The Senegalese government has also called for an international investigation into suspected corruption within CAF.
Watch video below……
Ford driver Mattias Ekstrom was fastest in the penultimate stage of Dakar Rally on Thursday, while Overdrive’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi took a decisive lead over factory Toyota rival Henk Lategan.
In what was the last major test of the 2025 Dakar, competitors had to traverse 275km of dunes through the famous Empty Quarters in Saudi Arabia before halting for the night at Shubayth.
Lategan entered the weather-delayed stage with an advantage of 2m27s in the overall standings, but a tough run for the South African swung the battle in favour of Al-Rajhi, who now looks set to take a maiden victory in the rally-raid.

#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Edouard Boulanger
© Autosport.com
Saudi driver Al-Rajhi, Ekstrom and Dacia star Nasser Al-Attiyah were in a league of their own during Stage 11, pulling almost 10 minutes clear of their nearest rivals by the finish line.
Five-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah held the initial advantage in the new-for-2025 Dacia Sandrider, before Ekstrom pulled ahead at the 94km marker in his Ford Raptor.
Al-Rajhi took second in his customer Toyota Hilux and closed the gap to under a minute at around the halfway point, while Al-Attiyah dropped four minutes behind due to unknown reasons.
Al-Attiyah put in a mighty effort in the final part of the day to close the gap back up again, but Ekstrom held on to his position by 41s to take his fifth career stage win in Dakar.
#200 The Dacia Sandriders Dacia: Nasser Al-Attiyah, Edouard Boulanger
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
The result secured back-to-back stage wins for newcomer Ford, with the Swede’s team-mate Nani Roma having triumphed in Stage 10 on Wednesday.
Al-Rajhi had held second place for much of the day, but fell behind a charging Al-Attiyah at the penultimate checkpoint.
However, third was still a solid result for the local favourite, with overnight leader Lategan ending up 10m23s off the lead in fifth, behind the other Ford of Mitch Guthrie Jr.
That means the 43-year-old is back at the front in the general classification, 6m11s clear of Lategan with just 61km to run in the final stage on Friday.
Ekstrom now looks set to finish on the overall podium for the first time in four attempts, having moved 4m16s clear of the chasing Al-Attiyah after Thursday.
Guthrie Jr has cemented fifth in the standings, with Century’s Mathieu Serradori likewise safe in sixth after finishing inside the top 10 on Thursday.
X-raid driver Joao Ferreira remains Mini’s highest-placed rider in the overall standings in eighth, behind Overdrive’s Juan Cruz Yacopini.
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Toyota | 51h53m36s |
| 2 | Henk Lategan | Toyota | 6m11s |
| 3 | Mattias Ekstrom | Ford | 22m34s |
| 4 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Dacia | 26m50s |
| 5 | Mitch Guthrie Jr | Ford | 59m26s |
| 6 | Mathieu Serradori | Century | 1h10m08s |
| 7 | Juan Cruz Yacopini | Toyota | 1h58m13s |
| 8 | Seth Quintero | Toyota | 2h15m59s |
| 9 | Joao Ferreira | Mini | 2h19m47s |
| 10 | Brian Baragwanath | Century | 2h53m26s |
Chelsea are now mathematically out of the Premier League title race.
This follows their 3-0 drubbing in the hands of Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday night.
Liam Rosenior’s men came into the match with 48 points, looking to keep pace with the teams in front of them.
However, Beto opened the scoring for the hosts in the first half, before adding a second after the break.
Chelsea barely threatened Everton and looked flat for most of the game, before Iliman Ndiaye added a third.
The result means the Blues cannot match the 70 points that league leaders Arsenal currently have with seven matches left.
Champions Liverpool are also on the verge of being mathematically ruled out, as they have 49 points.
Galatasaray striker, Victor Osimhen, has claimed that a senior member of the Super Eagles squad in 2017 sent him away from a hotel room during his first call-up to the national team.
According to the 27-year-old, it was Kelechi Iheanacho who intervened and welcomed him inside.
Osimhen revealed this while appearing on a Twitch livestream with comedian, Carter Efe in the early hours of Saturday.
He said: “When I came, I met Iheanacho. And I told him, ‘ah, see me, I’m gonna carry your boots.’ So he said I should come to his room so, he gave me his room number.
“So, as I got to his room — I don’t just want to mention the name — he had a roommate. So, as I knocked on the door, the roommate opened the door. So, he like bounced me out of the room.”
Osimhen refused to reveal the identity of the player who sent him away.
Drama as Senegal reportedly relocates AFCON trophy to military base after Confederation of African Football (CAF) viral decision.
It would be recalled that CAF stripped Senegal of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title, awarding it to Morocco instead.
This decision came after Morocco appealed the result of the January 18 final, where Senegal won 1-0 in extra time.
According to the CAF Appeal Board, Senegal had forfeited the match due to their players walking off the pitch in protest of a penalty awarded to Morocco, citing Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations.
The controversy surrounds the AFCON final, where Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest of a late penalty awarded to Morocco.
In a clip circulating on the microblogging platform, X (formerly Twitter), a young man with glasses is seen holding the AFCON trophy surrounded by military personnel.
The clip captures the military personnel’s excitement as they support the trophy, with an officer recording the moment.
In a recent development, Senegal has announced plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with some officials and players expressing outrage and disappointment.
The Senegalese government has also called for an international investigation into suspected corruption within CAF.
Watch video below……
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