BBC BLOGS - Piers Edwards
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The next African superstar?

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Piers Edwards | 18:04 UK time, Thursday, 14 April 2011

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He's one of football's hottest properties, with a host of top clubs chasing him, so will Papiss Demba Cisse be the next African to take the European game by storm?

The Senegalese is having what he calls an 'extraordinary season', which is why reports are constantly linking the Freiburg striker with a move to England, particularly Arsenal.

Plucked from FC Metz and the relative obscurity of the French second division in December 2009, Cisse has turned into one of the most feared strikers in the Bundesliga where the 25-year-old currently tops the scoring charts despite playing for unfashionable Freiburg.

Last Saturday, as the southern German side beat Hoffenheim 3-2, Cisse netted his 20th league strike of the season - so equalling Tony Yeboah's long-standing African record in Germany while also going a goal clear of Bayern Munich's Mario Gomez.

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Ghana ready to teach England a lesson

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Piers Edwards | 11:48 UK time, Monday, 28 March 2011

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England have never lost to African opposition but countless Ghanaians will tell you that this is because they've never played the Black Stars.

Already confident, fans of last year's World Cup quarter-finalists will be even more so after the withdrawal of a high-quality chunk of England's first team - Terry, Cole, Lampard, Rooney and Dawson - and the pledge to field a different XI to the one that beat Wales.

Although England's lack of respect for the fixture has left a sour taste for some Ghanaians, it will make no difference to players who are treating this game as a cup final.

Their real concern is its timing, coming 48 hours after Ghana's 3-0 win in Congo as the Group I leaders stayed on course for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations - thanks to goals from strikers Prince Tagoe, Dominic Adiyiah and Sulley Muntari.

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Heavyweight bouts and a shock qualification await in Africa

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Piers Edwards | 08:12 UK time, Friday, 25 March 2011

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The return of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying after a five-month absence throws up three heavyweight clashes this weekend, and the intriguing possibility of a first ever appearance at the continent's greatest sporting event for traditional minnows Botswana.

And although much attention will be cast towards the Chadian capital N'Djamena where a Botswana win would make the Zebras the first team to reach next January's finals, eyes will also be firmly focussed on Johannesburg, Annaba and Dakar.

In Senegal already, the inside of Cameroon coach Javier Clemente's head must be a fairly frazzled place at the moment - for the Spaniard has two fundamental issues to contend with as he prepares for Saturday evening's massive Nations Cup tie.

One prompts recollections of the 1990 World Cup, when a presidential decree from Paul Biya forced Roger Milla's inclusion in the squad - and we all know what happened next.

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