Former Dutch international Marc Overmars resigned as sporting director of Ajax after admitting sending a "series of inappropriate messages" to female colleagues, the club announced.

When Patrice Motsepe was elected African football supremo, he could never have imagined visiting grieving Cameroonians in the build-up to the Cup of Nations final less than one year later. 

A 24-team tournament designed to bring joy to the continent was enveloped in sadness on January 24 after eight men, women and children were crushed to death at the Stade Olembe in Yaounde.

Sadio Mane trumped Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations final, but the Egyptian will soon have a chance to even the score in a World Cup play-off.

Egypt confront Mane-inspired Senegal home and away in March with a ticket to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at stake.

Senegal's President Macky Sall declared Monday a public holiday to celebrate the national football team's first ever African Cup of Nations crown following their victory against Egypt, public television announced.

Record seven-time champions Egypt and a Senegal side who have never lifted the trophy clash in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Yaounde on Sunday as superstar club colleagues Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane go head to head.

Norwegian cross-country skier Therese Johaug won the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Saturday as sport moved center stage after a troubled build-up dominated by coronavirus and rights concerns.

A Winter Olympics overshadowed by rights concerns and taking place inside a strict Covid-secure bubble will officially begin in Beijing on Friday with an opening ceremony at the "Bird's Nest" stadium.

FIFA's fading plan for biennial World Cups was labeled a threat from soccer to all other sports by the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.

IOC President Thomas Bach chided FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino, an IOC member for the past two years, for not being in Beijing to hear the criticism.

Novak Djokovic described his detention and deportation from Australia that prevented him from defending his Australian Open title as an "unfortunate event" and thanked the Serbian president for his support.

An 11-day saga over Djokovic's entry visa ended with the Serb being deported for failing to meet Australia's strict COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Long before the global pandemic upended sports and the world in general, the 2022 Winter Olympics faced unsettling problems.

It started with the fact that hardly anybody wanted to host them.