International Football
MARADONA PAYS TRIBUTE TO CAMEROON’S LATE MASSING
Legendary Argentine former footballer, Diego Maradona who was pocketed for the greater part of the Italia ’90 opening match at San Siro in Milan has paid glowing tribute to Benjamin Massing, the Cameroonian hard-man defender who was among the heroes that prevented the then World Cup defending champions to find the net.
The sad news of Massing’s death broke on Sunday, even though the former Cameroon centre-back Benjamin Massing had passed away on Saturday at the age of 55.
He was capped for 21 times. He was part of the legendary Indomitable Lions squad that unexpectedly reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Italy.
Massing, who lifted the CAF Africa Cup of Nations title in 1988, only took part in two matches in Italy, paying a high price for his commitment and fighting spirit. In the tournament’s opening match, where Roger Milla and Co took on defending world champions Argentina.
Massing was sent off in the final minutes for an overly robust challenge on Claudio Caniggia, who had already skipped past a couple of attempted tackles and was making a beeline towards the Africans’ goal.
Although Massing received a red card, Cameroon hung on for a hugely surprising 1-0 win over La Albiceleste, who would go on to reach that year’s Final.
Twenty seven years on, Diego Maradona, who was unable to find a way through the resolute Cameroon defence has clearly not forgotten the formidable opponents he faced that day, and he was keen to pay tribute to Massing
“Let’s remember the late Benjamin Massing. We played against each other in the Opening Match of Italy 1990. Behind each football player, there is a man and a family. I would like to pass on my condolences to them”, FIFA website quoted Maradona as remarking.
Sports Village Square gathered from the authenticated facebook page of Maradona that the legendary Argentine wrote his tribute in Spanish which translates in English as: “I want to remind the deceased Benjamin Massing. We were rivals in Italy’s 90 opening match. Behind every football player there is a man and a family. My respects to them.”
After coming back into the team in Cameroon’s quarter-final with England, Massing again aroused the ire of the referee, this time for a foul on Gary Lineker in the box, wh0 scored from the spot to make it 2-2.
The English striker put away another penalty in extra time, bringing to an end Cameroon’s greatest World Cup run to date.
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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