International Football
Goal scorer against Liberia, Iheanacho six others leave Super Eagles’ camp
For the first time in many years, Nigeria’s lead football brand will be attempting to feature almost two different teams in the same competition within the same period.
The bulk of players who played on Friday against Liberia in the Group C of the World Cup qualifiers are reportedly out of camp and back at their different clubs in Britain.
Among those who left on Saturday is Kelechi Iheanacho. Others include his Leicester City mate, Wilfred Ndidi; Oghenekaro Etebo and William Troost-Ekong both of Watford FC; Alex Iwobi of Everton and the duo of Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo from Rangers in Scotland.
The match with Cape Verde will be held at the 5,000 capacity Estadio Municipal Aderito Sena on the island of Mindelo on Tuesday.
Should Nigeria avoid defeat on the fortress ground of the new dark horse of African football, the team will consolidate in its top of the log following the massive win against Liberia last Friday in Lagos.
“The Cape Verde match will not be easy considering the exit of some of the players from the United Kingdom. We have just two days to train and we have to play on a synthetic pitch in the Southern Hemisphere, remarked Gernot Rohr on NFF TV.
“We have to adapt to two extreme situations. The win in Lagos was on wet grass and under a difficult situation and here we are going to another extreme surface, a dry hard pitch (Synthetic surface) which is not going to be easy for my players to adapt easily.
“With the camp reduced, I know we still have quality players to step up the tempo and grind the result at Cape Verde it is certain that we have to build a fresh defense, midfield and the attack within a limited time,” he further remarked.
Should Super Eagles claim another win on Tuesday, it will be the second consecutive World Cup qualifying series that Nigeria will win her first two matches on the go.
At the last qualifying round of matches to Russia 2018, Nigeria won 2-1 away at Zambia and home win against Algeria to sit at the summit of the log from Match Day-one till the final match.
A record achievement set by the Franco/German tactician since Frenchman, Phillip Trousse piloted the team in the France ’98 qualifying round of matches when Nigeria was assured of Mundial qualification with a game to spare against Syli Stars of Guinea in Conakry.
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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