International Football
AT LAST, FA CHAIRMAN GREG CLARKE APOLOGIES TO NIGERIAN-BORN ALUKO
After initial grand standing and refusal to take definitive action on Nigerian-born Eniola Aluko’s claim of racial remarks made by the immediate past England national women coach, Mark Sampson, the chairman of The FA, Greg Clarke has finally admitted that the organisation had failed England women’s players Aluko, Drew Spence and Lianne Sanderson over its handling of claims of discriminatory remarks.
Clarke also stated that the FA has “lost the trust of the public” over the case. The chairman gave a 2,628 word speech to the FA council’s autumn meeting in Wembley in which he apologised to those listening following the results of the parliamentary inquiry and his appearance before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee.
Clarke assessed last week’s inquiry in his speech. He said, “The judgement of the politicians, the judgement of the media, and most importantly the judgement of the public was very clear – we had failed Eniola Aluko, Drew Spence and Lianne Sanderson. We have apologised to them and I reiterate that apology again today.”
The chairman judged that the FA had “lost the trust of the public” and pinned the causes down to three characteristics of the organisation. Clarke believes that the FA is perceived to lack competence, diversity, or trust in the talents of its senior players and staff.
He admitted that the FA’s ‘efforts’ of inclusion were not enough, citing that the organisation have an all-white Board and Senior Executive Team and only one BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) Head Coach across the England teams.
Clarke backed this up by stating that according to their own insight tracking, just 27% of football fans think the FA are a competent governing body. Only 24% said that have a positive perception of the FA.
Greg Clarke has now promised change within the FA, starting by conducting a full cultural review of St. George’s Park, the FA’s national football centre. This will be done with the intention of “improving its inclusivity and our collective care for players. Performance and a positive culture must not be an either or choice.”
For Clarke this will be “the FA, doing what it has failed to do in the past, and getting its own house in order – asking itself some fundamental questions to ensure it can be the best organisation it can be – and to begin to restore that lost trust.
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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