Barcelona to play Manchester United in the summer

A Barcelona legends side will take on their Manchester United counterparts at Camp Nou on June 30.

The game had originally been scheduled for last summer, but several of the players due to be involved had commitments revolving around the European Championship in France, meaning the fixture had to be called off.

There will also be a return leg between the two sides, which will take place at Old Trafford on Sept. 2.

Managed by Jose Mari Bakero, Barca legends played their first ever game earlier this year in Querertaro against a team which included former Mexican stars.

Among the players to play for the Blaugrana that day were Hristo Stoichkov, Vitor Baia, Edmilson, Gheorghe Popescu, Ronald de Boer and Gaizka Mendieta.

Since that game in April, Ronaldinho has returned to Barca in an ambassador role and upon his appointment the club also said he would be involved with the legends side, although no players have been confirmed for the match against United.

Barca say they will announce further fixtures soon as they bid “to honour the many footballers that have worn the club jersey over the years and to help globalise the Barca name and values through former players.”

Manchester United legends, meanwhile, will play an all-star charity match at the nib Stadium in Perth in March.

Former United players, including Paul Scholes, Dwight Yorke, Denis Irwin and Mikael Silvestre, will take on the PFA Aussie Legends in a clash that will raise money for the Manchester United Foundation and the DT38 Foundation.

AFRIMA Mourns Papa Wemba

The International Committee of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, in partnership with the African Union Commission, AU, mourns the death of Papa Wemba, real name Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba.

The iconic musician from the Democratic Republic of Congo died in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, during the FEMUA urban music festival on Sunday April 24, 2016. He was 66.

Papa Wemba was considered an African icon and world music star after fusing his Central African musical heritage with Western pop, rock and rap. He pioneered a blend of African, Cuban and Western sounds, which became one of Africa’s most popular music styles. This earned him the nickname “King of Rhumba Rock”. Besides his musical influence, Wemba popularised Sapeur fashion, an eccentric look with three-piece suits, shiny black leather shoes and flashy accessories.

Chairperson  African Union Commission  Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

Chairperson, African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

President and Executive Producer  AFRIMA  Mr Mike Dada.

President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr Mike Dada

Reacting to the death of Papa Wemba, President and Executive Producer, AFRIMA, Mr Mike Dada said: “At AFRIMA, we feel a sense of humongous loss since the announcement of the death of Papa Wemba. This is the time we at AFRIMA and Africa at large need him the most. He was one of the African music legends that had shown interest in attending AFRIMA 3.0 in November this year. He was a voice of Africa, an icon of African music and epitome of Africanness. His pride and commitment to African music and sense of dressing were part of the narratives of African culture. These are the African narratives we shared and are propagating across the world.”

Kanu Nwankwo, Pele, Ronaldo Da Lima Named As World Football Legends

Kanu Nwankwo is officially a football legend. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) have named Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu in the list of top 48 legends of football worldwide. The body released the first phase of the list which also includes Brazilian greats Pele and Ronaldo da Lima.
Other notable Africans who made the list are former World player of the year George Oppong Weah, Roger Milla, Rabah Medjer, Muhammed Aboutrika, Mohmud El-Khatub and former Bafana Bafana
captain Lucas Radebe.