International Football
NDIDI’S INJURY COULD COST HIM WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS OPENER
Super Eagles defensive midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi will begin a race against time to regain fitness ahead of Nigeria’s first match in the second round of the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying series.
His club coach in Leicester, Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that the Nigerian will be sidelined until February after sustaining a knee injury which requires surgery..
Ndidi has been crucial to Leicester’s fortunes this season and the influential Nigerian leads the Premier League in both tackles and interceptions.
“Wilf took a knock in training yesterday, which unfortunately means he might need a slight operation,” Rodgers said when explaining why he missed Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal.
“It was just unfortunate, he nicked his meniscus just changing direction. You’re looking at around three or four weeks (out), so he’ll probably miss most of January and early February, and then he will be back by then.”
Rodgers deployed Youri Tielemans in Ndidi’s position before bringing on Hamza Choudhury in the second half and the latter made the crucial interception that allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to grab an equaliser.
“Hamza Choudhury made a huge difference,” Rodgers added. “It’s my fault that I didn’t start him tonight. We could see that we needed him and he gave us our identity back.”
Leicester, second in the standings, resume their league campaign on Saturday when they host Southampton – a team they beat 9-0 in the reverse fixture in October.
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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