International Football
TO BE OR NOT TO BE? SUPER FALCONS FACE ACID TEST IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
With six points in the bag and massive goal surplus, Banyana Banyana are assured of a place in the semi-finals of the Africa Women’s Nations Cup in Accra, Ghana.
The top three teams of the competition are assured qualification for the Women’s World Cup holding in France.
Having nothing significant at stake, South Africa may opt to play soft or even reserve strength and players for a more challenging and significant semi final duel as they play their last group match with Zambia this Saturday.
Should Zambia win and Nigeria fail to beat Equatorial Guinea in Cape Coast, the Super Falcons’ World Cup dreams will go into smoke. They are therefore condemned to win the last group match to sustain their perennial participation in the World Cup.
But will Equatorial Guinea who are technically out of contention be the spoiler? Their coach, Jean-Paul Mpila ahead of the encounter was reported by Cafonline to have said:
“I can boldly say we out of the tournament but concerning the fixture against Nigeria, we are going to honour it. As I always say we never give until the last blast of the whistle so we are preparing for the match.
“My objective for this team is to secure the future. You have seen how the team performed in this tournament compared to the previous, they are different.
“At first we were one of the forces in Africa but that’s not the case at the moment so my main aim for this team is to bring back the glory days.
“Competition remains competition. I have much respect for Nigeria because they are a great football nation. No coach will go into a match expecting defeat so I accept to go onto the field and just give in for Nigeria to win the game. If they win, it is a plus for them.”
So far in two matches, the two-time African champions have conceded 12 goals and scoring just one. But striker, Genoveva Anonman Nze told Cafonline that the team will fight to the end.
“We came for a competition and we are going to fight till the end. We are all aware that playing in the Women’s AFCON doesn’t come easy so we careless about the results of our opponents and that of us. We are here to play until the end.
“I must establish that years are not the same. Every year has its characteristics. Since 2008 I worked hard with the team and I keep working hard.
“It is quite unfortunate this year I don’t understand what went wrong. I would admit that this is a young team and they have a future. I hope that they keep learning to get to the apex.
“I don’t believe we are intimidated by the names Nigeria are possessing because we also came here to play the tournament but we respect them since they are one of the best teams.
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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