International Football
Spanish soccer fan walking to Qatar World Cup missing in Iran
A 41-year-old Spanish soccer fan who set out to walk to Qatar to attend the World Cup in November has gone missing in Iran, where unrest has erupted in the past few weeks, Spain’s foreign ministry has confirmed.
Santiago Sanchez was last heard from on Oct. 1 when he sent friends a picture of himself on the Iraq-Iran border with the caption: “Entry to Iran”.
Some Spanish media suggest Sanchez had been arrested by the Iranian authorities, and his parents in Madrid told Telecinco TV channel that was the most likely possibility.
“A 99% chance that he is in a prison in Iran, but the (Spanish) embassy has told my daughter that until they go to the prison to see him and have the permission of the Iranian government, they cannot give that news,” his mother Celia said.
Police summoned the parents to provide dental records, personal items such as a toothbrush and photos of Santiago’s tattoos, which they will send to Interpol, she explained.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Sanchez was in Iran and its embassy in Tehran was urgently seeking information on his whereabouts to provide him with consular assistance.
“The embassy is in permanent contact with the Iranian authorities since it was made aware of the disappearance,” it said in a statement.
Iran is facing the biggest protests in the history of its clerical leadership following the death on Sept. 16 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a Iranian Kurdish woman, who was detained by the morality police in Tehran for “inappropriate attire” and died in police custody.
On Thursday, Iranian security forces opened fire on and detained mourners who gathered in Amini’s hometown of Saqez, close to the Iraqi border, to mark 40 days since she died.
Miguel Bergado, a close friend of Sanchez’s and fellow traveller on previous occasions, said he had heard no more of Sanchez since the photograph of him crossing the border.
“He was about to have his passport stamped, pay and enter,” he said. “We are trying to be calm because Santi is an experienced person who respects rules, cultures and borders. He has already been to Iran, it’s a hospitable country… but this time it was a delicate moment.”
Sanchez left Madrid in January, travelling across Europe and Turkey, sleeping in a tent, hotels and wellwishers’ homes, before entering Iraq.
He told Reuters in Zakho in Iraqi Kurdistan last month that he hoped he might meet the Spanish team and inspire them to victory in the 2022 World Cup.
“If you don’t set a date for your dreams, you don’t realise them,” he said, explaining that the Nov. 20 kick-off date drove him on through extreme heat and uncertainty about his next meal or bed.
-Reuters
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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