Afcon 2021: Watching Premier League aided Sierra Leone keeper

Sierra Leone goalkeeper Mohamed Nbalie Kamara says watching coverage of the Premier League helped him shut out Algeria in their Africa Cup of Nations opener.

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez, who captains the Desert Foxes, was among the Algerians who saw efforts kept out by the 22-year-old in their goalless Group E opener in Douala on Tuesday.

“I watch Mahrez over and over and over for Manchester City,” Nbalie Kamara told BBC Sport Africa.

“I know Mahrez but Mahrez doesn’t know me. I know how strong Mahrez is but Mahrez doesn’t know my weaknesses. So, I worked on his strengths and applied (that) in the field.”

“Even the player who plays in West Ham [Said Benrahma], I’ve watched him. All those players who play abroad, the fact that they didn’t score against us was a great thing for me.”

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Nbalie Kamara, who plays in his homeland for East End Lions, made a string of saves to keep the defending champions at bay and help the Leone Stars begin their first Nations Cup campaign since 1996 with a 0-0 draw.

His performance drew praise from the country’s president Julius Maada Bio, who described it as “excellent” on social media, after Algeria’s record goalscorer Islam Slimani, striker Baghdad Bounedjah and left-back Ramy Bensebaini all saw efforts saved.

“I remember the first [attempt] I cleared, one of their strikers told me ‘Be careful, be careful’,” Nbalie Kamara said. “He wanted to scare me, but I didn’t listen to him.”

“It brought us a lot of energy; it changed our career playing against the defending champions.

“They have players who play in the English Premier League, so many clubs in Europe. You want to meet those players, and then you play them and end up in a draw. It’s a great opportunity for us.”

Move on the cards for Nbalie Kamara?

Nbalie Kamara’s Sierra Leone are playing at the Nations Cup for the first time since 1996

Sierra Leone face Ivory Coast in their next Group E game on Sunday (16:00 GMT), but Nbalie Kamara is not daunted by the challenge posed by the two-time winners after their display against Algeria.

“This team too has big names, but football is not about big names,” he said.

“What you achieve in the pitch is what you are going to get. I’m ready, and I’m focussed and determined for next match.”

Nbalie Kamara hopes his performances in Cameroon could get him his own move to Europe – and perhaps join Mahrez in England’s top flight.

“I would like to play in English Premier League, every player in the world would like to play there,” he said. “But if any offer come to me, I would take that offer.”

Sierra Leone conclude their group campaign when they take on Equatorial Guinea in Limbe on 20 January.

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Dual mandates: Most parties oppose return of MPs sitting in Stormont

Four of the five parties in the Stormont Executive have said they are against a move allowing MPs to be elected to the NI Assembly but keep their Westminster seats.

Details of the plan were outlined in a letter from government peer Lord Caine to fellow lords on Friday.

It will bring Northern Ireland into line with the rest of the UK.

The return of the dual mandate will last until the next Westminster election due in 2024.

Dual mandates, also known as double jobbing, were banned in Northern Ireland in 2016, when a number of MPs were forced to give up their seats in the assembly.

Double jobbing allowed politicians to hold seats in different legislatures, for example in the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The move will allow DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand for election to the assembly in May while retaining his seat at Westminster.

Under existing rules if he was elected to Stormont he would have had to stand down as an MP, leading to a by-election in his Lagan Valley constituency.

However, the four other parties in the executive – Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party, the SDLP and Alliance – have strongly condemned the plans.

‘Facilitating DUP threats’

Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill called it “blatant and disgraceful interference”.

“It represents a major step backwards for politics here and will deny more people, particularly young men and women, the opportunity to step forward into elected politics,” she said in a statement.

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The SDLP and Alliance Party said their three MPs will vote against the mandate when comes to the House of Commons.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long called it a “seriously retrograde step” while SDLP MP Claire Hanna tweeted: “Being an MP is a full time job, and then some, as is being an MLA.

“People deserve representation at both levels, and dual mandates were abolished for good reason. NIO (Northern Ireland Office) should not be facilitating DUP threats and gambling with devolution.”

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Image caption,

The move will allow DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to stand for election to the assembly in May while retaining his seat at Westminster

Ulster Unionist Party Leader Doug Beattie tweeted: “The fact NIO now directly supporting DUP election campaign means they are not a neutral department.”

The leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) Jim Allister, whose party is not executive but could rival the DUP in a number of constituencies, called the plan a “shameless fix”.

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He tweeted: “Last throw of the dice for some.

“Dual mandates were abolished for good reason. That reason hasn’t changed. Only the desperation of the DUP has changed. What price has the DUP paid for this?”

No double salary

Lord Caine’s letter, seen by the BBC, sets out how the government is proposing an amendment to the Northern Ireland Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern Bill which is currently passing through the House of Lords.

The bill provides for other changes at Stormont agreed under the New Decade, New Approach deal.

Lord Caine said the amendment he is tabling would “enable MPs to become MLAs [members of the legislative assembly] at Stormont and hold both seats for the duration of the remainder of that parliament”.

“As was previously the case a person who holds office as both MP and an MLA will not be able to claim their salary as an MLA,” he added

The letter adds: “The provision for dual mandates is intended to facilitate a move from the House of Commons to the Northern Ireland Assembly without triggering by-elections.

