International Football
U17 WORLD CUP: WINNING MENTALITY IS IN OUR DNA, SAYS COACH MANU GARBA
What do Brazil and Nigeria have in common? They are both record-breaking world champions.
While the Seleção are renowned for being the most successful team in FIFA World Cup history with five titles to their name, the African side have collected the same number of trophies at the U-17 level and finished as runners-up in the competition on another three occasions.
It is hardly surprising, then, that the Super Eaglets are once again among the favourites to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup that begins on Saturday – in Brazil of all places.
“Everyone should get ready to see a fantastic Nigerian team that play great football and have the trophy in their sights,” coach Manu Garba confidently told FIFA.com. “Ecuador, Hungary and Australia are undoubtedly strong teams that we respect, but we are record-breaking world champions and I was involved in two of our title wins.”
Indeed, Garba was head coach when the African side clinched victory in the United Arab Emirates in 2013, and served as Yemi Tella’s assistant six years earlier.
“The will to win every game is part of the DNA of every Nigerian team, and my team here in Brazil is no exception,” he said.
One player who embodies this spirit and acts as Garba’s ambassador out on the pitch is captain Samson Tijani.
“Our country’s previous success does not place any pressure on our shoulders at all,” Tijani said. “But the world is naturally expecting a great deal from us, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to follow in the footsteps of our predecessors.
“Our coaches have so much experience – not just Garba, but also his assistant Nduka Ugbade, who led Nigeria to the title for the first time as captain in 1985. They know exactly what we need to do to finish the tournament as champions.”
What you need to know about Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets
- The Nigerians finished fourth at the African U-17 Championship behind surging Angola, who beat the favourites 2-1 in the match for third place. But could this be a good omen? The Super Eaglets also finished fourth in their continental competition in 2015 before becoming world champions in Chile just a few months later.
- Assistant coach and former Nigeria international Ugbade, who won 11 senior caps and scored one goal for his country, was the first captain to ever lift the U-17 FIFA World Cup (then U16) in 1985.
- Ugabade was also part of the team that pulled off the ‘Miracle of Dammam‘ at the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship. After going 4-0 down to the Soviet Union in the quarter-finals with half an hour left to play, Nigeria came back to equalise before winning on penalties to reach the last four.
Nigeria’s matches in Group B
Saturday Oct 26 Nigeria vs Hungary
Tuesday Oct 29 Nigeria vs Ecuador
Friday Nov. 1 Australia vs Nigeria
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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