International Football
Rohr upbeat ahead Super Eagles tricky tie against Cape Verde Blue Sharks
Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr is upbeat the Super Eagles can pull off a positive result as the West Africans head to the Island of Mindelo for their MatchDay 2 away tie to Cape Verde on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles took command of their Group C following a 2-0 home win against the Lone Star of Liberia courtesy of Kelechi Iheanacho’s brace at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos last Friday.
But the team is depleted ahead of the trip to Cape Verde, due to Covid-19 red alert UK restrictions on the Island country, and Rohr will be without all the Britain-based players, including Man of the match against Liberia and Leicester City forward Iheanacho.
Others who would not be available for Tuesday’s tie include defenders Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers); William Ekong (Watford FC); midfielders Oghenekaro Etebo (Watford FC); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers) and striker Alex Iwobi (Everton FC).
Rohr, who described his side’s home win against Liberia as heart-warming despite ‘difficult conditions’, admitted that the three-time African Champions have a huge game in their hands against the Blue Sharks at Estadio Municipal Aderito Sena on the island of Mindelo. “Some players are leaving because they cannot travel to Cape Verde and it’s not going to be easy to build a new team in two days.
“We are going to play under two extreme conditions after playing on a heavy grass due to the rain (at the Teslim Balogun Stadium) and then another game on a dry pitch (against Cape Verde).We are going to play with another defence, another midfield and without the goal scorer (Kelechi).
“It is a challenge for the staff and the players but we have to show our solidarity, and with the 20 players going to Cape Verde, we would be able to make a good team.
“We have to manage the situation without searching for alibis if it is not going well and that our team is able to bring about good performance even when we know it is going to be more difficult,” explained the 68-year-old Rohr.
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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