International Football
VIDEOS:BIRTHDAY BOY, PUYOL LANDS IN NIGERIA FOR UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOUR PRESENTED BY HEINEKEN
Carles Puyol Saforcada, UEFA Champions League legend
and former FC Barcelona ace defender, who is more popularly known as Puyol is
set for arrival in Nigeria on Monday April 15 with the iconic UEFA
Champions League trophy which will be on Tour in Uyo and Lagos.
It is in the continuation of a tradition already established by the most International Premium Lager beer, Heineken which has been a major sponsor of the Champions League since 2005/06 season of the competition.
Ahead of his arrival, Puyol, who clocked 41 last
Saturday, has sent a video clip to Nigerian urging the citizens to be part of
the excitement that will envelope Lagos and Uyo from April 16th to
18th, 2019,
You’re hearing it from the legend himself, get ready to meet @Carles5Puyol and experience the #Unmissable in Lagos from the 17th to 18th of April.
In a 16 seconds video clip, excited Puyol announced to teeming Nigerian football fans his intention of leading the Chairman Team against that of Shine Shine Bobo being marshaled by Nigeria’s legendary Austin Jay Jay Okocha in an Unmissable match which comes up at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo. It is the first time the UEFA Champions League Tour would be held outside Lagos.
The match will feature 20 minutes each half, with a mixture of footballers from Akwa United Football club, selected Heineken consumers and ex-Nigerian international footballers such as Mutiu Adepoju, Daniel Amokachi, Austin Eguavoen and Uche Okechukwu playing for either side of Unmissable Match.
The excitement for the #Unmissable is brewing, get ready to watch Carles Puyol go against Jay Jay Okocha in a match that will go down in history.
16th of April 2019. Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. Dont miss it!
Puyol spoke of the two days he would spend in Lagos on the 17th and 18th of April during the UEFA Champions League Tour presented by Heineken.
Hello Here, teeming football fans and consumers of the most international premium lager will have the unique opportunity to come close to the iconic trophy and have photo opportunity with it and its ambassador, Puyol.
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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