International Football
Barcelona Begs Man. U Others, ‘Help Us Retain Neymar
FC Barcelona have called on a coalition of the European biggest clubs, the G-14 clubs, to pressurize Paris Saint-Germain to stop their advances for Neymar.
Barcelona were quoted by Sport, as telling their fellow G-14 clubs that they would raid one of them for replacement of Neymar.
Among the clubs contacted by FC Barcelona to intervene are Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus and Real Madrid. According to 90min publication, there is a thinly veiled threat that their own stars could be poached by Ernesto Valverde’s side if Neymar departs.
Liverpool would likely be the most obvious target for Barca with the club’s talisman Philippe Coutinho linked with an £80million move to Barcelona, despite the Reds’ insistence that he is not for sale.
The departure of Neymar will give Barcelona enough funds to raid other clubs. Also, Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga was reportedly quoted as saying: “Although PSG didn’t pay the clause yet we will denounce them. We advised the PSG president what we were going to do and we saw PSG’s policy continue along the same line.
“They cannot make a number in which their commercial rights are greater than those of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Nobody believes this.”
Sources within the Barcelona camp have also alleged that La Liga will “block” any attempts from the Ligue 1 giants to snap up Neymar’s signature – a decision which is thought to be two-fold in nature.
Along with the rules about Financial Fair Play, Barcelona are thought to have entrusted a payment to the Spanish notary’s office that would see Neymar’s father, who is also his agent, receive a smaller signing-on fee for the new contract Neymar penned last October.
Neymar Santos Snr. was expected to be paid in the region of €26m for helping push the deal over the line, but Barcelona now claim that he will only receive a portion of that cash as his son is no longer set to see out the remainder of his deal at the Nou Camp.
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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