CAF appoints Samson Adamu as new Secretary-General

Today (Sunday), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the appointment of Nigerian Samson Adamu as the new Secretary-General of the Confederation.

Adamu had been acting Secretary-General since last March, following the resignation of Veron Mosengo-Omba, who later became president of the local federation of the game in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe said that Adamo's appointment came after a comprehensive recruitment process during which the job was widely advertised and interviews were conducted with a number of candidates.

Adamo has worked in CAF for the past eight years. He served as director of competitions and then director of tournaments and events.

His father, Amos Adamu, was a member of the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Associations (FIFA), but was suspended in 2010 for violating bribery rules.

Previous CAF secretaries-general include three generations of the Egyptian Fahmy family, with Mourad Fahmy holding the position from 1961 to 1982, his son Mostafa Fahmy from 1982 to 2010, and his grandson Amr Fahmy from 2017 to 2019.

Irish runner Ciara Magian, who won the European gold medal in the 1,500 meters, died at the age of 34 after a battle with cancer.

Magian, who participated in two Olympic Games and won the European Championship title in Rome in 2024, announced last year that she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer.

A statement published on her Instagram account today (Sunday) said: “At six-thirty this morning, Ciara lost her battle with cancer, surrounded by her loved ones. “She was a beloved daughter, sister, wife and friend, an inspiration to many, and will be greatly missed.”

Magian, who is from Portaferry in County Down, Northern Ireland, got married last month.

Magian participated in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020. She also won the European silver medal in the 1,500 meters in 2022, and the bronze in 2016, while she ranked fourth in the World Championships in 2023.

She also won a silver medal representing Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in 2022.

The Irish Athletics Federation said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that the Irish Athletics Federation has received the news of Ciara Magian’s death.”

The statement added: “Ciara was a beloved and inspiring person who left an impact on the lives of many. “Her courage, warmth and spirit will remain a lasting legacy.”

He continued: “The Irish Athletics family extends its deepest thoughts and deepest condolences to Ciara’s family, friends and loved ones at this extremely difficult time. May she rest in peace.”

Roberto De Zerbe, coach of the English football team Tottenham, believes that the transformation that occurred in the team’s results in the English Premier League is due to the success of his new squad in restoring the spirit of teamwork and forming a cohesive team.

The British news agency (PA Media) reported that Tottenham presented a disciplined performance to achieve victory over Crystal Palace 2-0, with the latter playing most of the match with 10 players, on Saturday evening, achieving 3 consecutive victories in the league for the first time in 616 days.

The team's trip to Marbella last month was the turning point that paved the way for this improvement. After spending 380 million pounds ($426 million) on including 10 new players during the recent transfer period, by the Lewis family; The majority owner of the club, De Zerbe believes that Spurs have finally regained their identity as a cohesive team.

De Zerbe said: “I think we were performing well even before the international break.”

He added: “Maybe we did not perform well throughout the 90 minutes, but we played exceptionally well in many parts of the matches. We were not scoring goals, and we conceded a naive goal, and then we lost our energy and morale, as well as the required bond between the players.” He continued: “If we compare Tottenham before and after the international break, we will find that we are now playing one team.”

He explained: “Before the international break, we had a group of very distinguished players, but we were not playing as a team.”

The growing harmony between Tottenham players has become clear. Which was evident again on Saturday; When the substitutes celebrated warmly with Archie Gray, the scorer of the lead goal, when they crowded around him in front of the bench after he scored a goal with a header in the 25th minute.

Gray gave another distinguished performance in the right-back position, in the ninth match this season, in which the 20-year-old player started in a position different from his main position.

The Tottenham coach said: “His level has improved a lot.” “Since the Manchester United match, he has been performing very well and playing with the mentality of a mature player.”

He added: “I did not want to risk him being exposed to a second yellow card. “I feel sorry because his performance was very good.” He continued: “I explained to him the reasons for making this decision, but I believe it was the right decision at that time.”