International Football
ISIS THREATENS NIGERIA VS ARGENTINA MATCH
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
The proposed November 14 World Cup dress rehearsal of Nigeria and Argentina in Russia has come under a serious threat from the Islamic State, after the group posted a picture of Lionel Messi in prison.
The warped image has Lionel Messi in prison attire and depicts the global football icon crying tears of blood. The caption next to his face reads, “You are fighting a state that does not have failure in its dictionary.”
This is the first time a match involving Nigeria will be under a threat by any militant group.
The threat has forced the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to demand for special security for their star and other members of the national team.
But despite this threat, Sports Village Square gathered from the Moscow Times that Argentina’s ambassador to Russia, Ricardo Lagorio, reiterated that the 2018 World Cup will be safe to visit next summer. The ambassador was responding to the terrorist attack threat.
“The aim [of the latest pro-ISIS propaganda] is to frighten people but all the Argentineans that intend to come should come to the World Cup and do so without fear,” Lagorio said.
“I would like to call for calm and to ask people that will come from all over the world to do so without concerns.”
President of AFA, Claudio Tapia, on Thursday met the Russian ambassador to his country, Victor Koronelli, to discuss the threat posed by ISIS, after the group also published an image alluding to next year’s World Cup in Russia, warning those who visit Russia that they will face attacks.
Tapia is working with Koronelli and another Russian diplomat, Dmitriy Belov, on additional security at Moscow’s Bronnitsy Training Centre, which will house the Argentine team for the World Cup.
Before the match with Nigeria, Argentina will play a friendly game with Russia on November 11. The game is billed for Krasnodar in Russia, at the Krasnodar Arena Stadium.
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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