International Football
DESPITE BEING LEFT OUT, NIGERIA’S ONOME EYES TOKYO 2020
Despite being left out of the squad, veteran and decorated Nigeria defender, Onome Ebi, is confident the Super Falcons can overcome their Ivorian counterparts in the third round of the qualifying series to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Record nine-time African champions, Nigeria, are seeking a return to the quadrennial event since their last appearance in 2008 in Beijing, which Ebi, then 25-years old featured.
However, they will have to overcome the Ivorian hurdle in a back-to-back encounter to reach the penultimate round of the qualifiers.
The first leg is due for Abidjan on Thursday and the return match in Lagos on Monday.
Now 36, Ebi who hit the milestone last July as the first African to play in five FIFA World Cups following her appearances at the 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, believes her storied career would further get a facelift if she can eventually make her second appearance at the Olympic next year in Tokyo at the twilight of her career.
“As a footballer, you have to be ready for big games such as the upcoming match against Cote d’Ivoire.
“We (Super Falcons) know that this fixture is going to be tough,” the China-based Ebi who was not selected by caretaker coach Chris Danjuma for the crunch encounter against Cote d’Ivoire, told CAFOnline.com
Despite being left of the squad for the Ivorian two-legged affair, Ebi will be following with keen interest as she keeps her eyes on her dream of playing at yet another Olympics.
“We have worked hard to reach this round and we must be ready to put everything into the games against Cote d’Ivoire because victory will take us a step closer to Tokyo.”
Though Nigeria failed to progress to the knockout stages from a tough group in 2008 after losing all the three preliminary matches to Brazil, Germany and North Korea, Ebi is still nostalgic about her first Olympic experience in the Far East.
“It was definitely a great feeling to have played at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Apart from the opportunity of playing against top stars from around the world, it was also an opportunity to meet top starts from different sports,” noted the famous lady at the heart of the Nigerian defence, currently with Henan Huishang in the Chinese Women’s Super League.
“It was also a special experience for me relating with stars from different countries at the Games Village and this is something I will like to experience again with the Super Falcons in Tokyo.”
Undoubtedly, Ebi is one of the most experienced players to have donned the Super Falcons shirt with varied experiences with clubs in Sweden, Turkey and Belarus where she was decorated with the Belarusian Women’s Premier League, the Belarusian Women’s Cup and the Belarusian Women’s Super Cup twice.
At the continental level, Ebi has also been one of the pillars of the Super Falcons and has been at every edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since 2008, and winning the title on four occasions – 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
“One of the best moments of my career was winning the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title for the first time in 2010. The second thing that came close to that happened at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup in France where I became the first player to appear in five FIFA World Cups and I feel so honoured.”
Incidentally, Ebi was honoured in April as Nigeria Women’s Player of the Year ahead of her pals Asisat Oshoala and Francisca Ordega and opined that her steadfastness coupled with penchant to sleep deeply before strutting her stuff on the pitch have accounted largely for her career’s longevity.
“I would say football chose me but my parents did not want me to play football initially,” revealed Ebi who was audacious to pick herself and Argentine legend, LioneMessi as her favourite footballers.
“But I had to proof to my parents that I could combine playing football with my education by ensuring I had good grades in my studies; and they had no choice than to support me love for football.
“Of course, other things that have kept me going is that I try to eat healthy train well; stayed focus; mind my business and the most important thing is that I tried to get enough rest by ensuring that I sleep very well playing any match.”
Going forward, Ebi who made name with Omidiran Babes and Bayelsa Queens on the Nigerian domestic scene before travelling abroad in 2009 to join Pitea IF in Sweden’s Damallsvenskan, said Nigerian women’s football needed retooling for the country to maintain her prominence on the continent.
“I think the standard of women football in Nigeria is getting better,” she affirmed.
“But we can’t compare such standard with what we have outside the country; I’m looking forward to establishing a foundation to help younger ones to be exposed to better ways of playing the game.”
Fixtures
Third Round First Leg
Wednesday
- Lusaka – Zambia vs Botswana
Thursday
- Abidjan – Cote d’Ivoire vs Nigeria
- Yaounde – Cameroon vs DR Congo
Friday
- Accra – Ghana vs Kenya
Third Round Second Leg
Monday
- Lagos – Nigeria vs Cote d’Ivoire
Tuesday
- Kinshasa – DR Congo vs Cameroon
- Nairoboi – Kenya vs Ghana
- Francistown – Botswana vs Kenya
– CAF
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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