Reigning African club champions Esperance from Tunisia are set to bridge a 17-year gap this weekend by winning the CAF Super Cup a second time.The CAF Champions League winners host CAF Confederation Cup title holders Moghreb Fes from Morocco on Saturday at the 60,000-seat November 7 Stadium on the outskirts of Tunis.Esperance last lifted the trophy in 1995 with a 3-0 triumph over Daring Club Motema Pembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Egyptian Mediterranean city Alexandria.

It was the final Super Cup fixture staged at a neutral venue because of low attendances with the subsequent 16 one-off games hosted by the winners of the previous Champions League.This has given the champions a huge advantage and only one – Raja Casablanca from Morocco in 1998 – failed to use it as they lost a penalty shootout after drawing 2-2 with Etoile Sahel from Tunisia.Egyptian clubs have dominated the Super Cup with Al Ahly winning a record four titles and arch Cairo rivals Zamalek three while Tunisia lie second with three successes through Etoile (twice) and Esperance.

Morocco have a dismal record in a competition that rewards winners with a 75 000-dollar cheque as Raja have won and lost while arch rivals Wydad Casablanca suffered two defeats and Rabat clubs FAR and FUS one each.Moghreb can draw some comfort from the fact that recent Super Cup games have been close with three of the last six settled by penalties and two more ending in one-goal victory margins.It will be the first international test for Swiss Michel Decastel since he replaced Nabil Maaloul as coach of Esperance after the Blood and Gold returned from a poor showing at the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan two months ago.

The Tunisians were the latest African club to fare disappointingly at the annual tournament with a quarterfinal loss to Al-Sadd from Qatar followed by a fifth-place defeat against Monterrey from Mexico.But Esperance had an outstanding home record en route to the Champions League title last year, winning six matches and drawing one while scoring 18 goals and conceding none with five-goal Youssef Msakni the leading marksman.Moghreb won the second-tier Confederation Cup on penalties against Club Africain, the major Tunis rivals of Esperance, despite just two victories from nine away matches.

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Napoli piled the pressure on Andre Villas-Boas and put one foot in the Uefa Champions League quarterfinals with a 3-1 first leg victory over Chelsea at the San Paolo on Tuesday.Ezequiel Lavezzi scored a brace and Edinson Cavani added the third after Juan Mata had given the visitors the lead. Villas-Boas will now face more questions over his future with his side struggling in the league and hanging on in the FA Cup after a fifth round home draw with Championship side Birmingham City.A 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge in the last 16 second leg in three weeks time would be enough for the Londoners to progress, but on this evidence Chelsea don’t look capable of keeping a clean sheet against anyone. The absence through injury of captain and star centre-back John Terry was marked as David Luiz and Gary Cahill were made to look vulnerable and incapable of plugging any defensive gaps.

And with Terry ruled out for the next six weeks as he needs a knee operation – news that was announced before the game – Chelsea’s defence doesn’t look likely to improve any time soon. But that’s not to take anything away from Napoli who were scintillating on the counter attack – as they had been against Manchester City in the group stages – although only mildly less inept than Chelsea at the back.Villas-Boas laughed in the face of his supposedly precarious position by picking a surprisingly attacking line-up with Daniel Sturridge, Mata and Florent Malouda behind Didier Drogba. It made for an entertaining game but Chelsea’s defence was too often exposed.Gokhan Inler released Cavani after just nine minutes with Cahill’s slip giving the Uruguay forward time to control and shoot. Petr Cech came to his side’s rescue. The Czech goalkeeper did so again when Lavezzi released the overlapping Maggio inside Luiz.

And yet it was largely against the run of play when Mata gave the visitors a 27th minute lead, helped in no small part by the pitch. After a neat passing move Sturridge tried to slip the ball inside to the Spaniard. Paolo Cannavaro was in the way, but a bobble saw him slice his attempted clearance up in the air and Mata calmly let it drop and side-footed home from ten yards.The leveller came on 38 minutes as Lavezzi sold Raul Meireles a huge dummy, opening up an acre of space outside the box, from where he curled a precise finish around Cech. Brazilian Ramires immediately replicated Lavezzi’s feint up the other end but could not replicate his finish. And in first-half stoppage time Inler stroked the ball to the back post where Cavani got ahead of Cahill to brilliantly improvise by shouldering the ball in from close range.In the second half an awful mistake from Meireles – who is suspended for the second leg after being booked – allowed Cavani to slip in Lavezzi, but the Argentine failed to hit the target.

