Dozens of soccer fans scuffled and threw chairs after a live screening at a Belgian outdoor cafe of Poland’s 2-1 upset defeat by Senegal on Tuesday at the World Cup in Russia. A police spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday that one person was hurt in the incident in the port city of Antwerp but no arrests were made. Local newspaper …

Senegal became the first African team to win at this year’s World Cup, defeating Poland 2-1 on Tuesday, restoring hope that the continent could still make a big impact at the global football festival. Senegal’s Teranga Lions made Africans  proud on Tuesday evening with a 2-1 defeat of Poland at the Spartak Stadium in their opening Group H match. Senegal, …

Renowned Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o has been in Germany, reading from his work at the event “Voices of Africa.” He spoke to DW about the crucial role of African languages in empowering the continent. DW: What do you see as the role of young people in taking Africa forward? Ngugi wa Thiong’o: Young people are always the future of …

Obviously to change the observed apathy of devout Christians to politics in Nigeria, one of the country’s leading churches has now started a campaign encouraging its members to register to vote at next year’s general election. The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has flagged off a political awareness campaign tagged ‘Let my people vote’, signalling what  many describe as …

Super Eagles’ Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, on Saturday said the team’s 0-2 loss to Croatia in their opening match of Russia 2018 was due to “many mistakes’’. Rohr, while speaking at the post-match conference of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group D fixture, said he and his players were aware they made some important mistakes during the game. The News Agency of …

High hopes for Senegal in their opening game on Tuesday after the four other African representatives have so far failed to get a point.  It will be Senegal’s first World Cup appearance since 2002 but the coach is counting on experience to get them through. Senegal will draw on the spirit of the late Bruno Metsu, the maverick French coach …

Tunisia coach Nabil Maaloul, speaking after his side lost 2-1 to England at Volgograd Arena thanks to two Harry Kane goals, has said that Russia 2018 is one of the best tournaments he has attended. Referencing previous World Cups in 2002 and 2006, Maaloul said that the facilities and infrastructure of the 2018 edition made it “one of the best” he had …

Super Eagles’ captain, Mikel John Obi has said that the team is fully committed and are united than ever to give their all for their country when they file out against debutants Iceland in their second Group D match on Saturday. The Eagles’ skipper, who spoke to AOIFootball.com exclusively at the team’s base in Essentuki, assured Nigerians of their readiness, whilst …

Calling for a new approach to tackle the issue, UNHCR says 53 percent of the 68.6 million people displaced are children. Nearly 69 million people who have fled war, violence and persecution were forcibly displaced last year, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). In its annual report released on Tuesday, UNHCR said continued crises in places like South Sudan …

Africa has not had a good start so far at Russia 2018, with Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt losing their opening games. But the global football festival is just starting off and a lot of surprises are still possible. Our contributing writer Maximilian Lütgens, speaks in an exclusive interview with German trainer Lutz Pfannenstiel, who has worked in Africa as both …

After more than a week at sea, hundreds of migrants turned away by Italy danced and sang as their ships arrived in the Spanish port of Valencia on Sunday. The migrant rescue boat Aquarius arrived in Spain Sunday with 106 migrants on board. Spain swooped to offer safe harbour to a convoy of boats, carrying a total of 629 rescued …

After serving just 18 months as head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Jutta Cordt was fired on Friday by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, after an internal review discovered that the agency’s branch in the city of Bremen had violated legal and internal regulations for the approval of asylum applications. In April, it was revealed that a …

Ignorance of a landmark European Union law that scraps mobile phone roaming charges is on the increase, according to a new study. It’s a year since Brussels abolished the fees in a move that was hailed as a “real European success story”. It means travellers within the EU can call, text and browse the web on mobile devices at the …

Nigerian asylum seekers in Germany seem to find it easier than other African refugees to integrate into the labour market, a survey found. Sonia Piotie Yakap of Deutsche Welle (DW) reports. The latest monthly report on the integration of migrants in the German labour market, issued by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), which is affiliated to the German Employment …

With the opening match of hosts Russia against Saudi Arabia on 14 June at 17:00 hrs (Central European Summer Time) in Moscow, begins the 21st FIFA World Cup. Among the 32 participating national teams are also 5 African teams. On the second day of the tournament, Egypt (against Uruguay) and Morocco (against Iran) have to win two important points for …

As the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia begins, our contributing editor, Michael Nnaji, previews the chances of Africa’s representatives at the Mundial. The football fiesta will hold in Russia between 14 June and 15 July 2018. For the third time since the World Cup was expanded to accommodate 32 teams, Africa will be represented by 5 nations who emerged from …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has released a personal video address welcoming each of the 32 participating nations and the millions of expected fans arriving in Russia to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. With just days to go until the grand showpiece event begins on Thursday, President Putin has invited all those taking part in the first World Cup ever …

The Nigerian ambassador to Russia believes the country is a safe place for Black people, amid Western media’s drive to portray it as a place with rampant racism ahead of the FIFA 2018 World Cup. “Racism is a very serious issue, it breaks your morale, it breaks your concentration,” Ambassador Steve Davies Ugbah said at a press conference in Moscow on Friday. “When there …

The Austrian government is closing down seven mosques because they allegedly “lack a positive mindset” towards Austria. Citing a 2015 law that prevents religious communities from receiving funding from abroad, the government also plans to expel 40 imams employed by ATIB, a group that oversees Turkish mosques in Austria. “Even if there were mistakes, even if these mosque communities have …

The African Union (AU) passport is expected to be fully rolled out by 2020, the AU Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy, ICT and Tourism, Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, has disclosed. The passport, a common travel document set to replace existing national passports, is expected to grant citizens of member states of the AU visa exemption to all the 54 states …