“It is therefore consistent with the assessment made by the UK government in the Northern Ireland Act 2014 that the holding of a dual mandate across parliament and the assembly is not practical on an indefinite basis.”

Lord Caine, who is also the under secretary of state for Northern Ireland, added: “There is no appetite or consensus in Northern Ireland to allow dual mandates to continue indefinitely or to return to a situation in which the overwhelming majority of MPs from Northern Ireland were also members of the assembly.”

He said the objective was to “support further the functioning of the devolved institutions by providing stability where Northern Ireland parties need to reconfigure their representation across Parliament and Stormont without the triggering of parliamentary by-elections”.

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Ashling Murphy: Vigils across Ireland for murdered teacher

Vigils are to be held across the island of Ireland on Friday in memory of murdered teacher Ashling Murphy.

The 23-year-old was attacked on the banks of the Grand Canal outside Tullamore, County Offaly, on Wednesday afternoon and died at the scene.

A 40-year-old man arrested over her murder has been released “and is no longer a suspect”, police said.

The National Women’s Council of Ireland said vigils were being planned at dozens of locations.

IMAGE SOURCE,COMHALTAS CEOLTÓIRÍ ÉIREANN

Image caption,

Ashling Murphy has been described by her family as “a little angel”

One of those will be held outside Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament) buildings in Dublin at 16:00 local time.

Events are also planned for Belfast and Londonderry later, while MLAs Cara Hunter, Claire Sugden and Caoimhe Archibald have organised a vigil in Coleraine at 16:30 GMT.

There are also vigils planned for counties Tyrone and Armagh.

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Ms Murphy’s family have spoken of having lost “a little angel” and “our rock” in an interview with the Irish Independent newspaper.

Her father, Raymond, told the paper of his daughter’s talent for music and how she had “crammed so much into her short life”.

Her mother, Kathleen, added that “she was so soft and gentle”.

“She was a beautiful girl, she was just the best,” she said.

“We’re all devastated.”

‘Limiting our lives’

The director of Ireland’s National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor told BBC News there was “nationwide devastation, grief and shock at this horrendous killing”.

She said the vigils were being organised all around Ireland to remember the young teacher, to show support to her family and say: “We want an end to male violence against women”.

IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA

Image caption,

Candles were lit at a vigil in Galway on Thursday night

“There is a lot of anger and frustration that has been expressed,” she said.

“This has really triggered past experiences of physical and sexual violence that women have had,” she added.

“It also really shows how much women are limiting their lives because of the fear and threat of violence. Here was a young woman going for a run during the day when everyone expects to be safe.”

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said Ms Murphy was a talented musician who “represented the very best of the tradition of teaching in Ireland”.

He also said no stone would be left unturned in the investigation.

“I think it has united the nation in solidarity and revulsion at what has happened,” he added.

“We have to do everything that we possibly can to eliminate this appalling behaviour from our society,”

The Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Leo Varadkar said that men needed to have conversations around violence against women and how it was “never justified”, according to RTÉ.

“It doesn’t matter who she is, it doesn’t matter where it was, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, it is never justified, it is always wrong,” he said.

Image caption,

Flowers were placed at the gates of the school where the young victim worked

He also acknowledged that people in Tullamore would be worried.

“I want to assure people that all of the resources of the gardaí are going into making sure this person is found and that they are brought to justice, and that people can feel safe again,” he added.

On Friday morning, gardaí (Irish police) renewed their appeal for information about the murder.

Detectives have previously said they believed she was killed by one man who acted alone.

A team of more than 50 officers has been assigned to the murder investigation and an incident room has been set up in Tullamore.

“No stone will be left unturned in bringing the perpetrator of this crime to justice,” said Supt Eamonn Curley on Thursday.

Media caption,

Supt Eamonn Curley: “The injuries are consistent with an assault.”

He said Ms Murphy sustained serious injuries “consistent with an assault”.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out to determine the exact cause of her death, but gardaí have said the results are not being released “for operational reasons”.

Detectives have appealed for information about a Falcon Storm mountain bike.

They released a photo of the bike, which they said had “straight handlebars and distinctive yellow/green front forks”.

IMAGE SOURCE,AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA (IRISH POLICE)

Image caption,

Detectives issued a photo of a mountain bike in their appeal for witnesses

They said they also still wanted to hear from anyone who was near the scene of the murder at Cappincur, Tullamore, on Wednesday afternoon.

Gardaí responded to the incident following a call from a member of the public at about 16:00 local time and found Ms Murphy with serious injuries.

She was given medical attention but could not be saved.

Irish Justice Minister Helen McEntee said “every resource” would be provided to the police to find the murderer.

Ms Murphy worked at Durrow National School and she was also a talented musician and member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland.

She taught 28 pupils in the 1st class (age six to seven) at the school and had joined the staff team in March 2021.

Her principal James Hogan told Virgin Media News that the school community was “devastated and numb”.

Image caption,

A team of more than 50 officers has been assigned to the murder investigation

He paid tribute to her as a “fantastic, beautiful, an extraordinary sportsperson, Irish musician, choral conductor and an inspiration”.

He said she was referred to as the “shining light” whose face lit up the room when she came into it and said the school was working to support staff and students.

The community in Tullamore has also paid tribute to the young teacher, while the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin said the “entire country is devastated and shocked by the violent and barbaric killing”.

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