Chelsea were piling on the pressure, but chances for Drogba, Mata, Malouda and Cahill came and went without the home goalkeeper being troubled and they were to pay for their wastefullness.The third Napoli goal came on 65 minutes as Luiz hesitated under a long punt forward and Cavani nipped in front of him, drew Cech and slid the ball left for Lavezzi to roll the ball past Cahill on the line. It could even have been worse for Chelsea in the final ten minutes after Marek Hamsik got in behind the defence and crossed for Maggio, but Ashley Cole somehow cleared his shot off the line.

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Uefa have announced the launch of an investigation into claims Manchester City players were racially abused by Porto fans during last week’s Uefa Europa League match.City complained to European football’s governing body that Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were the target of racist chants during the English side’s 2-1 victory over the defending champions at Estadio do Dragao last Thursday.

“Following a complaint lodged by Manchester City FC, Uefa has today opened disciplinary proceedings against FC Porto for the improper conduct of supporters…during their Uefa Europa League round of 32 first-leg match against Manchester City FC last week,” read a statement on the Uefa website.”The Uefa Control and Disciplinary Body will deal with the case on 29 March.”

According to Uefa’s disciplinary code, if found guilty, Porto risk a fine of €20  000 ($26  500) and could also be ordered to play one or more matches behind closed doors. The two teams will reconvene for the return leg in Manchester on Wednesday.

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Udinese and Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu says Ghanaians always fail to appreciate the efforts of Black Stars players.Agyemang Badu, clearly in shock after being informed of striker Asamoah Gyan’s international retirement, told footy-ghana.com that the insults on Gyan’s family after the missed penalty were over the top.”The insults are too much. Ghanaians don’t appreciate his efforts. He is our leading scorer so this is very bad news for Ghana.”

Agyemang Badu, who is recuperating from a knee injury sustained during the 2012 African Nations Cup, also said that Gyan’s family did not deserve the abuse meted out to it after Ghana’s 0-1 loss to Zambia.”It was just one missed penalty, but the insults on him and his family were too much.”

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Free-scoring AC Milan, 4-0 winners over Arsenal in the Champions League last week, kept the goals flowing with a 3-1 win at bottom club Cesena on Sunday that ensured they finished the weekend top of Serie A.Sulley Muntari, Urby Emanuelson and Robinho scored in a half hour spell for the titleholders before Daniel Pudil reduced the arrears for the Sea Horses.Fabio Borini gave AS Roma a 1-0 win over Parma in another of the Sunday afternoon matches while Chievo beat Genoa by the same score. Novara and Atalanta played out a goalless stalemate.

Milan have 50 points from 24 games, one ahead of unbeaten Juventus who briefly held the lead after their 3-1 win over Catania on Saturday. Juventus have a game in hand.Roma’s win took them up to fifth with 38 points, above Napoli and Claudio Ranieri’s Inter Milan who were thumped 3-0 at home by Bologna on Friday.

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Viva Africa Sports can exclusively reveal Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has decided to take an “indefinite break” from international football.The Black Stars key man sent a letter to the Ghanaian Football Association late on Friday night informing them of his decision, which had the “full support of family and friends”.The 26-year-old has been capped 59 times by his country. He cited the “intolerable” abuse he has been subjected to following the Black Stars exit from the recent African Cup of Nations.

The player has been at the butt end of serious critique from his countrymen, who have blamed him for repeatedly causing them heartache, after missing penalties in the African Cup against Zambia and a previous one against Uruguay.According to Gyan has said that is was “not a the decision lightly” to end his international career for the time being. He said it had been “an incredible honour” to represent his country having made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2003.The striker, on-loan at Al Ain from Premier League club Sunderland, concludes his letter, according to source at the Ghanaian FA, by stating he will notify the them when, and if, he wishes to return in the future.

Gyan has scored 28 goals in 59 games for his country and netted on his debut against Somalia nine years ago.

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Manager Arsene Wenger apologised to Arsenal’s supporters on Friday for the abject 4-0 midweek defeat at AC Milan in their Champions League first knockout round first leg.”The fans were absolutely fantastic in Milan and we can only say sorry,” the Frenchman told reporters on the eve of the FA Cup fifth-round visit to Sunderland (1715) SA, CAT, GMT+2).”Tomorrow there will be another fight and we want them to be on our side. I am sure they will be,” added Wenger.”Defeat never gets out of your system because you take it with you until the last day of your life. But when you love competition you always strive for the next one and prove that you are ready for a new fight.”

