International Football
Diplomatic breakthrough as direct Tel Aviv-Doha flights will operate during World Cup
Direct charter flights will operate between Israel and Qatar, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, during the upcoming World Cup in Doha, FIFA said on Thursday, facilitating attendance by eligible Israeli and Palestinian fans.
Soccer’s world governing body said it brokered the deal that would allow holders of match tickets and a valid Hayya fan ID on flights from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to Doha’s Hamad International during the one-month event.
A Qatari official told Reuters the agreement applies to all Palestinians, including those living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
“With this deal, Israelis and Palestinians will be able to fly together and enjoy football together,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
The agreement requires Palestinian ticket holders and media “to travel on these chartered flights with no restrictions as they have an equal right to enjoy the tournament”, an unnamed spokesperson for Q22, Qatar’s tournament operator, said in FIFA’s statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a separate statement that negotiations over several months led to an agreement to open “an Israeli office in Qatar to provide services to fans coming for the World Cup”.
Israel’s foreign ministry added in a statement that “it was agreed that an Israeli consular team will provide consular services to the Israeli citizens (attending the World Cup)”.
Israel’s foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters the Israeli consular team would be based in Qatar during the tournament, the first to be held in the Middle East and which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. Asked to provide details on the consular team, the spokesperson said they would be Israeli citizens with expertise in the field.
When asked for comment on Israel’s consular plans, the Qatari official pointed Reuters to the FIFA statement which said that a Doha-based travel company would, in coordination with Israel’s foreign ministry, provide consular assistance to Israeli visitors in Qatar during the World Cup.
In June, when Israel announced that citizens could attend the World Cup in Qatar, Lapid, who is also foreign minister, said it “opens a new door for us to warm ties”.
The agreement on direct flights does not change Qatar’s stance on normalising relations with Israel which is linked to Palestinian statehood, the Qatari official said.
“This is part of Qatar’s commitment to FIFA’s hosting requirements and it should not be politicised,” the official said. “Because of this agreement, Palestinians will now be able to enjoy the first World Cup in the Arab and Muslim world.”
The Qatari official later added that Doha had conveyed to Israel “that any escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza or West Bank during (the World Cup) will risk the cancellation of the agreement including the direct flights.”
Israeli passport holders can usually only travel to Qatar on special visas issued for sports fixtures or conferences. There are no existing direct flights between the two countries.
A source familiar with the agreement, who declined to be named due to sensitivities, said there were talks with Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJAL.AM) to operate the World Cup charter flights.
The flight arrangement is “subject to Israel’s security requirements and operational capabilities”, FIFA said.
At least 8,000 Palestinians and 3,900 Israelis have applied for a Hayya card, the source said.
Qatar’s Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain forged ties with Israel under U.S.-brokered pacts in 2020.
-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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