International Football
SAUDI ARABIA SACKS COACH, 9 DAYS TO WORLD CUP FINAL DRAW
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nine days to his featuring in the 2018 World Cup Final Draw, Edgardo Bauza, the Argentine coach of Saudi Arabia has been fired. He becomes the first of the anticipated 32 head coached to next year’s World Cup to be fired.
His sack is coming barely 24 hours after another hitherto World Cup bound, Ange Postecoglou of Australia resigned. Before the Wednesday sacking of Bauza, there had been dark clouds surrounding his future.
Last week, Sports Village Square carried a report sourced from Radio Rivadavia, Rosario, the Argentine home town of Lionel Messi where the now sacked coach denied speculations that he had abandoned his job with Saudi Arabia.
“We are preparing the best possible for the World Cup,” he clarified claiming that he continued in office and will go for the draw for the World Cup on December 1.
“I’m still the coach of Saudi Arabia, on the 29th we go to Russia for the draw, we are preparing the best for the World Cup, Radio Rivadavia reported him to have said.
“The news that had been sent to me came out in Argentina, I think it was a journalistic move, many things were said, we are planning and putting together everything that is going to come,” he said.
Bauza who is a former technical director of the Argentine team said that Saudi Arabia had “minimal chances” in the World Cup because being in the fourth pot will make the team face two top-level teams and admitted that he would not like to face Argentina.
But the initial speculations about his future with Saudi Arabia have now been confirmed. He took over the saddle barely two month ago when he replaced the Dutchman, Bert van Marwijk.
His short tenure with the Saudis had been of mixed fortunes. He coached Saudi Arabia in five friendly matches. The team won two and lost three matches. The Saudi FA is apparent not satisfied with his input.
. The former coach, van Marwijk helped the Saudi team called Green Falcons qualify for Russia 2018, which will be their fifth FIFA World Cup and first since Germany 2006.
Saudi Arabia will be attempting to surpass their greatest performance at the world finals, which came at USA 1994 when they reached the Round of 16, only to lose to Sweden 3-1.
Sacking of coaches after qualification for World Cup is not particularly a strange happening. Nigeria had in the past, 1998, 2002 and 2010 sacked the coaches that qualified the Super Eagles to those years’ editions of the World Cup.
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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