JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Hillview High School in Pretoria can claim to have been the starting point of Roy Hodgson’s coaching career which has now spanned four decades and culminated in the England manager’s job.

Hodgson took a part-time job as a physical education teacher and coached the school’s soccer teams when he went to South Africa to play in his late 20s from 1973 to 1974.

Headmaster JM Hepburn said the school was delighted to discover the connection.

“We are still a competitive school at soccer, we don’t play any rugby here,” he told Reuters from a city traditionally more obsessed with the oval ball game.

Hodgson is remembered by some of the youngsters he took charge of when asked to also coach the Northern Transvaal provincial under-13 side at the national championship in Durban in 1974.

“I was too young to notice anything that might have suggested he would one day become manager of England,” quipped former striker Noel Cousins, “but he must have been good because we went on to win the tournament which hadn’t happened for the province in years.”

Among the talented team was Roy Wegerle, who later played for Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers and appeared at two World Cups for the United States after leaving South Africa and marrying an American.

JOHANNESBURG, May 2 (Reuters) – Hillview High School in Pretoria can claim to have been the starting point of Roy Hodgson’s coaching career which has now spanned four decades and culminated in the England manager’s job.

Hodgson took a part-time job as a physical education teacher and coached the school’s soccer teams when he went to South Africa to play in his late 20s from 1973 to 1974.

Headmaster JM Hepburn said the school was delighted to discover the connection.

“We are still a competitive school at soccer, we don’t play any rugby here,” he told Reuters from a city traditionally more obsessed with the oval ball game.

Hodgson is remembered by some of the youngsters he took charge of when asked to also coach the Northern Transvaal provincial under-13 side at the national championship in Durban in 1974.

“I was too young to notice anything that might have suggested he would one day become manager of England,” quipped former striker Noel Cousins, “but he must have been good because we went on to win the tournament which hadn’t happened for the province in years.”

Among the talented team was Roy Wegerle, who later played for Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers and appeared at two World Cups for the United States after leaving South Africa and marrying an American.

JOHANNESBURG, March 21 (Reuters) – FIFA and the Gambia have agreed a compromise over the dissolution of the west African country’s FA which will hold elections for a new board later this year, world soccer’s governing body said on Wednesday.

The decision comes after a meeting between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Gambia sports minister Alieu Jammeh in Zurich on Tuesday, in which it was agreed a “normalisation” committee would take over the running of the FA’s affairs with elections due to be held by the end of September.

The deal sees off the threat that the Gambia could be excluded from June’s start of the group stage of Africa’s qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“The tasks assigned to the normalisation committee include the adoption of new statutes in line with FIFA recommendations and the organisation of the elections of a new board according to the new statutes,” a FIFA spokesman said in a statement to Reuters.

Gambia’s government dissolved the country’s FA earlier this month in reaction to a 2-1 home defeat by Algeria at the start of the 2013 African Nations Cup qualifiers.

The country was initially threatened with expulsion from world football by FIFA, which usually takes a strong stance against state interference in the affairs of member associations.

However, Tuesday’s decision effectively endorsed the removal of the current leadership of the Gambia FA.

CAPE TOWN, March 19 (Reuters) – Goran Stevanovic paid the price for failing Ghanaian expectations at the African Nations Cup, parting company with the national team after just 14 months in charge.

His departure, the subject of several weeks of post-tournament speculation, was confirmed on Monday.

“The Ghana Football Association has parted company with Goran Stevanovic as the Black Stars coach today,” a statement read.

“This comes after three weeks of extensive meetings to ensure that the best decision is taken in the best interest of the nation.”

Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi added: “We would like to express our gratitude to the general public for their concerns about the national team and their patience so far.”

Assistant coach Kwesi Appiah has been asked to take temporary charge of the team, the GFA said.

Stevanovic, a former Yugoslav international and championship winning coach with Partizan Belgrade, was the third successive Serbian in charge of Ghana and had been expected to build on the work of compatriots Ratomir Dujkovic and Milovan Rajevac.

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa were duped into allowing an Asian match fixing syndicate to provide them with referees for a series of warm-up games before they hosted the 2010 World Cup, FIFA security chief Chris Eaton said on Monday.

The outcome of friendly internationals against Thailand, Colombia, Bulgaria and Guatemala in the weeks leading up to the tournament are all in question after FIFA found the match officials had been provided by a Singapore-based company, fronting for match fixers.

Eaton said the South African Football Association had taken up an offer from Wilson Perumal, who has since been convicted in Finland on match fixing charges, to use his company for the procurement of referees for the games.

“It is clear that the convicted criminal and football match-fixer, Wilson Raj Perumal, was involved in convincing SAFA to agree to a company then managed by him (Football4U) to select, fund and appoint referees to certain international matches played in 2010, which are now under investigation,” Eaton said in a statement released on his behalf by the South Africans on Monday.

It follows a four-day trip by FIFA’s outgoing security director to Johannesburg to interview those involved and investigate any potential duplicity.

Eaton suggested the South Africans were duped rather than complicit in any deceit.

“It should also be said that to date there is no information, suggestion or evidence that any player or team, including the national South Africa team, was in any way complicit with any attempt to manipulate a match outcome,” he said.

CAPE TOWN, March 5 (Reuters) – South Africa were duped into allowing an Asian match fixing syndicate to provide them with referees for a series of warm-up games before they hosted the 2010 World Cup, FIFA security chief Chris Eaton said on Monday.

