International Football
AT 74, EGYPTIAN MAKES RECORD AS OLDEST PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER
World football governing body has in its online publication celebrated the oldest professional footballer in the world.
Ezzeldin Bahader of Egypt is the oldest professional footballer to play in an official game.
The civil engineer set a Guinness World Record for this aged 74 and 125 days.. He has six grandchildren.
“Nothing is easy, but nothing is impossible,” said Ezzeldin Bahader, describing his entry into the Guinness World Records after he became the oldest footballer to take part in an official match when he played in Egypt’s third division back on 6 March.
A grandfather of six who turned 75 last Tuesday, Bahader lined up for his club October 6 against El Ayat last month to realise a dream that began last March, when he played his first official game for the club and scored a goal, setting a record that will take some beating.
FIFA.com spoke with Bahader about his experience, how he managed to achieve his dream, and his future ambitions.
FIFA.com: You recently made football history when you became the world’s oldest professional footballer. Where did that idea come from and who encouraged you to pursue it?
Ezzeldin Bahader: I’ve always longed to play for a big club but it remained just a dream. So I began to pursue another goal when I found out that the oldest person to play professionally was a 53-year-old striker [Kazuyoshi Miura from Japan]. Seeing the enormous age gap between me and him, I decided to give it a try. At first, I didn’t tell anyone about my objective, and I was trying to motivate myself, but when my family learned about it, they encouraged me a lot.
What impact did the pandemic have on your bid, and how did you prepare over the past six months?
The pandemic had a negative impact on me, especially since the league was suspended just two days before the [second] game I was going to play. This was a shock to me, but during that downtime I practiced with my son and watched a lot of training exercises online so I could do them at home. This period impacted on my match preparation, because training with a club is very different from training at home.
How did your team-mates at October 6 feel when you trained with them for the first time?
They gave me a warm reception. We talked and laughed a lot, but then they told me that they’d expected an old person who’d treat them like kids! They quickly put me to the test, asking me to take some shots on goal. I did that and they were good, so they were pleased in the end.
Your first match was back in March against Genius. How did it go given it was your first official appearance?
I was so nervous and what made it more difficult was that my knee and hamstring muscle were swollen, but my team-mates encouraged me a lot. As soon as the match started, I got swept up by the atmosphere and the nerves disappeared.
Not only did you take part in that game, but you also scored a goal from the spot and became the oldest goalscorer. Was that record on your mind too?
Indeed, I was hoping to score a goal, but it wasn’t that easy. We played against a tough team that were battling to avoid relegation to the next division. We were awarded a penalty in the final minutes and I successfully converted it.
On 17 October, you played the whole match against third division side El Ayat to officially become the oldest player to complete two matches. How did you feel before and during that game?
It wasn’t easy because I got a middle-ear infection two weeks before the game. I lost some balance and my movement was affected, so I couldn’t finish a training session and feared I’d miss the game. During the match, I also felt a bit dizzy. Moreover, the two teams wore similar shirts which made things more difficult. However, all my team-mates and the technical team insisted that I play the whole match. I managed to score my team’s second goal from a set-piece that we’d practiced in training.
How did the El Ayat players deal with you, given you were so much older than them, and did you face any difficulties?
The El Ayat players looked surprised and a bit uncomfortable before the game, but I broke the ice by shaking their hands. They even took pictures with me before the game. I also asked them not to make any crunching tackles on me so that I wouldn’t get injured.
Do you think what you’ve done will motivate others to continue playing longer?
Of course, this will give an incentive to players, particularly as many retire at relatively young ages. That said, I’d like to propose the idea of organising a tournament for players over 40. It would give an opportunity to many players who we used to watch to maintain their fitness and show their skills. It’d provide continuity and prove that age is just a number.
The oldest player ever to take part in a FIFA World Cup™ is Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary. Could we see Ezzeldin Bahader playing for the Egyptian national team one day?
This is a very long shot (laughs)! I’ll continue to train hard and improve my skills and fitness, and if an opportunity arises, I’ll definitely seize it.
The only thing harder than getting to the top is staying there. What are your future ambitions?
I believe that I’ve achieved something which anyone with willpower and determination can do. Maintaining a good level and fitness, especially at this age, is difficult, but getting fit in the first place was difficult as well. I’ll try to continue to play and train because I enjoy playing football so much, and no one knows what the future holds.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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