International Football
AFTERMATH OF POT ALLOCATION, NIGERIA MAY DRAW FAMILIAR FOES
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The possibility of Nigeria facing Argentina again in the World Cup looms large on Thursday as FIFA allocated qualified teams into four pots for the final draw coming up at Moscow’s State Kremlin Palace on December 1.
Expectedly, Nigeria, ranked 42 has fallen into the last pot along with seven other teams- Serbia, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia.
In principle, teams in the same pot will not meet at the group stage. The principle of drawing the teams into the groups will remain unchanged. This means that no teams from the same confederation, with the exception of UEFA, which could have up to two teams in the same group, will be drawn into the same group.
With three African teams in Pot 3, Nigeria will therefore draw an opponent only from the following Pot 3 teams: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden and Iran. With the exception of Europe, teams from the same continent are not put in the same group.
Europe sometimes had two teams owing to their higher number of teams than other continents. FIFA decided that only sporting principles were applicable in the allocation of teams into pots.
The three teams in Pot 3 are Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal. The top seeds along with hosts, Russia are in Pot 1. They are Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and France. Nigeria will draw one of those teams on December 1.
Argentina is the only team in Pot 1 that Nigeria ever faced at the World Cup. Spain leads Pot 2 which also has the last team to qualify, Peru. Others in the Pot are Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Croatia.
Sports Village Square recalls that Spain and England are the only teams in Pot 2 that Nigeria faced at the World Cup.
But outside that, Nigeria had met Uruguay at the FIFA Confederation Cup in Brazil in 2013, Switzerland in a friendly match on November 20, 2007 in Zurich. Nigeria won the encounter, 1-0 through a goal scored by Taiye Taiwo,
Apart from the goalless outing at the World Cup 2002, Nigeria had also met England in a friendly match on November 16, 1994. In fact it is exactly 23 years this Thursday that the match was played on the sacred turf of old Wembley.
Nigeria had met Colombia twice in the past. The first was in Cali on November 19 2008. Nigeria lost 0-1. When Nigeria met Colombia again in the preparation for South Africa 2010, the encounter in Milton Keyne in England ended 1-1.
Mexico had met Nigeria five times in the past. The first time was a 1-1 draw at the then Intercontinental Cup (now FIFA Confederations Cup) in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Mexico excelled 5-4 on penalties. Next was the 2-1 defeat of Nigeria in Dallas, in the 1995 US Cup, before a 2-2 draw in Mexico City on October 10, 2007 and another 2-2 draw on June 1, 2013. Both sides met again in another friendly match that ended goalless in Georgia, United States on March 6, 2014.
The Pot 3 is led by Denmark, the team that knocked Nigeria out at the Round of 16 at France ’98. Also in Pot 3 is Iceland. The only encounter Nigeria had with the country was on August 22, 1981 in Reykjavik. Nigeria lost the friendly match 0-3. It was in the preparation to face Algeria in the final qualifying series for Spain 1982 World Cup.
Costa Rica is the only team in Pot 3 that Nigeria had never met. Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal are other teams in the Pot 3. Sweden beat Nigeria 2-1 at World Cup 2002.
| POT 1 | POT 2 | POT 3 | POT 4 |
| Russia | Spain | Denmark | Serbia |
| Germany | Peru | Iceland | Nigeria |
| Brazil | Switzerland | Costa Rica | Australia |
| Portugal | England | Sweden | Japan |
| Argentina | Colombia | Tunisia | Morocco |
| Belgium | Mexico | Egypt | Panama |
| Poland | Uruguay | Senegal | Korea Republic |
| France | Croatia | Iran | Saudi Arabia |
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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