International Football
TO BE OR NOT TO BE? FIFA PRELIMINARY REPORT ON NIGERIA’S BID FOR 2020 U20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP EXPECTED THIS THURSDAY
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
A preliminary report on the FIFA inspection team that visited Nigeria last month is expected this Thursday. The final competition is slated for July 3- 22 next year.
Nigeria is in good stead to be given the nod following the inspection team’s visit to facilities in Lagos, Benin, Asaba and Uyo.
Lagos is
expected to host two groups of the final competition. Teslim Balogun Stadium
and the Onikan Arena are the two envisaged venues.
The Teslim
Balogun Stadium recently had its artificial turf replaced with natural grass. But
the Agege Stadium, which has artificial turf, may be taken as an alternative to
the Onikan Arena which turf has the hybrid grass.
A source within FIFA informed www.sportsvillagesquare.com that Lagos State Government might be required to provide a similar hybrid training pitch for the Onikan Arena to be acceptable.
The hybrid grass is a combination of synthetic and natural grasses. FIFA will wants a similar ground as training ground for teams expected to play matches at the Onikan Arena.
The designated training pitches are those of Eagle Club in Surulere, the Legacy pitch at the National Stadium, the Campos Square and the University of Lagos Sports Centre.
St. Nicholas Hospital on Lagos Island is proposed as one of the referral medical outfits.
The Benin
centre will have the newly reconstructed all-covered Ogbemudia Stadium as the
main venue.
Originally, it was the Ogbe Stadium, inaugurated on December 7, 1968 before the name changed to Ogbemudia on May 18, 2001 when it was re-commissioned.
It is being rebuilt in preparation for the next edition of the National Sports Festival.
The University of Benin sports centre and Western Boys College are designated as training sites.
The medical group of the FIFA team inspected the Central Hospital Benin as the referral medical institution.
The third centre is proposed for
Asaba where the new Super Eagles’ nest, the Stephen Keshi Stadium, is the main
venue. The training
sites are Asaba Squash Courts and St. Patrick’s College. The referral hospitals
are St. Luke’s Hospital and Asaba General Hospital.
In Uyo, the proposed venue is Godswill Akpabio Stadium. The Ikot Ekpene
Stadium and Godswill Akpabio Training Pitch are designated as training sites).
The Ibom Specialist Hospital and University of Uyo Teaching Hospital are the referral hospitals.
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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