International Football
VIDEO; NEYMAR AND CO LAND IN SINGAPORE FOR THE AFRICAN CHALLENGE!
As reported by Sports Village Square on Sunday, the Seleção, Brazil national team players, have started arriving Singapore early this Monday morning.
Neymar reportedly arrived Singapore overnight. If he
was still feeling snoozy after his overnight flight from Paris, he would have
been awakened by the beat of the samba drumming that greeted him at the JW
Marriott Singapore South Beach early Monday morning.
The Brazil superstar, who scored the last goal in his club Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 win over Angers on Saturday, and his Selecao teammates are in town for the Brazil Global Tour which sees the five-time world champions face Senegal and Nigeria on Thursday and Sunday respectively in two international friendlies at the National Stadium.
Stepping out of a minivan after his compatriots and PSG
colleagues Marquinhos and Thiago Silva, the 27-year-old Neymar, who wore a
black cap, white T-shirt, khaki pants, as well as diamond-studded necklace and
earrings, looked bleary-eyed as he scanned his surroundings.
It was 7.30am and while there were just nine fans, who had waited for an hour, outside the hotel, Neymar stopped to sign a caricature of himself and four jerseys – including some of his former club Barcelona which he has been heavily linked with a return to – before striding into the JW Marriott in under a minute.
On Brazil’s last visit to the Republic in 2014 for an exhibition against Japan, Neymar scored all four goals in the 4-0 win in front of more than 50,000 fans at the National Stadium.
Undergraduate Amanpreet Singh, 23, told The Straits Times: “It is understandable after a long flight, but at least Neymar stopped.
“The poor turnout could be attributed to the fact that it is early Monday morning, when people have to work or go to school. And there are just a few players coming in batches this time round.
“I was also here for Inter Milan when they arrived at the same hotel for the International Champions Cup in July, and there were also just about 25 fans for the entire team on a Wednesday morning.
“But it is also good for us early birds because we stand a higher chance of getting an autograph or wefie.”
The number of fans grew to 15 by the time the second batch of Brazilians – Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Fabinho, and Everton’s Richarlison – arrived with contrasting moods at 7.50am.
While Richarlison went straight into the hotel, the Reds duo stopped to spend some time with the fans. Flashing his megawatt smile, Liverpool forward Firmino, decked in a black Versace hoodie, entertained autograph and wefie requests while his clubmate Fabinho also followed suit.
Sales manager Dominic Teng, 31, said: “I had hoped Firmino would stay longer but he did look tired and it is okay because both he and Fabinho were very accommodating.
“It is really fantastic and breathtaking to be able to see and interact with our football heroes in person.
“While I will be at the Brazil-Senegal game to watch and support them, I hope the Liverpool players don’t get too many minutes because they have a big league match against Manchester United on Oct 20.”
Even though only 11 Brazil players (including Philippe Coutinho, Dani Alves, Lucas Paqueta, Casemiro and Eder Militao) are expected to arrive on Monday – the rest of their 23-man squad will fly in on Tuesday – the initial group are scheduled to train at the Kallang Football Hub on Monday evening.
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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