Football has become a victim of its own popularity as shown by the swathe of match-fixing scandals in the past year, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday. Speaking after attending the Confederation of African Football's general assembly, the head of world football suggested the problem was becoming an increasingly widespread worry for FIFA.

Zambia prepared for the African Cup final by traveling to an unattractive, rubbish-strewn beach on Thursday to sing songs and lay flowers in honor of the players who died in a plane crash nearly two decades ago. The current players, some without shoes, walked down the nondescript stretch of sand in Libreville not far from where a Zambian military plane crashed into the ocean soon after takeoff in...

Pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast will play Zambia in the final of the African Cup of Nations after another surprise on Wednesday raised the possibility of one more major shock in the last game. Ivory Coast's stars forced their way through with a solo goal from Arsenal forward Gervinho to beat Mali 1-0 in the semifinal in Libreville.

Zambia coach Herve Renard says it was "written" that his team would reach the final of the African Cup of Nations in Libreville. The Gabonese capital was the site of the country's worst sporting disaster in 1993, when the plane carrying Zambia's national team crashed just minutes after taking off, killing 25 players and officials.

Salomon Kalou was selected in Ivory Coast's starting lineup for Wednesday's African Cup of Nations semifinal against Mali after having struggled with a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament. It is Kalou's first start since Ivory Coast's victory over Burkina Faso in the group stage two weeks ago.

Mali will be humble but fearless in its African Cup of Nations semifinal match against star-studded Ivory Coast, coach Alain Giresse said Tuesday. Giresse said humility had been an "essential" part of Mali's success so far at the African Cup as the squad shrugged off an injury-plagued buildup and a poor performance at the last tournament to reach the last four in Gabon and Equatorial...