International Football
U20 AFCON: PASCHAL REPLACES INJURED VICTOR OKOH
Sweden –based forward Onyekachi Durugbor Paschal has been drafted in to replace injured Victor Boniface Okoh in Nigeria’s squad for next month’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations finals in Niger Republic.
Team Administrator Aliyu Ibrahim Lawal told thenff.com on Thursday that medical examination on Real Sapphire FC striker Okoh revealed he had knee injury that would keep him out for between four and six weeks and meant he could not be part of the U20 AFCON finals.
Paschal plays for Vaxjo United FC in Sweden, and would now shoulder the responsibility, alongside Adamu Alhassan, Yahaya Nazifi, Ibrahim Aliyu, Adeshina Gata, Ibrahim Abubakar and Effiom Maxwell to provide the goals for the seven –time African champions in Niger Republic.
The Flying Eagles go up against host nation Niger Republic, South Africa and Burundi in Group A of the 15 –day championship, with matches to take place in Niamey and Maradi. Paul Aigbogun’s wards play their first match against Burundi on 2nd February, before further group phase contests against South Africa and Niger Republic on 5th February and 8th February respectively.
Nigeria have been triumphant at Africa U20 level in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015, and finished as runners –up at the global stage in 1989 and 2005, while winning bronze medals in 1985.
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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