International Football
Costa Rica 2022: Falconets set to make it ‘Double Wahala’ for Cameroon
In the same week that Cameroon lost out in their quest to win the Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria’s Under 20 women’s team are set to compound the woes to the Cameroonians.
Coach Chris Danjuma and his Nigeria U20 girls will pull no punches when they take on their Cameroonian counterparts in the second leg of their fourth round fixture, as the race for this year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals hots up.
Venue is the refurbished MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja and kick-off time is 4pm on Saturday.
Both teams battled to a scoreless draw in a tough and gritty encounter at the Stade Reunification in Douala on Saturday, 22nd January.
Danjuma told thenff.com: “We have no choice but to go all out for goals. The Cameroonian team is a strong one but we have worked hard since returning from the first leg in Douala and I believe my girls will get the job done.”
Saturday’s encounter will be the first international match at the MKO Abiola National Stadium since the venue hosted a 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between the Super Falcons and the Senior Women Team of Senegal in April 2016.
It is also the first of a number of crucial matches for Nigeria at the arena in the next few months, including the first leg of the 2022 Women AFCON final qualifying fixture between the Super Falcons and the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and the return leg of the 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off round between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars of Ghana.
The Falconets require only the minimum win to reach the final qualifying round, where they will square up with the winner between Morocco and Senegal for a place in the finals in Costa Rica in August this year.
Togolese official Vincentia Amedome has been appointed by CAF as the referee. Amedome will be assisted by compatriot Abra Agbedanou (assistant referee 1); Ghanaian Doris Essuman Darko (assistant referee 2) and yet another Togolese Edoh Kindedji (fourth official). The match commissioner is Aisha Nalule from Uganda while Ghanaian Emmanuella Grace Aglago will serve as referee assessor.
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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