The outcome of friendly internationals against Thailand, Colombia, Bulgaria and Guatemala in the weeks leading up to the tournament are all in question after FIFA found the match officials had been provided by a Singapore-based company, fronting for match fixers.

Eaton said the South African Football Association had taken up an offer from Wilson Perumal, who has since been convicted in Finland on match fixing charges, to use his company for the procurement of referees for the games.

“It is clear that the convicted criminal and football match-fixer, Wilson Raj Perumal, was involved in convincing SAFA to agree to a company then managed by him (Football4U) to select, fund and appoint referees to certain international matches played in 2010, which are now under investigation,” Eaton said in a statement released on his behalf by the South Africans on Monday.

It follows a four-day trip by FIFA’s outgoing security director to Johannesburg to interview those involved and investigate any potential duplicity.

Eaton suggested the South Africans were duped rather than complicit in any deceit.

“It should also be said that to date there is no information, suggestion or evidence that any player or team, including the national South Africa team, was in any way complicit with any attempt to manipulate a match outcome,” he said.

CAPE TOWN, Feb 29 (Reuters) – Striker Eric Choupo-Moting scored three minutes from time as former winners Cameroon scraped a 1-0 victory in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday at the start of their 2013 African Nations Cup qualifying campaign.

Four-times champions Cameroon, keen to revive flagging fortunes against weaker opposition, produced a laboured display in the first round first leg match.

Elsewhere, Democratic Republic of Congo eased to a 4-0 triumph in the Seychelles while Cape Verde Islands won by the same scoreline in Madagascar.

Alain Kaluyituka scored twice for Congo who were ahead after just eight minutes.

Dady and Ryan Mendes netted first-half goals to set up victory for Cape Verde who are emerging as an improving force in African football.

New cap Sofiane Feghouli, the Valencia striker, grabbed a 57th-minute winner as Algeria came from behind to defeat Gambia 2-1.

Former champions Nigeria, forced to take part in the early stages of qualifying after missing out on the 2012 finals, were held to a goalless draw in Rwanda despite the return of striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni.

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Missing key penalties for Ghana in successive tournaments has left Asamoah Gyan “psychologically down” and wanting a break from the national team, the striker said on Twitter on Monday.

Gyan, who missed penalties during the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals and this year’s African Nations Cup semi, used the social network to explain his decision to suspend his international career but said he would be keen to play in the future.

“Psychologically I’m down. As you can imagine it’s been very hard for me mentally to miss important successive penalties for my country,” the former Sunderland striker said on his account @asamoah_gyan.

“And because of this, a break to recoup my thoughts and emotions will aid me to come back bigger and mentally stronger. I have never fully recovered from (the) 2010 World Cup and now 2012 Afcon (Nations Cup).

“I would like to ask for prayers and support from Ghanaians to help me come back with renewed strength to continue serving my country,” he Tweeted.

Gyan hit the crossbar with a last-minute penalty against Uruguay in the World Cup quarter-final in Johannesburg, that had he converted would have meant Ghana becoming the first African country to reach the last four.

Earlier this month, he had a seventh-minute spot kick saved against Zambia in the semis of the Nations Cup and was taken off in the second half as Ghana surprisingly lost.

CAPE TOWN, Feb 20 (Reuters) – Missing key penalties for Ghana in successive tournaments has left Asamoah Gyan “psychologically down” and wanting a break from the national team, the striker said on Twitter on Monday.

Gyan, who missed penalties during the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals and this year’s African Nations Cup semi, used the social network to explain his decision to suspend his international career but said he would be keen to play in the future.

“Psychologically I’m down. As you can imagine it’s been very hard for me mentally to miss important successive penalties for my country,” the former Sunderland striker said on his account @asamoah_gyan.

“And because of this, a break to recoup my thoughts and emotions will aid me to come back bigger and mentally stronger. I have never fully recovered from (the) 2010 World Cup and now 2012 Afcon (Nations Cup).

“I would like to ask for prayers and support from Ghanaians to help me come back with renewed strength to continue serving my country,” he Tweeted.

Gyan hit the crossbar with a last-minute penalty against Uruguay in the World Cup quarter-final in Johannesburg, that had he converted would have meant Ghana becoming the first African country to reach the last four.

Earlier this month, he had a seventh-minute spot kick saved against Zambia in the semis of the Nations Cup and was taken off in the second half as Ghana surprisingly lost.

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) – Ivory Coast’s golden generation, led by Didier Drogba, could have one final shot at the African Nations Cup title thanks to the intricacies of the international soccer calendar.

Drobga, 33, has taken part in four Nations Cups and seen his side lose twice on penalties in the final, once in the semi-finals and once in the quarters, despite invariably being billed as favourites and playing some of the best football.

This year’s tournament looked to be the last chance for the likes of Drogba, Didier Zokora and Kolo Toure who under normal circumstances would have to wait two years for another crack at the title.

But the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has switched the competition to odd years rather than even so that it no longer takes place in the same season as a World Cup.

Rather than wait three years until the next Nations Cup, CAF has decided to that the competition will be held in 2013, in South Africa.

“If they still have the motivation they can still play an important role for the team,” said coach Francois Zahoui, whose own future is the subject of speculation, after they lost on penalties to Zambia in Sunday’s final after a goalless draw.

“But these are decisions not to be made now.”