International Football
Bayelsa Queens have their fate in their hands
In few hours time at the Prince Herities Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, the Bayelsa Queens will engage Egypt’s Wadi Delga in the final matchday of Group B of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
A possible win is all they desire to get into the semi finals along with possible group leaders and defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
But the group could turn into a Greek puzzle that could lead to employment of tie-breaker. Arithmetically, three teams could finish on six points each if Congo’s Mazembe should beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Bayelsa Queens beat Egypt’s Wadi Delga.
The 5-0 defeat of Wadi Delga by Mamelodi Sundowns comes handy for the South Africans who are likely going to have the edge on goal difference to move ahead.
On this account, Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens will need to go for the goals to avert a possible elimination on account of goal difference in the unlikely event of Mazembe beating Sundowns by three goals or more.
Although the encounter is a first clash of Wadi Degla and Bayelsa Queens, the Egyptians on home soil faces Rivers Angels last year.
Wadi Degla face West African opponents for a second time at the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 in their final group game, a must win clash saw them come up against Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana the game ended 2-2 despite Wadi Degla twice leading.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian champions began with a 2-1 loss to defending Champions Mamelodi Sundowns, they bounced back to win their next game against TP Mazembe 2-0.
In winning their second game after losing their opening game at the CAF WCL Finals Bayelsa Queens became the fourth side after Malabo Kings and Vihiga Queens in 2021, as well as Simba Queens at the current finals, to lose their opening game and then win their second game.
Progression to the next round will seen Bayelsa Queens become the first team from Nigeria to reach the last four, their counterparts Rivers Angels exited the 2021 tournament at the group stages.
Should Bayelsa Queens reach the Semi-finals they will become the second team from West Africa to do so along with the Ghanaian club Hasaacas Ladies, who ended as runners up in 2021.
If Bayelsa Queens do not reach the last four it will be for the first time that there will be no West African representative in the Semi-finals at the CAF WCL.
Should Bayelsa Queens reach the last four they will emulate the performance of the Nigerian national women’s national team, who made it to the last four of the recent 2022 WAFCON which was held in Morocco in July.
A win for Bayelsa Queens will see them become the first Nigerian team at the CAF WCL to win two games.
All five games involving Nigerian clubs at the CAF WCL have ended with a winner, none of the five games at the finals with either Rivers Angels or Bayelsa Queens has ended in a draw.
Of the five games involving Nigerian clubs at the CAF WCL in four of these games has the winning team kept a clean sheet, only in Bayelsa Queens 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies at the current competition has both teams managed to score.
Bayelsa Queens are the first Nigerian team to score in successive games at the CAF WCL, Rivers Angels failed to do so in their first two group games in 2021 losses to AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. Before winning their final game 4-0 against Vihiga Queens.
Should they keep a clean-sheet Bayelsa Queens will be the first team from West Africa to keep two clean-sheets at the CAF WCL Finals, in 2021 between the three WAFU representatives they kept just two clean-sheets.
Ogoma Josephs who converted a penalty to open the scoring for Bayelsa Queens against TP Mazembe in their last game, had 89 touches of the ball more than any of her teammates.
Grace Igboamalu scorer of Bayelsa Queens second goal in the win over TP Mazembe attempted six shots on target in the game, with all six shots being on target.
In their win over TP Mazembe – Bayelsa Queens completed 397 passes to their opponents 297 passes, making a 100 passes more.
Bayelsa Queens made 272 of their 397 passes against TP Mazembe in their opponents half.
Against TP Mazembe the Nigerian club had a game high 97 final third entries.
Bayelsa Goalkeeper Ange Bawou made four saves from the four shot she faced in the win against TP Mazembe.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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