International Football
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Race: 22 Eagles train in Lagos as Les Fauves arrive
Only Netherlands –based goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was being expected in the Super Eagles’ Eko Hotels & Suites abode as at the early hours of Tuesday evening – 48 hours before the FIFA World Cup African qualifying Day 3 encounter against the Les Fauves of the Central African Republic.
Skipper Ahmed Musa, deputy skipper William Ekong and goalkeepers Francis Uzoho and Daniel Akpeyi had arrived, alongside defenders Kevin Akpoguma, Jamilu Collins, Chidozie Awaziem, Leon Balogun, Calvin Bassey, Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu and Kenneth Omeruo.
There were also midfielders Chidera Ejuke, Innocent Bonke, Frank Onyeka and Joseph Ayodele-Aribo, as well as forwards Paul Onuachu, Samuel Kalu, Taiwo Awoniyi, Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon.
Thursday’s encounter at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere will kick off at 5pm, and will go some way to confirm Nigeria’s readiness to leap into the knockout phase of the qualifying series early ahead of the March 2022 date for that all-important phase.
It is a pacesetter versus table-propper match-up, with the Les Fauves, whose 35-man contingent flew into Lagos on Tuesday evening, bottom of Group C with only one point and one goal as against two goals against. They trail the Blue Sharks of Cape Verde on inferior number of goals scored.
Leicester City of England’s Kelechi Iheanacho scored a brace to kickstart Nigeria’s campaign on fine footing early in September, before Victor Osimhen’s equalizer and a spectacular own goal by Blue Sharks’ defender Kenny Santos Rocha handed the Eagles all the points in the island of Mindelo to put them in firm control of the pool.
With the return encounter against the Les Fauves already billed for the Stade Japoma de Douala on Sunday afternoon, Gernot Rohr and wards countenance a possible six points that will make them unassailable in Group C, ahead of the last two games away to Liberia and home to Cape Verde in November.
Meanwhile, the Confederation has appointed Mauritanian official Abdel Aziz Bouh as referee for Thursday’s encounter, in which he will be assisted by compatriots Hamedine Diba (assistant referee 1), Abderrahmane War (assistant referee 2) and Moussa Diou (fourth official).
The referee assessor is Jerome Efong Nzolo from Gabon and the match commissioner is Marcelin Gaha Djiadeu from Cameroon. Nigerian Dr Ozi Salami Abdulrahim will be medical officer.
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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