International Football
Which African team will scale the heights at Qatar 2022?
“ Ke Nako” was the official slogan for the only World Cup edition held in Africa. It was apt, being a South African Sotho language expression for ‘it is time’.
At the time, it may have just conveyed the literary expression that it was time for Africa to host the World Cup.
The expression may as well be apt again this year at Qatar 2022 to convey the desire for African teams to scale the heights.
Over the years, the best efforts of African teams had seen some of them getting to the quarterfinals.
Cameroon did that at Italia’90, Senegal as debutants, upstaged defending champions, France, to repeat the feat of Cameroon 12 years later and went on to get to the quarter finals.
Ghana’s Black Stars had a near fairy tale at the 2010 World Cup and were unlucky not to reach the semi finals stage which is the stage most Nigerians now look forward to as target for the Super Eagles if they qualify for the ‘United’ edition, as the 2026 edition will be the first to be co-hosted by three countries..
The three African countries that had reached the quarter finals in the past are back on familiar terrain.
Getting to the semi-finals will be an enviable feat. It may buoy the arguments that Africa deserves more slots in the World Cup that will be enlarged to 48 teams.
Besides, the financial rewards for the African teams will rise. The on-going World Cup is figuratively described as the most expensive ever.
It also has the largest purse ever. The total prize pool for the 2022 World Cup is $440 million, up from $400 million in 2018.
Winners will get $42m. The runners-up will be awarded a sum of $30 million for making it to the final. Teams finishing third and fourth will take home a sum of $ 27 million and $ 25 million, respectively
A semi-final placement will not only buoy the ratings of that successful African team and open up the possibility of Africa getting more slots at the future World Cup finals; the financial reward for the football associations will be earth shaking.
The semi-final slot for a team fetches a minimum of $25 million for the football federation following the increase in prize money announced by FIFA . In essence, an African team that ends its run in the semi-final and wins the losers’ final match will get $20 million which undoubtedly will be the biggest take home by any African team in a football competition.
Should the team win the third place match, the prize money rises to $22 million. This is an incentive that could and should drive the five African teams beyond their natural limit.
The final draw has thrown up the possibilities of achieving the feat. Squabbles over financial incentives had been a major problem afflicting African teams at global events.
African teams are often noted for their self – destructive antics as exhibited by the Togo team at the Germany 2006 as well as Nigeria and Ghana at the 2014 World Cup.
Thus, African teams often make more news off the pitch over disputes on bonuses.
In 2006, Togo’s coach, Otto Pfister who was a replacement for Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi , had to walk out just before their first match with Korea.
FIFA officials had to step in to stop players threatening to boycott their second match with Switzerland.
All these may have accounted for FIFA’s decision to grant each World Cup finalist, $2.5 million as preparation cost.
With the recurring financial dispute apparently taken care of, African teams should be in the right frame to scale the heights.
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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