The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed a two-year doping ban on the Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder, Christian Ngudikama, after the AS Vita Club player produced a positive test during the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda. CAF confirmed the 28-year-old was being sanctioned after testing positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine following DR Congo’s group match against Angola in January. DR Congo went on to win the 2016 CHAN.
Andy Murray became Wimbledon champion for the second time with a superb performance against Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic in the final. The Scot, 29, dismantled the Raonic serve in a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) victory to repeat his triumph of 2013 and claim a third Grand Slam title. “I’m proud to have my hands on the trophy again,” said Murray. “This is the most important tournament for me every year,” added an emotional Murray. “I’ve had some great moments here, but also some tough losses. The win feels extra special because of the tough losses.” Murray was playing his 11th Grand Slam final and for the first time he was the favourite, having faced either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer in the previous 10 finals. He appeared to relish the role, ignoring the magnitude of the occasion to claim a sixth successive win over Raonic. The 25-year-old Canadian was making his Grand Slam final debut.
The captain of Spanish third division club Linares Deportivo has died after an accident in a hotel gym. Fran Carles, 26, full name Francisco Javier Pardo Garrido, sustained a thigh injury causing a haemorrhage that spread to his kidneys and other organs. His coffin was carried around the club’s ground on Saturday where over 4,000 fans had gathered to pay their respects before his funeral. “There are no words to express the deep sorrow we feel,” said a club statement.
Boreham Wood manager Luke Garrard has played down the possibility of former Everton and Portsmouth striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni joining the club after he played in today’s 5-0 friendly loss to Reading. The 33-year-old striker is a free agent after leaving Turkish Super Lig club Kayserispor and played an hour for Wood as they were comfortably beaten by the Royals. “Realistically I think he has offers and ambitions to play at the highest level available,” said Garrard. “I’ll never say never.” The Nigerian international is the second-highest scoring African in Premier League history and has 96 goals to his name for Portsmouth, Everton, Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers. Asked how the powerful forward came to link up with the Meadow Park club, Garrard said: “I spoke to a friend of mine who is friends with Yak and he said where he was at.
Ghana international Mubarak Wakaso has joined Greek side Panathinaikos from Russian club Rubin Kazan on a three year deal. The 25 year old winger completed his move following a medical with the Athens based club. Panathinaikos confirmed that Wakaso would be at the club until the “summer of 2019.” Wakaso had been with Rubin Kazan since 2013, but spent periods on loan at both Celtic and Las Palmas during that time. He played a key role in helping Ghana reach the both the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon next year, as well as the group phase of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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