CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder

CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder
CAF fined its president’s club $100,000 after violent fan clashes at an African Champions League game between two teams that are going to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. (X/@AfricaFirsts)
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Updated 18 April 2025

CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder

CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder
  • Motsepe has been president of African soccer’s governing body CAF for four years and was re-elected unopposed last month
  • Esperance was fined $150,000 for the fan misconduct

CAIRO: CAF fined its president’s club $100,000 after violent fan clashes at an African Champions League game between two teams that are going to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Mamelodi Sundowns, owned by Patrice Motsepe — a South African mining billionaire and FIFA vice president – breached safety and security rules hosting an April 1 game against Esperance of Tunisia, the Confederation of African Football said in a disciplinary ruling late Thursday.
Motsepe has been president of African soccer’s governing body CAF for four years and was re-elected unopposed last month.
The African soccer body said Sundowns “is required to strictly implement the safety and security measures specified in the CAF regulations, guidelines and directives, particularly in their upcoming matches.”
Esperance was fined $150,000 for the fan misconduct, CAF said, related to clashes in the stands at the quarterfinal, first leg game.
Sundowns won the first leg 1-0 in Pretoria and advanced to the semifinals after the return game ended 0-0 in Tunis one week later. The South African team on Saturday hosts Al Ahly of Egypt — another Club World Cup team — in the first leg of the semifinals.
Sundowns and Esperance are both coming to the US in June as two of Africa’s four entries in the first 32-team Club World Cup organized by FIFA.
Both qualified because of consistently good results over four years in the CAF Champions League through 2024.
Sundowns has been drawn in a Club World Cup group with Ulsan of South Korea, Borussia Dortmund of Germany and Fluminense of Brazil, playing games in Orlando, Cincinnati and Miami.
Esperance is in a group with Chelsea of England, Brazil’s Flamengo and a third team that was to be Leon, which FIFA disqualified because it is in the same ownership as another Mexican team that qualified, Pachuca. Those games are in Philadelphia and Nashville.
Leon has a May 5 hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Madrid in its appeal against FIFA’s ruling. The Club World Cup is played in 11 US cities from June 14 to July 13.


Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run
Updated 27 sec ago

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run

Dominant Dubai Basketball halt Craven Zvezda’s winning run
  • The 102-86 win lifted Dubai’s record to 4-6 in their debut EuroLeague season

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball delivered one of their most complete performances of the season in Round 10 of the EuroLeague by securing a 102-86 victory over Crvena Zvezda on Tuesday.

The result lifted Dubai to a 4–6 record and ended the Serbian team’s seven-game winning streak while removing them from the league’s top position.

From the opening minutes, Dubai imposed a fast tempo and consistent physical presence in the paint.

The home side’s activity on the offensive glass and balanced ball movement set the tone, helping create second-chance scoring opportunities and keeping the visitors under constant pressure.

Dubai finished the evening with 15 offensive rebounds and 24 assists, numbers that reflected the collective approach seen throughout the night.

At the center of that effort was Kenan Kamenjas, who produced his strongest EuroLeague performance to date.

The Bosnian center provided scoring efficiency around the rim and controlled the rebounding battle, finishing with 20 points and nine boards. His production gave Dubai a reliable interior focal point on both ends of the floor at key stages of the game.

Head coach of Dubai Basketball, Jurica Golemac, said: “Today we played a good game with strong energy and focus. I’m happy with how the team responded, especially after a tough week.

“We showed character, fighting from the start until the end. Now we have to prepare for the next one. It’s going to be another tough game, and we’ll need our fans again because they give us that energy, especially in the important moments.”

There were significant contributions throughout the roster. Filip Petrusev added a strong all-around display with 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.

Aleksa Avramovic, who made his EuroLeague debut in a Dubai jersey, delivered 17 points and two rebounds while providing valuable energy and pace from the bench.

Dwayne Bacon added 16 points and three assists, strengthening Dubai’s perimeter scoring presence and helping maintain control throughout the contest.

The victory reinforces Dubai’s strong form at home, where the team has gone unbeaten at Coca-Cola Arena since February.

Dubai now have a EuroLeague matchup against Lithuanian giants Zalgiris Kaunas, another league topper, on Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena.