International Football
Nigeria’s former ‘White witch doctor’ to coach Vietnam
Former Nigeria coach Philippe Troussier, who has also coached Japan, is set to take over as the new head coach of Vietnam, the country’s governing body confirmed on Thursday.
Troussier, a Frenchman, is famously known as the ‘White Witch Doctor’. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) said an agreement had been reached with the Frenchman to take charge of both the senior national team and the country’s under-23 side following the departure of South Korean Park Hang-seo.
“The selection for this position has been carefully conducted by the VFF with a very strict process,” the organisation said in a statement on their website.
“The VFF and Mr Philippe Troussier have basically reached a consensus and agreement on the contents related to the job … as well as the goals and tasks in the coming period.”
Troussier, who previously led the country’s under-19 team, is expected to be officially unveiled at a ceremony in Hanoi before the end of the month.
Vietnam have qualified for the Asian Cup, which is due to be played in Qatar early next year, and finished as runners-up in last month’s Asean Championship, losing to Thailand in the final of the Southeast Asian event.
That game was Park’s last in charge after he announced he would not extend his contract after more than five years leading the national and under-23 teams.
Troussier has an impressive history in Asian football, having taken Japan to the Asian Cup title in 2000, a success that also resulted in him being named the continent’s coach of the year.
Two years later he steered Japan to the last 16 of the World Cup on home soil.
He has also worked in Qatar, where he was national team coach, and in China as head coach of league sides Shenzhen Ruby and Hangzhou Greentown.
The 67-year-old initially came to prominence as a coach in Africa, where he coached Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Burkina Faso before taking South Africa to the 1998 World Cup in France.
-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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