Cape Verde Announces Themselves to the World

FIFA World Cup debutants Cape Verde produced a sensational defensive performance to secure a 0-0 draw against European champions Spain in Atlanta.

A nation of just over 500,000 people, they held out against Luis de la Fuente’s star-studded team on Monday, recording a result which will reverberate around planet football.

While Spain are ranked third in the world, Cape Verde come in at 64th.

Cape Verde were superbly organised from back to front. While Spain predictablyREAD MORE

North Africans Tunisia have sacked head coach Sabri Lamouchi following a disappointing start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.

The decision comes after the heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening match, bringing an abrupt end to his short spell in charge. He had been at the helm for only five months.

According to ESPN, the Carthage Eagles’ preparations were further disrupted by the presence of the head coach’s son within theREAD MORE

Alleged underworld kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused will return to the Johannesburg High Court on June 17 after a pre-trial hearing on Monday focused on outstanding disclosure issues, changes to legal representation and a dispute over the collection of fingerprints linked to a separate criminal investigation.

The matter forms part of the attempted murder case connected to actress and socialite Tebogo Thobejane, who survived a brazen shootingREAD MORE

Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber has intensified calls for South Africans to replace their green barcoded identity books with Smart ID cards, warning that the ageing document has become a prime target for fraudsters and criminal syndicates.

Speaking amid a broader government crackdown on immigration fraud and undocumented migration, Schreiber said the green ID book’s security weaknesses have allowed identity thieves to manipulate documents and commit various forms of fraud.

“The green ID book is farREAD MORE

Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo came off the bench to hit a winner against Ecuador to get Africa its first victory at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Diallo scored a 90th-minute winner as Ivory Coast edged Ecuador in a breathless contest in which the woodwork was struck four times in Philadelphia, United States.

The match, somehow, seemed to be heading for a goalless draw before substitute Amad expertly caressed a shot into the bottom corner toREAD MORE

Former Ivory Coast international Yaya Touré is the new head coach of Slovan Bratislava.

The 43-year-old former Manchester City and Barcelona player has signed a three-year contract.

He has coached at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy and served as Roberto Mancini’s assistant coach for the Saudi Arabian national team. He will lead Slovakia’s most successful club, the record-holding 32-time champions.

“First and foremost, I am very pleased that Yaya Touré is our new head coach. I amREAD MORE

HANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) — Before the opening whistle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City on Thursday, Yiwu has already made its move.

In this inland city, known as the “world’s supermarket” in east China’s Zhejiang Province, factories and traders have done their homework. They designed fan jerseys, filed patent applications, locked in production capacity and took orders for horns, flags and other football merchandise well in advance.

To many outside China, Yiwu isREAD MORE

FUZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) — In the late 1980s, waves of development swept Chinese cities into the throes of a property boom, and the fate of a crumbling compound in the heart of Fuzhou, capital of east China’s Fujian Province, seemed all but sealed.

A glaring Chinese character meaning “demolish” had been painted on the front wall of the historic residence at Fuzhou’s Sanfangqixiang, meaning “Three Lanes and Seven Alleys,” a neighbourhood steeped in over 1,000 years ofREAD MORE

Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey has been refused entry to Canada ahead of Ghana’s World Cup opener with Panama.

The Black Stars have been training in Boston, USA. According to world football governing body FIFA, Partey was unable to travel from Ghana’s US base to Toronto with the rest of his teammates as his visa application “has been refused by the Canadian government”.

As previously reported, the former ArsenalREAD MORE

BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) — China on Thursday released a national action plan to enhance human rights over the next five years at the ongoing 2026 Forum on Global Human Rights Governance, where attendees from home and abroad hailed China’s progress in this field.

The National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2026-2030) aims to ensure that the principal position of the people is respected and the people’s fundamental interests are safeguarded.

It will also promote socialREAD MORE