International Football
Aisha Buhari tournament is best gift to the girl –child – Rita Nwadike
Nigeria legend Rita Nwadike has poured encomiums on the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Aisha Buhari for agreeing to headline the upcoming Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament kicking off in the City of Lagos, Nigeria from September 15 – 21.
Nwadike said the Aisha Buhari Cup with the theme Playing for Good is a most laudable project under the First Lady’s Future Assured Programme (FAP) for the girl-child, women and the less privileged in the society.
“I thank the organisers of the Aisha Buhari Cup who took the bold step to meet with Mr President’s wife over this noble project and the First Lady’s decision to support the bringing of the best women teams in Africa to Nigeria. For the girl-child, it’s the best gift possible and I want to appreciate her for doing this noble project during her tenure.
On the Super Falcons’ squad, Nwadike asserted the players therein are the best and capable of lifting the maiden ABC trophy for the country.
“I’m satisfied with the list, I think that’s the best the new team’s handler can work with at the moment. He is familiar with all the players and has been working with them at various tournaments. He cannot begin now to experiment, not at this invitational tournament that everyone is coming to win.
The Aisha Buhari Foundation focuses on women, young girls as well as vulnerable citizens like widows, orphans and the disabled. The programme involves training for entrepreneurial skills and provision of starter packs, conditional and unconditional cash transfers and provision of business tools.
Meanwhile, a girls’ grassroots football team, Infinitus Football Academy, bankrolled by former Nigeria international goalkeeper Rachael Ayegba, has thrown its weight behind the Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament. The six-nation showpiece scheduled to be held from September 15 to 21 this month.
With the theme in mind, the young girls of the Lokoja-based Academy declared their solidarity for the competition, which is inaugurated to motivate the girl-child to embrace football and also grow the women’s game on the continent.
Team Coach Timothy Emmanuel harped on the opportunities behind the initiative and the future impact on the girls’ careers.
“We are excited with the positive responses of the girls to the vision and mission of the competition and the possibility of shaping the future of the young girls,” Emmanuel told ABC media.
Responding on behalf of the team, captain Fatimah Ahmed said: “We are happy to know about the Aisha Buhari Cup. We support the idea because we all want our future to be assured through football. We also believe that one day, we will all grow up to have the chance to represent our country and play in the competition or even in a bigger one.”
Earlier, Ayegba, who spoke from her base in Finland, expressed belief that the Aisha Buhari Cup will not only shape the dream of the girl-child in Nigeria but across the continent.
“I am happy to see how the young girls are feeling about the invitational tournament. It will surely go a long way to inspire them to pursue their career in football.”
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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