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Home , Alessandro Del Piero, Midfielder, Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi

SPORTS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2013

Africa play-offs draw stars

JOHANNESBURG: Brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure are among 16 English Premier League footballers called up for 2014 World Cup play-offs in this weekend. While Manchester City and two-time African Footballer of the Year Yaya is a permanent fixture in the Ivory Coast team, the recall of Liverpool centre-back Kolo caused surprise. Kolo, 32, was discarded after the national team failed this year for the fifth consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tourna- ment to justify being title favorites. But a move from Manchester City, where he had become a fringe player, to Liverpool reinvigorated the former Arsenal star. Yaya, who has been scoring regularly for City this season, was lured to Manchester from European giants Barcelona by a huge salary hike. The Toures, Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tiote and Swansea City striker are in the Ivorian squad for a clash with Senegal in Abidjan. Tiote had a classic African rise to fame-playing barefoot until 15 - and Anderlecht spotted him in a lower-league match. Missing a penalty on his debut for the Belgians did not deter him and he arrived at the ‘Magpies’ three years ago via Dutch club Twente. Bony honed his skills at the academy of former Ivory Coast defender Cyrille Domoraud and was voted 2013 Footballer of the Year in the Netherlands before quitting Vitesse. West Ham United midfielder Mohamed Diame and Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse are in the Senegal squad for the west Africa showdown. Born in a Paris suburb, Diame is eligible for the ‘Teranga Lions’ because his father comes from , and he spent Sydney FC player three seasons at Wigan before moving to . Cisse is experiencing a Premier League goal drought this season after notable achievements in Germany and England. His 22 goals for Freiburg in a season is a record for an African A-League kicks off and he claimed the BBC Goal of the Season with an audacious effort at Chelsea. Recently hired Chelsea striker and record four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o will be the lone Premier League representative when his Cameroon Del Piero magic inspires Sydney FC side play in Tunisia. Eto’o told team-mates after a group victory over Libya last month that he was quitting international football, but the 32- SYDNEY: Alessandro Del Piero scored a superb goal and set defender Kew Jaliens in the 28th minute slowed his pace even year-old changed his mind this week. Chelsea manager Jose up another to get Australia’s A-League season off with a bang further and there were only glimpses of the skill that won him Mourinho says the striker has lost some pace, a worry for an by leading Sydney FC to a 2-0 win over the Newcastle Jets at 91 Italy caps. With nine minutes remaining in the half, though, ‘Indomitable Lions’ outfit that relies heavily on Eto’o for inspi- the Sydney Football Stadium yesterday. The Juventus and Italy his team mates finally got him the ball in space and facing ration and goals. African champions Nigeria have called up great’s arrival on a A$4 million ($3.78 million) two-year deal goal. Although he lost possession in the initial challenge, the of Chelsea and of last season helped fire what was hailed as a breakthrough sea- ball fell kindly for him in the and, in a blur of Liverpool and Newcastle striker for a match son for the league but the returns for Sydney FC on the pitch backheels and faints, he wriggled through three defenders with Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. were not as sensational. and lashed the ball past goalkeeper Mark Brighitti. Mikel recently celebrated his first Premier League goal Del Piero was a class apart but his 14 goals in 24 appear- Sydney’s second goal went to on the hour after 184 barren outings while Moses was a key figure in the ances were not enough to drag the twice champions into the mark but it was Del Piero’s tackle, followed by another surging 2013 Cup of Nations-winning side. Ameobi won his first playoffs that decide the league title at the end of the season. run towards goal and perfectly weighted pass that allowed ‘Super Eagles’ cap last year aged 31 and is a rare one-club Installed as club captain for this season, 38-year-old Del Piero the young midfielder the room to finish with a flourish. The footballer having been at Newcastle for 18 seasons. Box-to- had looked off the pace in a sometimes physical encounter of 20,000 crowd was down on the 35,000 who turned up for the box Chelsea midfielder recently returned to the sort Newcastle’s marquee signing might corresponding fixture for Del Piero’s first start last year but the Ghana fold after having his national team career disrupt- have enjoyed had the former England striker not been injured. Australia’s glamour club will not care too much if the Italian ed by several lengthy injuries.—AFP A crude hack at Del Piero’s ankle by former Netherlands can help them to a third title next May. — Stowaway Mahmud - Boca’s ‘Ghanaian Maradona’

BUENOS AIRES: Ghanaian orphan Bayan of Bukaw, in north eastern Ghana, after Spanish, or even where he was. houses young players from the club, Mahmud dreamt of making a better life his parents were killed in a conflict Senegalese people helped him at the close to the club’s La Bombonera stadi- for himself away from the brutal tribal opposing ethnic Kusasi, to which his port of Buenos Aires and he found him- um. Former Boca star Hugo Perotti, who conflict ravaging his homeland when he family belongs, and Mamprusi tribes. “I self in a refugee centre. Mahmud admit- played for the club in the 1970s and stowed away on a boat he thought was went out one day with my brother,” ted that he hadn’t even dreamt of 1980s, has taken him under his wing. heading for Europe. He ended up in explained Mahmud, “and when we came becoming a footballer, but he soon “Time will tell if destiny leads him to the Argentina and just three years later the home our parents were dead.” caught the eye of scouts while playing in first team. But after what he has endured 18-year-old is now dreaming of a glitter- The two boys found themselves in an the streets. “One day, I was in a park, I in life, thank God, he has found football ing football career with -the orphanage, and when ethnic tensions saw people playing. A player from the and Boca,” said Perotti. former team of his childhood idol Diego broke out again a few years later, he and losing team asked me to play. I came A devout Muslim, Mahmud prays five Maradona. “I didn’t even know how to his brother got separated in the chaos onto the pitch and we won,” he recalls times a day, despite teasing by his team- ask for water,” explains Mahmud of his and he had to fend for himself. with a big smile. He earned some pocket mates. “With everything that has hap- arrival as a penniless stowaway in a Memories of this time remain hazy. money for his performance and was pened to me until now, I think God has country he knew nothing of. “Before “Everything was mixed up in my head, I asked to come back every Saturday. Just helped me. Religion is very important for arriving in Argentina, all I knew was had to get away. So I ran, I ran. Then I three months later, he was on Boca me.” Despite already being a household Maradona, (Lionel) Messi and (Carlos) got to a port. Someone helped me get Juniors’ books. name in Argentina, this left back or Tevez.” into a boat and told me it was going to Now playing for Boca’s B team his defensive midfielder has yet to achieve Mahmud has come a long way from Europe.” On board, he was discovered by dream is to play for the first team, his real dream-to play alongside Roman an orphaned street kid to a teenage a crew member, who gave him food on coached by Carlos Bianchi, where Riquelme and in front of footballing sensation plying his trade the journey across the Atlantic. The Maradona played before moving to 40,000-plus fans at La Bombonera. “The with the Boca Juniors B team.His journey teenager arrived in Argentina on Barcelona in 1982. He now lives in the first time I entered the Bombonera, my started aged 10 when he fled the town October 7, 2010, not knowing a word of Casa Amarilla, the training centre which head was reeling,” he added. — AFP