International Football
Germany’s Joachim Löw Would Have Been Fired in Africa
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
One of the major highlights of the on-going FIFA Confederations Cup was the Germany versus Cameroon fixture on Sunday. What has taken the attention is not the fact that Nigeria’s next competitive opponents, Cameroon, were only able to get a point out of the obtainable nine in the competition.
It is the stability that German football enjoys. Sports Village Square recalls that in 117 years, the German football governing body has had just 13 presidents. When Germany faced Cameroon on Sunday, the match was 150th under Joachim Löw as manager. He has been on the saddle since July 12, 2006 when he succeeded his boss, Jürgen Klinsmann.
On Sunday, he also had his 100th victory as the manager of the German side. In comparison, the Belgian Hugo Broos who is handling Cameroon is the team’s 12th manager since 2006.
Nigeria’s case is not better, Sports Village Square investigation reveals. Gernot Rohr is the ninth coach to handle the Super Eagles since 2006. Even then, some of those coaches had two or three short term tenures.
It amounts to a tall dream to think a coach handling Nigeria or an African team will have 150 matches as Joachim Löw has had with Germany. The coach with the highest number of matches with the Nigerian team was Amodu Shaibu who had 53 matches across four tenures.
He was just a match ahead of Clemens Westerhof who had 52 matches from 1989 to 1994. The same statistics abound in various African national teams. Since 2006, Ghana has had nine coaches while South Africa reportedly is having its 10th.
It is almost certain that when the curtain falls on the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers on November 6, at least half of the 20 coaches handling the teams that are currently in the race will lose their jobs.
Certainly, had Germany’s Joachim Löw taken a job in Africa, he would have been fired several times.
Hence, only mercenary European coaches ventured into Africa. No one will be patient enough for you to breathe your football philosophy into a team. When you lose a match, your job is already at stake.
International Football
Two Moroccan football players lost at sea, says club official
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Abdellatif-Akhrif.png)
Two Moroccan players from top-flight soccer side Ittihad Tanger have been missing at sea since Saturday after strong currents drifted their small yacht, a club official said on Sunday.
They were in a group of five players from the club who went cruising off the northern city of Tangier when strong currents and heavy winds drifted their yacht away as they were swimming in deep waters, club deputy president Anass Mrabet told Reuters.
“Three players have already been rescued on Saturday, while research is still ongoing for the missing Salman Harraq and Abdellatif Akhrif,” he said.
The players did not have buoys on them when they jumped from the small yacht to swim, he said citing recounts by rescued players.
While Akhrif, 24, is already a full member of the squad, Harraq, 18, was about to move up to the senior team this year, Mrabet added.
Ittihad Tanger have been in the Moroccan top flight since 2015 and won the league title for the first and only time in their history in the 2017-18 season. However, they have struggled in the lower half of the standings in recent years.
-Reuters
International Football
FIFA launches ‘Football Manager’ World Cup with $100,000 in prize money
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/arsene-wenger.jpg)
FIFA will host its first ever FIFAe World Cup of Football Manager this year to crown the best virtual manager on the highly-popular video game, world soccer’s governing body said on Thursday.
FIFA is partnering with Sports Interactive, the developers of the game that has sold millions of copies and has also been used by several football clubs to scout players and opponents thanks to its extensive database.
Players will compete for $100,000 in prize money in the final event from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
“This competition requires participants to demonstrate a profound understanding of football strategy and tactics,” said former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who is the ambassador for the esports event.
“Success demands not only mastery of game mechanics but also in-depth football knowledge, making this format a fascinating blend.”
FIFA said in the inaugural year of the event, selected member associations will be invited to be represented at the final event.
Member associations from all six confederations are expected to be invited while players can sign up on FIFA’s website.
-Reuters
International Football
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio robbed at gunpoint
![](https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/baggio.jpg)
Former Italy international Roberto Baggio was assaulted and robbed at gunpoint at his home in northern Italy while watching his country’s match against Spain in the Euro 2024 tournament on Thursday, local police said.
Burglars broke into Baggio’s house near Vicenza, hit him on the head with a gun butt and locked him and his family in a room while they stole jewellery, watches and cash, daily Il Corriere della Sera reported. It said he suffered a deep wound.
“Luckily, the violence I suffered only resulted in a few stitches, bruises and a lot of fear. Now it is to overcome the fear,” Baggio was quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA.
Baggio, 57, played for clubs including Juventus (JUVE.MI), opens new tab, AC Milan and Inter Milan. He also played 56 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals, and is widely seen as one of his country’s all-time greats.
After the robbery, Baggio, widely known as the “divine ponytail”, was treated at a local hospital where he received stitches for the head wound, Italian media reported.
Italy lost to Spain 1-0 on Thursday and now must avoid defeat by Croatia to guarantee progression in the tournament.
-Reuters
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