International Football
Carlos Ancelotti dismisses Brazil interest
Carlo Ancelotti ended any doubt about his immediate future on Saturday by saying he will honour the last year of his contract with Real Madrid amid interest from Brazil.
Brazilian FA (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues told Reuters in March that Ancelotti would be an obvious choice to fill the vacant national managerial position if he was available at the end of the European season.
After Real Madrid’s humiliating 4-0 defeat by Manchester City in their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday, speculation grew that his job was under threat with Real also failing to win the LaLiga title as bitter rivals Barcelona clinched it with four games to spare
“Everyone knows really well what my situation is: I have contract until the end of the 2024 season and I want to stay,” Ancelotti told a news conference, clearly annoyed when asked about the Brazil interest yet again.
When a reporter asked if the club had assured him that he was staying, Ancelotti replied with an emphatic: “Yes!”
Real, however, have not made an official statement about Ancelotti’s future.
President Florentino Perez gave a vague answer when asked about Ancelotti following Real’s 2-1 victory in the Copa del Rey final.
Italian Ancelotti has experienced Perez’s short temper when he was sacked in 2015, one year after guiding Real to their long-awaited 10th European Cup title.
“It could have been a better season, but it was a good one,” Ancelotti said when asked how he would assess the 2022-23 campaign.
“Of course, we are not satisfied with LaLiga, but we fought to the end in the other competitions… and won three of them.”
Ancelotti was referring to the Spanish Cup, FIFA club World Cup and the European Super Cup victories.
The Brazilian FA did not respond to Reuters contacts early on Saturday morning, but its president said recently they were willing to wait for Ancelotti until June so they could assess other options including AS Roma’s Jose Mourinho and Fenerbahce’s Jorge Jesus.
-Reuters
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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