Sports
Amoura has key role as Algeria seek AFCON redemption | The Express Tribune
The 25-year-old has emerged as the leading scorer in 2026 World Cup African qualifying with 10 goals
JOHANNESBURG:
Striker Mohamed Amoura is set to be a key figure as Algeria seek redemption at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco after disastrous campaigns in the past two editions.
The Desert Foxes won the premier African football competition a second time in 2019, edging Senegal 1-0 in the final in Cairo.
But in two AFCON appearances since they failed to win a match in six attempts and twice made humbling first-round exits, leading to the sacking of coach Djamel Belmadi.
His place was taken by Vladimir Petkovic, who took Switzerland to two Euro Championship tournaments and one World Cup during a seven-year reign.
The 62-year-old born in Bosnia & Herzegovina rang the changes when he took charge of Algeria last year, including giving more opportunities to Amoura.
His faith in the 25-year-old, now with Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, has been richly rewarded with Amoura becoming the leading scorer in 2026 World Cup African qualifying with 10 goals.
Amoura tormented a variety of rivals as Algeria secured a fifth appearance at the global showpiece, scoring a hat-trick against Mozambique and two each against Botswana, Somalia and Uganda.
Since then he also found the net in an AFCON warm-up victory over Zimbabwe as Algeria prepare for Group E showdowns with Sudan, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
It is a mini-league Algeria are expected to win, and Petkovic acknowledges that the Foxes are considered the strongest of the four contenders.
“The main objective is to get past the first round, (then) go as far as possible in the tournament,” he said after announcing his squad.
‘Huge honour’
Amoura told the Algerian media he is optimistic Algeria will win Group E and qualify for the round of 16.
“It is a strong group. We respect every team, but fear no team. Algeria have a balanced squad that includes some outstanding players.
“Our goal is to go deep into the tournament and represent our country in the best possible way. We want to make our supporters happy and fight for the title.
“There is no secret to my scoring 10 goals in World Cup qualifiers. My achievements are due to hard work and the confidence given to me by my teammates and coaches.
“It is a huge honour to wear the Algerian jersey. I want to help my team as much as possible, whether it is scoring, creating goals or dropping back to defend.”
Amoura hailed Petkovic for creating an atmosphere during training camps that is conducive to success for a country that also won the AFCON in 1990.
“The atmosphere is excellent, It is serious, focused and there is a desire to give our best. It has to be that way because the 2025 AFCON is packed with strong teams.”
Amoura left Wolfsburg for Algeria at the weekend after scoring in a 3-1 league win at fellow bottom-half club Borussia Moenchengladbach.
He and Ivorian teenager Yan Diomande are the leading African scorers in the Bundesliga this season with six goals each.
Amoura made his professional debut just five years ago with Entente Setif. He made an immediate impact leading to transfers to Lugano and Union Saint-Gilloise before joining Wolfsburg last year.
He initially left Union on loan, but the German club, releasing the potential of the Algerian, made the move permanent this year.
Sports
Warriors’ Moses Moody leaves game on stretcher after suffering gruesome injury on dunk attempt
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody left Monday night’s game on a stretcher after he suffered a gruesome leg injury against the Dallas Mavericks.
Moody was all alone on his way to an easy dunk in overtime after stealing the ball from Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg. He gathered himself and went up for the slam but his knee buckled. He landed hard on the floor.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) injures his leg while trying to score in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) during overtime at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and players from both teams were left in disbelief.
Moody was down for several minutes as medical personnel attended to him. Kerr said after the game that Moody was getting X-rays at the American Airlines Center.
“Just saw his leg buckle. Saw him go down in a heap, in pain,” Kerr told reporters. “We don’t know what it is, but it sure looked bad. Just hoping for the best. What the best-case scenario is, that’s what we’re all hoping for. But it looked bad.”
Moody was playing in his first game since he sprained his right wrist. He led the Warriors with 23 points and three steals before the freak accident.

Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) grabs his leg at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
NBA CHAMP’S IRONMAN STREAK COMES TO AN ABRUPT END DUE TO BIZARRE INJURY
“Mo is such a great human being, great teammate, wonderful guy to coach,” Kerr said. “Puts in the work every day. And was brilliant, by the way. Played so well defensively, changed the game for us with his ball pressure and knocked down big shots. So great to finally have him back. And then for that to happen, you’re just praying that it’s not too serious, but it sure looked serious.”
Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski said the injury reminded him of when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL against the Miami Heat back in January.
“You just hate to see it, especially to the good people in life,” Podziemski said.

Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody (4) waves to fans while leaving the court on a stretcher during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 23, 2026. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Warriors won the game 137-131. Golden State is likely headed for the play-in tournament in hopes of being one of the eight teams in the Western Conference vying for an NBA title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Peshawar Zalmi strengthen squad with new foreign signing
Former champions Peshawar Zalmi have brought in Zimbabwean player Brian Bennett for the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), set to take place from March 26 to May 3.
The addition was announced by Zalmi owner Javed Afridi through a post on his social media platform X.
