International Football
Zamalek, Ahly Deny Egypt Full Strength in CHAN Debut
When Egypt take on Morocco on Sunday in Alexandria, it will be the first time the current topmost ranked football team in the continent will be featuring in the African Nations Championship (CHAN).
It is the first leg of North Zone of the qualifying series of a competition which is in its fifth edition.
Egypt, the seat of Confederation of African Football, have never taken part in the qualifiers of the tournament designed exclusively for footballers who play in their domestic leagues, since its inception in 2009.
This is despite the fact that the core of the Egyptian national team has been locally-based players. This term, the Pharaohs are making their debut in the qualifiers, and will be hoping to overcome rivals Morocco in their quest for a first ever participation at next year’s finals, scheduled from 12 January to 4 February in Kenya.
But the journey for the Pharaohs is no rosy. Big guns Al Ahly and Zamalek have refused to release their players for the two-legged match against Morocco, with other clubs following suit, a situation which forced iconic ex-captain Hany Ramzy to reign as Head Coach.
Following the unexpected exit of Ramzy, a legendary figure at German club, Kaiserslautern and capped over 120 times at the national level, U-20 coach Hamada Sedki has been drafted in temporarily for the two games against Morocco.
Sedki has been faced the same old problem with matters worsened with the withdrawal of players by Port Said based El Masry, who face Ahly in the Egyptian Cup final on Tuesday, 15 August 2017 in Alexandria.
One of the assistants of the legendary coach Hassan Shehata, when Egypt won a treble of Africa Cup of Nations titles (2006, 2008, and 2010), Sedki remains upbeat about his side’s chances in this weekend’s clash against Morocco.
“We have to do our work whatever the obstacles are. It’s never going to be easy, but we will play to the last hoping to record a good result,” Sedki told the media during the week.
The return leg will take place next Friday in Rabat, with the Atlas Lions hoping for a third successive appearance at the final tournament after 2014 (South Africa) and 2016 (Rwanda).
FIXTURES
Central Zone
Friday: Brazzaville – Congo vs. DR Congo
Saturday: Malabo – Equatorial Guinea vs. Gabon
Saturday: Sao Tome – Sao Tome vs. Cameroon
Central-East Zone
Saturday: Kampala – Uganda vs. Rwanda
Sunday: Hawassa – Ethiopia vs. Sudan
North Zone
Saturday: Constantine – Algeria vs. Libya
Sunday: Alexandria – Egypt vs. Morocco
South Zone
Saturday: East London- South Africa vs. Zambia
Sunday: Antananarivo – Madagascar vs. Angola
Sunday: Moroni – Comoros vs. Namibia
West A Zone
Saturday: Nouakchott – Mauritania vs. Mali
Tuesday: Pikine – Senegal vs. Guinea
West B Zone
Saturday: Ouagadougou – Burkina Faso vs. Ghana
Sunday: Cotonou- Benin vs. Nigeria
Sunday: Niamey – Niger vs. Cote d’Ivoire
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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