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Posts Tagged ‘Ivory Coast’

Toure completes Man City switch

July 29th, 2009 | No Comments

By Chris Bevan

Kolo Toure in action for Arsenal

Manchester City are close to signing Arsenal defender Kolo Toure for about £15m, BBC Sport understands.

City boss Mark Hughes, who failed to lure Chelsea centre-back John Terry to Eastlands last week, has long admired the Ivory Coast international.

Toure was first linked to a move to City in January but the Gunners insisted then that he was not for sale.

The 28-year-old has been with Arsenal since 2002 but failed to hold down a regular starting place last season.

Newspaper reports that Toure has agreed personal terms with City are premature but the deal is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

Toure has played 326 games for the Gunners, scoring 14 goals, and has two years left on his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

He handed in a transfer request in January, which was rejected by the Arsenal board.

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Your thoughts on City’s pursuit of Toure

As well as missing out on Terry, Hughes had a £15m bid for Everton defender Joleon Lescott rejected earlier this month.

But the Gunners, who have already sold striker Emmanuel Adebayor to City for £25m this summer, have been more receptive to offers from the oil-rich Eastlands club.

On top of capturing Adebayor, City have already brought in former Manchester United forward Carlos Tevez, midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and striker Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn for a total of about £55m this summer. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Ivory Coast fined for stampede

July 22nd, 2009 | No Comments

People carry an injured person after a stampede at a football stadium inin Abijdjan, Ivory Coast ( 29 March 2009)

Fifa has fined the Ivorian Football Federation $47,000 following the enquiry into the stadium tragedy where 20 fans died in Abidjan in March.

Football’s world governing body imposed a series of safety measures after concluding the long investigation.

Fifa also announced a donation $96,000 to a fund set up for the families of the victims.

The safety measures will be in place for the Elephants’ next round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in September.

The capacity for the match against Burkina Faso on 5 September will be set at 20,000, with a control cordon to be set up at least one kilometre from the stadium.

A separate spectator control cordon around 200 metres away to prevent non-ticket holders getting through.

"The total capacity of the stadium (34,600) will only be allowed in subsequent matches if the above-mentioned measures are applied for each match," Fifa said in a statement.

Fifa investigators spoke with Ivorian police, football and government officials but the disciplinary ruling did not blame anyone.

More than 130 people were injured as Ivory Coast beat Malawi 5-0, with a reported 36,000 trying to cram into a stadium which has a capacity of 34,600.

The crush occurred when thousands of fans massed outside the Felix Boigny stadium before the World Cup qualifier. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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French ‘Barbarian’ killer jailed

July 10th, 2009 | No Comments

Youssouf Fofana Fofana at Abidjan airport (March 2005)

The leader of a Paris gang has been sentenced to life in prison in France for the torture and murder of a Jewish man, Ilam Halimi, in 2006.

Youssouf Fofana, 28, the only member of the Barbarians gang to be tried for the murder, will serve at least 22 years.

Mr Halimi was held by the gang for more than three weeks before being found by a railway line. He was handcuffed to a tree, naked and severely burned.

His death prompted mass protests in France against anti-Semitism.

Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence for Fofana – the life sentence means he must serve a minimum of 22 years.

The Associated Press reported that he mimed applause when the verdict was given.

Another 26 people were facing charges over involvement in the crime.

Fofana’s two main accomplices received sentences of 15 and 18 years respectively, while a young woman who lured Mr Halimi to his death was given nine years.

Two other defendants were acquitted.

Some of those charged were minors so the trial was heard behind closed door, against Mr Halimi’s family’s wishes.

Death threats

Inside France’s ‘Barbarians’ trial

Ilan Halimi, file image

Mr Halimi, who worked in a mobile phone shop, was lured by a female gang member to an empty apartment in the Parisian suburbs in February 2006.

When he arrived, he was attacked and drugged.

The kidnappers tried unsuccessfully to extort a ransom of 450,000 euros ($600,000; £405,000) from his family, sending them harrowing images and video recordings.

Fofana, who is of Ivorian descent, is said to have targeted Mr Halimi because he believed that "Jews are loaded".

After the murder he fled to Ivory Coast, from where he is reported to have made death threats to Mr Halimi’s family.

He was extradited to France in March 2006 to stand trial. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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