International Football
SUPER EAGLES COACH, GERNOT ROHR, LEON BALOGUN HAVE BIRTHDAYS TODAY
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Two members of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles have birthdays today. They are the coach, Gernot Rohr and Leon Balogun. Coincidentally, both have common bond. They were born in Germany!
Rohr was born this date 67 years ago in Mannheim in the southwestern part of Germany. Balogun on the other hand was born in West Berlin 32 years ago today. He has not featured for the Super Eagles since the Africa Cup of Nations last year.
Incidentally, both birthday boys sometimes have ‘heated’ exchanges. According to a report on Brila Radio earlier this year, Balogun remarked that he sometimes challenged coach Gernot Rohr when standing up for his teammates, insisting he does this for the overall good of the team.
Balogun while speaking to his fans on Instagram, revealed that since his teammates knew he could speak German like Rohr, he’s the natural choice when the team want to speak to the manager on a training schedule.
“I do challenge the coach sometimes, it helps that we both speak German. Sometimes, when the discussions are heated, the other players will say ‘this Balogun is crazy oh’, but it’s all for the good of the team and constructive.
“Other times players like (Odion) Ighalo might come to me and say, Balogun go and talk to your German father now, when the players want to change or to try something.”
In the past three years, Rohr’s birthday had always coincided with Super Eagles in action. Last year, the team was involved at the Africa Cup of Nations when Rohr clocked 66. Two years ago, he had his 65th birthday at the Essentuki Team Base Camp during the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Three years ago the fun of his birthday was dampened by an earlier 2-0 defeat of the Super Eagles in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the 2019 finals.
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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