“We welcome Brian John Bennett from Zimbabwe to the Zalmi family,” Afridi wrote.
The right-handed batter has been a formidable performer for Zimbabwe in international limited-overs cricket. He has played 58 T20Is, scoring 1,888 runs at a healthy strike rate of 143.68, including 12 fifties and one century.
Bennett was also the sixth-highest run-scorer in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, held in India and Sri Lanka.
He amassed 292 runs in six matches at an average of 146.00 and a strike rate of 134.56, with three half-centuries to his name.
The 22-year-old is set to make his debut not only in the PSL but also in any overseas franchise league.
Earlier, Zalmi also signed Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who became the third Bangladeshi player to join the squad, alongside Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam.
The upcoming PSL season marks a landmark edition as the league expands to eight teams. New entrants Hyderabad Kingsmen and Rawalpindi join the fray, with a total of 44 matches to be played over 39 days.
In a significant shift from initial plans, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has scaled back the tournament’s logistics. Matches will now be held exclusively at two venues—Karachi and Lahore—and played behind closed doors.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced the revised arrangements during a media conference, explaining that the decisions followed a joint meeting with franchise owners and consultations with the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who serves as the Patron-in-Chief.
Six cities, including Multan, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, had originally been in contention to host matches.
Updated Peshawar Zalmi squad for PSL 11:
Babar Azam (c), Sufiyan Muqeem, Brian Bennett, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aaron Hardie, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Haris, Khalid Usman, Abdul Subhan, James Vince, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mirza Tahir Baig, Kashif Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Farhan Yousuf and Shoriful Islam.
Sports
How Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s contract extension impacts Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the NFL’s highest-paid receiver on Monday — and they did it without a whiff of the acrimony that came with other megadeals in their recent past.
The last time they made a nonspecialist the top-paid player at his position, it ended a monthslong contract dispute with safety Jamal Adams, who sat out the first three weeks of training camp in 2021.
In 2019, linebacker Bobby Wagner staged his own offseason hold-in while awaiting a top-of-the-market deal. It got done early in training camp, but with Wagner serving as his own agent, negotiations with one of the best players in franchise history got awkward.
Earlier that same year, quarterback Russell Wilson set an April 15 deadline for an extension, saying he’d play out the final year of his deal if a new one wasn’t secured by then. General manager John Schneider had to bounce between draft meetings and the negotiating table before an agreement was reached at the 11th hour to make Wilson the highest-paid player in the NFL.
There was no such drama between the Seahawks and Smith-Njigba, 24, as the two sides worked toward a deal that tops Wilson’s for the richest in team history. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s a four-year, $168.6 million extension that includes over $120 million in guarantees.
Given the history, that a contract of this magnitude got done as quickly as it did might be surprising. At the same time, it makes sense given the player in question.
Smith-Njigba is an embodiment of the “Mission Over Bulls—“ mantra the Seahawks adopted last season during their run to Super Bowl LX. Those who know Smith-Njigba well say he’s genuinely more invested in the team’s success than his personal accomplishments.
After leading the NFL in receiving in 2025, making his second straight Pro Bowl and being named AP Offensive Player of the Year, Smith-Njigba helped the Seahawks claim the second Lombardi Trophy in the franchise’s history.
Now he has a record-setting contract to go with it.
NFL Nation Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson and senior NFL national reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano break down what Smith-Njigba’s deal means for the Seahawks … and a rival West Coast receiver who is also waiting for an extension.

Why did the Seahawks extend JSN now, after exercising his fifth-year option last week?
The Seahawks always planned to pick up Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option and negotiate an extension. The timing of this deal, though, is atypical for an organization that usually waits until later in the offseason to work out extensions, as was the case in recent years with players such as right tackle Abraham Lucas (2025), safety Julian Love (2024), outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (2023) and wide receiver DK Metcalf (2022).
Perhaps the Seahawks were motivated to get ahead of the wide receiver market, securing an extension for Smith-Njigba lest they wait and have to top whatever number Puka Nacua gets on his megadeal from the Los Angeles Rams. — Henderson
What does this mean for CB Devon Witherspoon and subsequent moves for Seattle?
With the Smith-Njigba deal done, expect the Seahawks to turn their attention to an extension for Witherspoon, a fellow 2023 first-round pick and a tone setter on the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense. Seattle also picked up Witherspoon’s fifth-year option last week at a projected cost of around $21.12 million for 2027.
The Rams gave Trent McDuffie a four-year, $124 million extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs — which complicates things for the Seahawks. The deal makes McDuffie the league’s top-paid corner at an average of $31 million per season, a number Witherspoon is now in position to top.
Witherspoon’s résumé is stronger than McDuffie’s, with an initial-ballot Pro Bowl berth in each of his first three seasons. Had it not been for running back Kenneth Walker III totaling 161 yards in Super Bowl LX, Witherspoon — with a sack and another hit that led to a pick-six — might have been the game’s MVP.
Seattle may have already been prepared to make Witherspoon the game’s top-paid corner, but McDuffie’s deal raised that benchmark.
