Planet Sport Football Africa

This week we look ahead to this weekend's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Cape Verde are among the teams who are off to great starts, while Nigeria desperately need points as they face Sudan. And with the EPL taking a break this weekend we catch up with how the African stars are performing so far in the world's most popular league, with Yaya Toure having finally hit form.

This week we focus on Cameroon, who are one of Africa's all-time footballing giants but have become a disappointing side. After an impressive start to their 2015 Nations Cup qualifying campaign are better times ahead? Also we have an interview with Nigeria's Sone Aluko, who tells us what it's like to be back in the Super Eagles squad and gives his views on the shock home defeat to Congo. And our European football expert Stuart Weir tells us about Aluko's club, Hull City.

This week we analyse Caf's decision to award forthcoming editions of the Nations Cup to Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Guinea. We have the second part of our interview with Nigeria and Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, and with players such as Demba Ba and Majid Waris having moved to Turkey, we ask what the Turkish league has to offer.

This week we look ahead to the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League, with two teams from DR Congo in the last four. We analyse the state of the Ivory Coast national team, following their humiliating 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, and Nigeria and Lazio midfielder Ogenyi Onazi speaks about his faith.

This week, we focus on the opening games in the group qualifying stage for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, with Cameroon and Senegal among the teams that have impressed. Also we look at some more of the transfers involving African players in Europe, including Alex Song's move to West Ham.

SUMMARY: This week, with the start of the group qualifying stage for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations we take a look at how things might go for the 28 teams involved. And with the transfer window having closed in Europe we look at some of the moves involving African players, including Salomon Kalou, and Samuel Eto'o.

This week we look at stadium violence in African football, following the death of a Cameroonian footballer in Algeria. Albert Ebosse was hit by an object thrown from the stands, and there are many cases of fans throwing bottles and other objects at players in leagues across Africa. What can be done when fans become angry?

On this week's show we look at the African contingent in the English Premier League this season. West Ham United have the most African players on their books with six players, while potential stars this season include Christian Atsu at Everton and Didier Drogba at Chelsea. And we talk about Divock Origi, the Belgian player of Kenyan origin who Liverpool have signed but have loaned back to Lille.

This week we look ahead to the new English Premier League season and ask what impact we can expect from African players this time around. We hear from fans in Kenya who are looking forward to the new season and we give our own predictions as to who the champions will be.

This week we look at some of the top transfers involving African players ahead of the start of the European season, including Serge Aurier to Paris St Germain and Brown Ideye to West Bromwich Albion. And we talk about the great innovation of World Cup – vanishing spray, and we ask if we need it in Africa.

This week we ask whether Didier Drogba will have a successful comeback at Chelsea. And we find out about Futsal – a version of five-a-side football that's not very popular in Africa, but when we were at the World Cup we discovered that it's huge in Brazil.

This week we continue to reflect on the 2014 World Cup and ask if moving the Africa Cup of Nations from even to odd years helped with the performance of the African teams in Brazil. We also ask how the shift will affect the 2015 Nations Cup. And we discuss whether Africa should have more than five slots at the World Cup.

We ask what lessons can Africa learn from the 2014 World Cup? It was the first time two African teams have progressed from the Group stages but what is necessary for teams to progress further? In particular what can African nations learn from the success of smaller nations at the World Cup such as Costa Rica and Algeria? And we find out about some of your favourite World Cup moments.

This week, with Brazil exiting the World Cup in spectacular fashion and criticised for changing their way of playing to a European style, we ask if African teams can learn something. We ask why African referees are not given the finals of major global tournaments to officiate, and we meet some Ethiopian fans who have travelled to Brazil to watch the World Cup.

For the first time, two African teams reached the second round of the World Cup, but both Nigeria and Algeria have been knocked out at that stage and hence have failed to reach the quarter-finals. So Cameroon, Senegal and Ghana remain the only three teams to have got to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. What do you think of the overall performance of Africa at this tournament?

Steve Vickers, Solomon Ashoms and Stuart Weir in Rio discuss the progress of African teams at the World Cup in Brazil as Nigeria and Algeria progress to the Round of 16.

Steve Vickers presents the show from Rio de Janeiro with analysts Solomon Izang Ashoms and Stuart Weir. They assess the performances of the five African teams at the World Cup, meet an Ivory Coast fan and hear from Silas Ngong, chaplain to the Cameroon side.

Steve Vickers presents this week's show from the Fans Zone on Copacabana Beach after watching Brazil's opening 3-1 win over Croatia with joyous 20,000 fans. Solomon Ashoms assesses the chances of the five African nations and we talk to people in Zimbabwe who are trying to avoid watching the World Cup.

We talk to Nigeria's former star Jay Jay Okocha and current hope Peter Odemwingie about the Super Eagles' hopes for the 2014 World Cup and we ask fans in Zimbabwe what they are looking forward to about the World Cup?

We consider the hopes and chances of the Indomitable Lions and Black Stars at the World Cup finals in Brazil and visit the Maracana Stadium in Rio to find out how recycling has been incorporated into it's design.