International Football
Festival of Champions, FIFA Confederations Cup Kicks Off
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Virtually every participant is a champion. It serves as a convergence of continental champions, World Cup holders and World Cup next hosts.
It is a dress rehearsal for the 2018 World Cup. It is the unfolding of what should be expected when Russia hosts the World Cup next year.
Eight teams from all the continents gather for the competition. In Group A are Russia, the hosts, New Zealand, Portugal and Mexico. Group B has Cameroon, Chile, Australia and Germany.
This edition has a different complexion from the previous ones. It is the first Confederations Cup to involve three teams from the same confederation, in this case UEFA. Each of the last four editions featured only two European sides.
The 10th edition of the Confederation Cup (eighth under the name as the first two editions were called Intercontinental Cup) kicks off on Saturday with Russia facing New Zealand in Saint Petersburg at 4pm, Nigerian time.
It is an encounter that brings to memory a similar encounter 35 years ago when the then Soviet Union beat New Zealand 3-0 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
The odds weight heavily in favour of Russia who are appearing in the competition for the first time. No host team has lost its opening match since the 2001 edition when France beat Korea Republic 5-0.
Sports Village Square recalls that three out of nine Confederations Cup competitions have been won by the host nation, namely Mexico in 1999, France in 2003 and Brazil in 2015.
Since 2001, the home sides have recorded three wins and one draw in the last four editions. New Zealand are still looking for their first victory in the Confederations Cup.
In nine matches spanning three previous participations, they secured just one draw against Iraq in 2009, after losing eight in a row.
The All Whites netted their last goal on June 20, 2003, edging ahead against Colombia through Raf De Gregorio before ultimately losing 3-1. The Kiwis have since played four matches and a total of 423 minutes without finding the net.
TEAM FACTS
RUSSIA are making their bow in the tournament.
This is the first Confederations Cup to involve three teams from the same confederation, in this case UEFA.
Each of the last four editions featured only two European sides.
Three out of nine Confederations Cups have been won by the host nation, namely Mexico in 1999, France in 2003 and Brazil in 2015.
NEW ZEALAND are participating in their fourth Confederations Cup after the 1999, 2003 and 2009 editions, although they have never made it beyond the opening round.
Of the nine Confederations Cup fixtures they have contested, New Zealand lost the first eight before achieving a 0-0 draw with Iraq in their last group game at the 2009 tournament.
The All Whites qualified for the Confederations Cup on 11 June 2016, when they won the OFC Nations Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Papua New Guinea.
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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