That helps explain the restraint the Seahawks showed in free agency seemingly in preparation for these extensions. While they were never expected to make serious efforts to keep cornerback Riq Woolen or outside linebacker Boye Mafe, they also let Walker and safety Coby Bryant walk for deals they could have fit under their cap.
But it’s one thing to have enough cap space. Teams also need cash, and the Seahawks — assuming they extend Witherspoon — will be committing a ton of it up front in the form of signing bonuses for two top-of-the-market deals. — Henderson
Could QB Sam Darnold get a new deal, too?
Not until next year. Darnold certainly has a case for a raise. The $33.5 million average of the three-year, $100.5 million deal he signed as a free agent last March ranks 15th in terms of annual salaries for quarterbacks. It’s a bargain for a QB coming off a Pro Bowl season and a Super Bowl victory.
But the Seahawks do not extend contracts with more than one season remaining — a nonnegotiable team policy on which they’ve held firm over the years. That’s why it was a nonstarter when their previous quarterback, Geno Smith, wanted a new deal in 2024, as he was entering the second season of a three-year deal.
When asked at the NFL combine if Darnold could get an extension this offseason, Schneider stated, “Sam signed a three-year deal.”
Technically, Smith-Njigba had two years remaining on his rookie contract once his option was exercised, as does Witherspoon. But Schneider has clarified that option years don’t apply to the team’s rule. — Henderson
What does this mean for Rams’ discussions with Nacua?
The impact is immense. Smith-Njigba and Nacua are 2023 draft mates with similar production through three NFL seasons. (Smith-Njigba has the receptions edge and a slight win in receiving touchdowns, 20 to 19, but Nacua has more yards.)
There’s no question that Nacua and his agents will use Smith-Njigba’s benchmark as a suitable comp, but getting there might not be easy. The Rams aren’t afraid of tough negotiations. They made Aaron Donald hold out years ago in order to get his deal and dangled a trade for Matthew Stafford last offseason before eventually sweetening his deal.
Nacua and the Rams have plenty of time to execute a potential extension and there’s no real rush. But Smith-Njigba’s contract definitely helps Nacua — unless Los Angeles finds the ballooning receiver market, which is up about 280% over the past decade, untenable. The flip side: The Rams identified Nacua as a star very early in his career and knew this day was coming. — Fowler
Is JSN’s contract structured to limit the immediate payout with eventual new ownership in mind?
The structure is favorable for the team, but I don’t think it’s because the team is being sold. In talking to people with knowledge of this and other Seahawks negotiations this offseason, I’ve been told the pending new ownership change has no impact on the business the Seahawks are doing right now.
The Seahawks have very rigid principles when it comes to veteran contract negotiations. Specifically, they do not guarantee any money outside of the first year of the deal. In the case of Smith-Njigba, however, he already had $23.852 million fully guaranteed for 2027 because they’d picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. This is why his 2027 money is guaranteed at signing in an apparent departure from the Seahawks’ self-imposed rules.
Seattle will pay Smith-Njigba $36.5 million in 2026 — a $35 million signing bonus, a $1.25 million base salary and a $250,000 workout bonus. They’ll pay him $32.63 million in 2027, including a $30 million option bonus, a $1.53 million salary, a $250,000 workout bonus and $850,000 in per-game roster bonuses (assuming he plays all 17 games in 2027). After that, the 2028 money is guaranteed for injury only and doesn’t become fully guaranteed until five days after Super Bowl 62, which is scheduled to be played in February 2028.
It’s also interesting to note how the Smith-Njigba structure fits into the Seahawks’ overall payroll picture. The extension they did for left tackle Charles Cross earlier this year included a $25 million signing bonus and a $15 million 2026 option bonus, plus an additional $8 million option bonus in 2028.
Smith-Njigba’s contract includes option bonuses in 2027 and 2029, staggering them on the odd years while Cross’ are in the even years, presumably to even out the year-to-year cash spend. Given the Seahawks appear to have adopted an every-other-year option bonus structure in these big-money deals, it’ll be interesting to see which years of the inevitable Witherspoon extension include big option bonuses.
That’s a long way of saying no but also illustrating the ways in which the Seahawks have structured this deal as part of an overall cap management and cash budgeting process that will help the current owners as well as the eventual new ones. — Graziano
-
Entertainment1 week agoStrategic oil stocks to be released ‘immediately’ in Asia and Oceania: IEA
-
Business1 week agoStocks To Watch: Tata Motors, IndiGo, Jindal Stainless, GMR Airports, Hindalco, And Others
-
Business1 week agoUK looking at all options to secure Strait of Hormuz, says Ed Miliband
-
Sports1 week agoMen’s March Madness 2026 bracket: Get to know all 68 teams
-
Tech1 week agoEarly Deals From the Amazon Spring Sale That Passed Our BS Test
-
Tech6 days agoJustice Department Says Anthropic Can’t Be Trusted With Warfighting Systems
-
Sports1 week agoTeam USA advances to World Baseball Classic final after win over Dominican Republic
-
Sports6 days agoMarch Madness 2026 – How to watch in SA, start time, schedule, TV channel for NCAA championship basketball tournament
