International Football
SUPER FALCONS SETTLE DOWN IN GRENOBLE AS ALL FOCUS SHIFTS TO KOREA
The Super Falcons have fully settled into their Mercure Grenoble Centre President Hotel in the city of Grenoble, ahead of Wednesday’s make-or-break FIFA Women’s World Cup clash with Korea Republic.
Players and officials
flew into Grenoble at 1pm on Sunday and arrived the hotel an hour later, in
time for lunch.
Defeat by Norway in Reims on Saturday was quickly forgotten as soon as the delegation left the city, and all eyes and mind are now on the clash with Korea Republic at the Stade del Alpes on Wednesday evening that must not go wrong.
Korea’s margin of defeat by France, who thumped them 4-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris in the championship opening match, means Nigeria is third in the pool, and being a 24 –team tournament, the African champions will be in good stead to reach the Round of 16 if they brush the Koreans aside on Wednesday and hold France to a stalemate in Rennes on 17th June. They can then hope to be among the four best third-placed teams to advance from the group stage.
On Monday, the team trained at the Stade Eugène Thenard on the Avenue du General de Charles Gaulle.
Wednesday’s clash with the Koreans will hold at the Stade des Alpes as from 3pm (same time as in Nigeria), and the two teams have the opportunity of playing their game and knowing where they stand before France take on Norway in Nice hours later.
President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who watched the defeat by Norway in Reims on Saturday alongside 2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi and Executive Committee member Aisha Falode, charged the Falcons to overcome the loss to the Scandinavians and plot a surefire strategy that will extract the three points from the Asians on Wednesday.
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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