International Football
Beyond glory, what is at stake for Argentina and France? Money is the root of all the struggles!
To the ordinary fan, the World Cup battle is the struggle for pride and glory. But to the professionals, the prize money is crucial.
Although all the 32 teams will get ‘take-aways’, the ultimate winner, like in most global sporting tournaments, receives big money.
For the records, a pot $440 million was put at stake at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
This is the highest ever and the stake continue to grow from tournament to tournament. It is to be imagined, what will be at stake in four years’ time. But that isn’t the case with the World Cup.
But contrary to expectations, the winner will not take the lion’s share!
In fact, the winners won’t even go home with 10 per cent of the $440m.
The champions — who will be crowned this Sunday, will receive $42m, which is $4m more than what France got four years ago.
That means there is still another $404m that has to be divided among the other 31 competing teams.
How is the World Cup prize money will be divided
The runners-up will receive $30m. To most football followers, the third place match is often overlooked. But both Croatia and Morocco knew better.
They are aware that it is worth an extra $2m this year. Croatia who finished third will be given $27m while Morocco, beaten on Saturday at the third place match will get $25m.
The four beaten quarter-finalists, including Brazil will all receive $17m while $13m is given to the eight teams that lost in the last-16.
The 16 other nations that are unable to make it out of the group stage at the World Cup are given $9m, regardless of how many points they picked up in their three games.
Each nation has to decide how much of that money they hand out to the players and staff. That is usually a decision made ahead of the tournament with performance goals laid out for wins at each stage of the World Cup.
In 2018, Noel Le Graet, president of the France Football Federation (FFF), revealed that the players would receive a 30 per cent share of the prize money.
France received $38m for beating Croatia in the final which means each player will have received more than $350,000 for the triumph in Russia.
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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