International Football
CORONAVIRUS INFECTION ON PLAYERS THREATEN ENGLAND FIXTURES
England’s double header against Iceland and Denmark is under threat after at least three of Gareth Southgate’s squad tested positive for coronavirus, according to reports.
90MIN publication reports that there has been a spike in the number of Premier League cases of late, with France duo Tanguy Ndombele and Paul Pogba both returning positive tests over the past 24 hours.
Now, the Daily Mail report that the French pair are not the only players affected, claiming that three members of England’s squad have also tested positive.
That could mean the Three Lions are unable to fulfil their scheduled fixtures against Iceland and Denmark, which are due to take place at the start of September.
Squad members Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham are both already in quarantine, after coming into contact with a person who’s returned to a positive test.
The England squad will not congregate at their St George’s Park base until Monday.
When they do meet up, they will be tested for the virus on arrival but it is widely expected that those currently carrying COVID-19 will withdraw from the squad before then.
Marcus Rashford could also be forced to sit out the games with an ankle injury, amid reports that he will ‘almost definitely’ withdraw from the squad – even though the problem is not thought to be too serious.
News of the positive tests comes after Harry Maguire‘s removal from the 23 after he was found guilty of aggravated assault and attempted bribery in Greece.
The United captain received a 21 month and ten day suspended sentence, which he plans to appeal.
Southgate does not currently have any plans to call up any replacements but with so many potential absentees he could be forced into doing just that.
If the games do go ahead, Southgate’s side will kick off their UEFA Nations League campaign against Iceland on Saturday 5 September, before travelling to Denmark for their second group game.
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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