Sonny Side of Sports - VOA Africa

On Sonny Side of Sports:

As we continue coverage of women’s month, today we give a Sonny Side of Sports salute to Australian basketball coach Liz Mills, who has led another team to the play offs of the Basketball Africa League (BAL)!

We will hear from coach Mills on the show today as she comments on the third season of the premier tournament, her term as coach of AS Sale and how she guided debutants ABC Fighters of Ivory Coast to the next stage.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

On Wednesday’s show:

Ghanaian athlete and 100m record holder Benjamin Azamati highlights his aspirations to make history for his nation by being its first Olympic medalist at the 2024 Paris Games, amid preparations for the 2023 World Championships to be held in Budapest.

We also focus on the recently concluded Basketball Africa League Sahara Conference which witnessed Dakar’s AS Douanes eliminating the defending champions US Monastir of Tunisia.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

The Ghana Football Association has officially unveiled Chris Hughton as the head coach of its men's national team ahead of Thursday's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Angola. We'll hear from Coach Hughton on Tuesday's show, as well as Zambia's head coach, Avram Grant, who is preparing his team for an AFCON qualifier Thursday against Lesotho. Also on the program, Sonny will have lots of Basketball Africa League (BAL) news as the African tournament wraps up the Sahara Conference portion of its schedule.

On Monday’s show:

We continue coverage on the Basketball Africa League!Sonny reports on Malian big man Aliou Diarra who has been labelled as one of the most impactful in the Sahara Conference phase of this year’s premier tournament.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

On Friday’s show:

VOA continues commemorating Women’s History Month and today we hear from South Sudan’s Sarah Chan, the first female scout for the U.S. National Basketball Association in Africa.

Chan joined Sonny and Muqbil Yabarow for Nuthin’ But Net, VOA’s special podcast focused on season three of the Basketball Africa League, during which the scout talked about the evolution of the premier tournament, gender equality and more.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

On Thursday’s show:

FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino was re-elected to his post Thursday in an unopposed election held in Kigali, Rwanda. The re-elected president assured football fans that the governing body will produce greater revenues in world football and addressed the historical nature of the first FIFA electoral congress held on the continent.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

Wednesday’s show kicks off with commemorations of Women’s History month by spotlighting Isha Johansen, a football administrator and philanthropist from Sierra Leone who is using sport to uplift vulnerable women through an initiative titled ‘Football for Reform.’

We also are joined by Fisayo Dairo, the chief football writer at www.aclsports.com, to discuss the latest results from the UEFA Champions League where English Premier League giants Manchester City thumped Bundesliga side Leipzig 7-0.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

On Tuesday’s show we continue coverage of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

Today we hear from BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, who speaks on the development of young players in the league. We also hear from fans of Uganda’s City Oilers basketball club, which is set to make its debut in the premier tournament next month.

Senegal’s capital, Dakar will witness two BAL games Tuesday: Kwara Falcons v Stade Malien and Abidjan Basketball Club v Rwanda Energy Group

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

On Monday’s show:

The first Angolan basketball player to make it to the U.S. National Basketball Association, Atlanta Hawk’s Bruno Fernando recently spoke on the Basketball Africa League (BAL) where he said the premier tournament continues to grow and make a bigger footprint on the continent.

For this and more, stay tuned to Sonny Side of Sports!

Season 3 of the men's Basketball Africa League (BAL) tips off Saturday in Dakar, Senegal.

Join Sonny and his VOA colleague "Action Jackson" Mvunganyi for special VOA coverage of the opening game between AS Douanes of Senegal and ABC Fighters of Ivory Coast. 

The pre-game radio show begins at 1530 GMT / UTC on Saturday, followed by BAL Game 1 at 1600 GMT / UTC. 

Sonny will have lots of BAL news on Friday's show, so please tune in.