Sports
Former Bayern Munich player, 18, left ‘brain dead’ after head to knee collision during a match in Spain
A teenage Chinese player, who was previously part of Bayern Munich’s World Squad, has reportedly been diagnosed with ‘brain death’ following a match in Spain.
Guo Jiaxuan, an 18-year-old defender, was reportedly struck in the face by a knee during training camp last Thursday.
He had been playing in a training match against Spanish side RC Alcobendas at a camp organised by the Beijing Football Association.
His brother revealed on social media that Guo had suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage – a form of stroke caused by bleeding on the brain – following the accidental collision.
Doctors in Madrid have diagnosed Guo with ‘brain death’, according to his brother.
‘During training [last Thursday], he was rushed to [hospital] after being hit in the head by another player’s knee,’ Guo’s brother wrote on social media.
From the interpreter, I learned that the doctor at the hospital said my brother had too much bleeding in his head and that there was little hope of survival… the hospital was going to remove his [life support] tubes.’
Guo’s father had reportedly refused the doctor’s suggestion to turn off his son’s life support and perform an autopsy, and has instead sought for him to be repatriated to China for further treatment.
The South China Morning Post reported that Guo’s family have accused the Beijing Football Association and his club Beijing Guoan of failing to cover his medical bills.
The family claimed the Beijing FA had failed to buy insurance for the trip.
The organisation has reportedly now reached an agreement to transport Guo to China and will support his continued treatment.
Guo had previously represented the Chinese national team at under-17 level and had been invited to train with Bayern Munich in 2023.
He had become part of Bayern Munich’s World Squad, an international project by the German giants aimed at developing promising players from around the world.
Following the match last week, Spanish side RC Alcobendas offered a message of support for Guo and his family.
‘From RC Alcobendas we want to express our deep concern for the player from the Beijing Football Association delegation who suffered an accident during the friendly match played this morning against our first team,’ the club wrote last week.
Sports
WAFCON 2026 final draw holds Jan 15 in Rabat
Voting for the CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year involves members of the media, as well as captains and coaches from teams participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
The Final Draw for the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026 will take place in Rabat on Thursday, 15 January 2025, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has confirmed.
The qualified teams for the competition are hosts Morocco, alongside Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.
The event will also feature the announcement of the remaining winners in the CAF Awards 2025 Women’s Categories, including the CAF Women’s Coach of the Year and other top honours in women’s football.
The draw will mark a milestone for the continental tournament, which will feature an expanded 16-team field for the first time in its history.
Ahead of the draw, CAF will announce the winners of three outstanding women’s football awards: CAF Women’s Coach of the Year, CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year, and CAF Women’s Club of the Year.
The awards were initially scheduled to be presented during the CAF Awards 2025 ceremony but were postponed as the women’s football season had not concluded, owing to the ongoing CAF Women’s Champions League. CAF earlier this week officially reopened voting for the three categories.
CAF has reiterated that while it does not participate in the voting process, it oversees and coordinates the exercise.
Voting for the CAF Women’s Interclub Player of the Year involves members of the media, as well as captains and coaches from teams participating in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Sports
Ndidi builds up team’s moral , offers to pay outstanding bonuses
“I’ve now made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday. I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations.”
Photo: Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi has pledged to pay all outstanding winning bonuses at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco if the Federal Government and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) fail to settle the payments before Saturday.
Despite assurances from the Federal Government and the National Sports Commission (NSC), the three-time African champions are yet to receive winning bonuses for their first four matches at AFCON 2025.
“I’ve been pushing the team to train and play the game vs Algeria. I’ve been doing this since the second game,” Ndidi was quoted by BBC journalist Oluwashina Okeleji on Thursday in a post on X.
“I’ve now made a commitment to the staff and players that I’ll personally pay the bonuses if the authorities fail to before Saturday. I don’t want these unpaid bonuses to affect our preparations.”
Recall that the Super Eagles on Wednesday threatened to boycott training and delay travel to Marrakech over unpaid bonuses for their three group-stage matches and the round of 16 at the tournament.
The team is owed win bonuses for victories over Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Mozambique. Reports indicated that the players warned they would not train or travel unless the issue was resolved.
Sports
Super Eagles arrive Marrakech for Algeria quarter-final clash
Promise Efoghe, the team’s Media Officer, told NAN that the squad arrived safely and had shifted focus to recovery and preparation.
The Super Eagles have arrived in Marrakech ahead of their high-profile 2025 AFCON quarter-final clash against Algeria’s Desert Foxes.
The team landed at the Marrakech-Menara Airport at about 4.14 p.m. on Thursday after a one hour, 14 minutes flight from Fès–Saïs Airport.
The Eagles are camped at the Savoy Le Grand Hotel, Marrakech, where players and officials will stay throughout their assignment.
Promise Efoghe, the team’s Media Officer, told NAN that the squad arrived safely and had shifted focus to recovery and preparation.
“We had a smooth trip from Fès despite the tight schedule, and the focus now is on recovery and preparation,” Efoghe said.
He disclosed that all the media engagements earlier scheduled for Thursday were postponed to allow the players adequate rest.
“Given the late arrival, the players requested time to rest, and we urge everyone to respect that decision,” he said.
Efoghe assured that updates on the team’s programme would be communicated promptly.
(NAN)
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