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.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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