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FROM FOES TO FRIENDS; SUAREZ CALLS JUVE CAPTAIN HE BIT AT BRAZIL 2014

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Suarez was not sent off – and laughably tried to claim that Chiellini had injured his teeth with his shoulder (above) – as the referee did not see it, but he was later banned for four months

It’s been six years since the infamous biting of Italian player, Giorgio Chiellini by Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez. Now the duo will be teammates at Juventus where Chiellini is the captain.

According to Daily Mail in UK, Suarez phoned Chiellini to clear the air as the outcast Barcelona striker inches nearer to joining Juventus.

It will be recalled that in the Uruguay’s 0-1 loss to Italy at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, Suarez infamously bit the shoulder of Chiellini. Even though Suarez escaped the red card as the referee did not see the incident that was captured on camera, he was later banned for four months for the savage attack.

Chiellini protested to the referee by revealing the bite marks on his shoulder made by Suarez

Now, according to Italian publication, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Suarez  has spoken to Chiellini, who is Juve’s captain, as he aims to put the incident behind them and move on as potential team-mates.

Suarez is set to sign a contract worth £9m per year after tax – the same wage he earns at Barcelona. Despite the disgraceful nature of Suarez’s bite, Chiellini has since shrugged off the incident.

He said: ‘Suddenly I noticed he had bit my shoulder.

‘It just happened, but this is his contact strategy in hand-to-hand combat and, if I may say so, it is mine too.

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‘He and I are similar.’

Despite laughably trying to claim that Chiellini had injured his teeth with his shoulder Suarez later took responsibility for his actions.

Suarez said: ‘I admit I was wrong, but I am a human being.

‘Each player has his own style of play, his own character and this got me where I am now.’ 

Juventus are set to land Suarez in a deal worth just £4.4million as Barcelona continue their summer clearout under new boss Ronald Koeman.

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At 33 years old, Barca are keen to move on the striker in a bid to ease their wage bill and Juventus are hopeful a cut-price deal for the former Liverpool hitman can be done within the next three weeks, in time for the start of the new Serie A campaign.

According to Sky Sports Italia, Juventus are hoping that with Suarez in their team alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala they could field one of the best front threes in Europe.

Juventus have excellent relations with Barcelona and are confident an agreement for Suarez’s move to the Allianz Stadium can be arranged swiftly.

Suarez has already agreed a three-year-deal with Juve worth around £9million per year with bonus clauses to be added.

However, the deal could be held up by Suarez’s financial demands from the Nou Camp outfit.

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It is understood the Uruguay hitman is demanding £22m in severance pay and is not willing to negotiate lowering his request.

Suarez’s contract at the Nou Camp expires next summer having joined them six years ago from Liverpool.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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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.

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He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.

-Reuters

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Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, has been appointed coach of Botafogo, the Rio de Janeiro club announced on Tuesday.

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.

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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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Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat

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Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.

Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.

Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.

FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.

Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.

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By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.

Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.

“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.

“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”

LONGER HALFTIMES

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Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.

“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.

“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”

The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.

“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.

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FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.

“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.

“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”

FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.

“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.

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“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.

-Reuters

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