 1 racing will take position ahead of qualifying for the main Grand Prix race that starts next season, following a proposal to reposition the format approved on Friday.
The decision to replace the weekend’s calendar was taken following discussions with the F1 commission during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The commission includes the FIA’s governing body, groups and F1’s advertising rights holder.
“The commission is generally committed to updating the script format for 2024,” the FIA said in a statement. “A final proposal will be presented to the F1 Commission for the first assembly in 2024. “
Weekends that included a sprint race have already seen qualifying for the main race of the Grand Prix take place on Friday of the same Saturday. A qualifying consultation, known as a shootout, for the sprint race, followed by the sprint race itself, took place on Saturday. .
This has proved unpopular with some, as it leaves too much space between qualifying on Friday and Sunday’s main race.
Under the new format, the penalty shootout would take place on Friday, and the sprint race would take place on Saturday, followed by the main qualifying later in the day.
The adjustments still want to be approved in the new year through the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
“Sprints want to evolve a little bit,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. “I sense the concept and the action of the three days, but at times they were disappointing. “
The F1 Commission also approved the installation of another cooling duct in the cars.
The update comes after several drivers struggled in the intense heat of the Qatar GP in October.
American driver Logan Sargeant retired with severe dehydration after nearly wasting his Williams car on the track. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon vomited into his helmet while driving when the track temperature reached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
The historic Jeddah programme has secured sponsorship rights as the official cultural destination and sponsor of the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023.
This prestigious tournament will take place in Jeddah from 12 to 22 December 2023, marking the first time it will be held in the Kingdom. Several foreign clubs are expected to participate in the event.
It also aims to showcase the region’s classic architecture, ancient sites, and impressive events, adding cultural festivals and art exhibitions.
The program aims to publicize the region’s economic potential, local identity, and global cultural communication, as millions of football enthusiasts around the world will attend this main event.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was absent from Thursday’s “press day” at the Yas Marina circuit but is expected to be compatible to compete in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, his team said.
The Frenchman, who finished fourth last Sunday at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, excused his absence through the team.
“He’s doing well this week,” the team said in a statement, AFP reported.
“He has been asked to rest. Although his condition has improved, he will be on track today. “
A team spokesperson added that he is expected to arrive in time to participate in Friday’s practice sessions.