International Football
Uyo Battle: Cameroon’s Mabouka’s Status Unclear
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Ernest Mabouka of Israeli side, Maccabi Haifa, is one of the 23 players named by Cameroon’s Belgian coach, Hugo Broos, for the World Cup qualifying ties with Nigeria. The first match holds this Friday in Uyo.
But is Ernest Mabouka free to feature in the first match this Friday? This poser comes up as the 29 year old rugged defender was given the matching order in Cameroon’s last FIFA Confederations Cup match last June in Russia.
Although the 64th minute red card he got in Cameroon’s match with Germany looked harsh as it was the video assistant referee review that revealed that Mabouka had a late challenge on Germany’s Emre Can, by regulations, a red carded player misses the next match of the competition.
But that Group B match happened to be Cameroon’s last in the Confederations Cup prompting Sports Village Square to make enquiries with FIFA technical officials who were in Russia during the competition. What really is the disciplinary status of a player suspended for the next match, if the match in which the offence was committed is the team’s last match?
A Nigerian-American FIFA referee instructor, Abiodun Okulaja, assisted in getting answers to the enquiry. He was one of the officials in Russia during the FIFA Confederations Cup.
He helped in directing the enquiries to another official, Esfandiar Baharmast, who is often remembered for the penalty kick he awarded Norway against Brazil in the dying minutes of a group match at France ‘98 World Cup.
According to Baharmast, a FIFA referees’ instructor who was at Russia 2017, expulsion of players is carried over to the affected team’s next official match. He however did not explain whether the official match had to be the one organized by the same body.
It was for that reason that a red carded Victor Moses of Chelsea in the final match of the English FA Cup, had to miss the Community Shield clash with Arsenal at the beginning of the current English season.
Cameroon’s first official match since Russia 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup was the qualifier for 2019 Africa Cup of Nations last June when the team beat Morocco 1-0 in Yaoundé. It was a CAF organized competition. Mabouka featured in the match as he came in as a 30th minute substitute for Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo.
The Friday match will be Cameroon’s first official match in a FIFA organized competition and could therefore be ineligible to feature.
But the possible absence of Mabouka may not mean much to Cameroon as the defender was a late called up to the team for the FIFA Confederations Cup. At 29, he has just nine international matches, three of which were at the Russia 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The former MSK Zilina of Slovakia right back, who only recently transferred to Maccabi Haifa of Israel, made his debut in the build up to the Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon when he played against DR Congo in January.
Super Eagles’ Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye explained to Sports Village Square that notification on eligibility of Mabouka will be sent by FIFA in the days to the Uyo match is had been previously done if a player is ineligible to feature in a match.
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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