Arsenal may be reeling after suffering their worst defeat in European competition on Wednesday but Wenger said he now wanted to see a reaction from everyone in the camp.”You can find 100 explanations for the fact we had a poor performance and an off day,” he said.”I believe for us, for the rest of the season, it is important not to dwell on that too much, focus on the next performance, respond in a positive way and ensure we have the mental qualities to be at this club.”We have to ensure straight away we are capable of responding, that is the real test.”

Wenger’s Arsenal have gone seven years without winning a trophy and the FA Cup takes on even more significance with the north London club fourth in the Premier League, 17 points behind leaders Manchester City.”It was always important,” said Wenger, referring to the world’s oldest cup competition. “But because we had a big disappointment in the last game it becomes more important.”We have an opportunity to qualify for the quarterfinals. It is important we are up for that and do not feel sorry for ourselves because of that performance in Milan.”

Arsenal will be without injured defenders Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny for their second visit to Sunderland in eight days, having won 2-1 there in the Premier League last weekend.Forward Gervinho is ready to return after his Ivory Coast team were beaten on penalties by Zambia in Sunday’s African Nations Cup final.

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Manchester City claimed on Friday that Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were racially abused during the Europa League clash against Porto, media reports said.City came from a goal down to beat the defending champions 2-1 at the Estadio do Drago, but the BBC reported that club officials had informed them that the two black players had been targetted by sections of the home crowd.After the final whistle City manager Roberto Mancini said he had heard nothing unusual.

“I didn’t hear the noise, because I was concentrating on the game,” he said.But it was claimed that after the game Balotelli had told a City official that he was subjected to racial abuse from the stands. The club then announced that they intended to report it to Uefa.

Mancini added later: “I didn’t hear (any racist chanting), sorry.”"I think Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure are too strong (to be affected by it).”Toure confirmed he had “heard something” from the stands.”That’s why we all like the Premier League, because it never happens there,” he told Sky Sports.”Maybe in foreign countries they don’t expect black players. I think in future it will be okay, they will change their minds and the game will become more open”Football is football and the fans come to enjoy the game, and we don’t want things like this to happen.”Mario is now able to control things like this and that is very important for the club.”

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There has been much change in the African Top 10 following the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations recently completed in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.Out of the top 10 go Egypt, Cameroon and Senegal, with the latter losing all three of their games at the continental showpiece and dropping from number five to number 16.Ivory Coast have retained their position at the top of the African list of their final showing in Gabon, followed by Ghana, Algeria and then newly-crowned African champions Zambia.Mali are fifth, with Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa rounding out the top 10.

World champions Spain remain the top side in the global list, but Germany have moved past Netherlands into second.Uruguay are fourth, England fifth, but Portugal have moved past Brazil into sixth place. Italy have also leap-frogged Croatia for eighth, while Denmark move into the top 10 at the expense of Argentina.

FIFA WORLD RANKINGS – AFRICA (number in brackets indicates position change)

15 – Ivory Coast (+3)
23 – Ghana (+3)
36 – Algeria (-4)
43 – Zambia (+28)
44 – Mali (+25)
45 – Gabon (+46)
53 – Libya (+10)
56 – Nigeria (-11)
56 – Tunisia (+3)
58 – South Africa (-2)

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Two goals by Alexis Sanchez – his first in the Champions League – led Barcelona to a 3-1 first-leg win at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday to put the holders in the driving seat in their round of 16 tie.Barca, who are now unbeaten in 13 Champions League games and have scored in 28 consecutive matches in the competition, are trying to lift the trophy for the third time in four years.While Chile forward Alexis struck twice, it was Lionel Messi who once again stole the show with another sublime exhibition of ball skills capped by a late third goal from the World Player of the Year.

“We are very satisfied with the result because scoring three goals away is very important,” said Barca coach Pep Guardiola.The visitors grabbed the lead in the 41st minute after a brilliant left-footed flick by Messi sent Alexis racing through on goal.Michal Kadlec equalised in the 52nd minute but the 23-year-old Chilean made it 2-1 three minutes later.

Messi completed the win, starting an 88th-minute move that also involved Dani Alves and finishing it with a volley at the far post as Barca avenged their 2001 defeat by Leverkusen, the last German club to beat them.Asked whether he was planning to rest Messi, who has now scored a remarkable 25 goals in his last 24 Champions League matches, Guardiola replied: “Why? People want to see players like him.”His life is football. He doesn’t care. He’s just happy when he plays. For us it’s very important when he plays.”

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