International Football
COLD WAR DIFFUSED AS NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA ARE GROUPED TOGETHER IN FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING DRAW
In Wednesday’s draw for the Asian qualifying competition for the 2022 World Cup, politically opposed countries of North and South Korea have been grouped together.
Both neighbouring countries are to compete in Group H along with Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka.
The qualifying tournament, to be played on home and away basis, will run from September this year to June next year.
It will be the fourth meeting of the Koreas in World Cup qualifying after they met before the 1990, 1994 and 2010 tournaments.
Both nations remain technically at war but sport has been increasingly used to foster peace on the peninsula.
Joint teams have formed for various events after the countries marched together at the Opening Ceremony of South Korea’s Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. At the 1991 FIFA U-21 championship, the two Koreas were also allowed to present a joint team.
A possible joint bid for the 2032 Summer Olympic Games is also being discussed.
“The important thing is we’ll play them twice, just like all the other teams,” said South Korea’s coach Paolo Bento to Yonhap.
“We’ll prepare for them the best we can.”
Qatar, who automatically qualify for the 2022 World Cup as hosts, are also competing in qualification as the process also offers spots at the 2023 Asian Cup in China.
The reigning Asian champions will contest Group E with Bangladesh, Oman, India and Afghanistan.
Group A includes China, Syria, Philippines, Maldives and Guam while Group B features Australia, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, Kuwait and Nepal.
Fierce rivals Iran and Iraq have been placed together in Group C alongside Bahrain, Hong Kong and Cambodia.
Group D contains Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Palestine, Yemen and Singapore with Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Mongolia in Group F.
In Group G, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia will lock horns.
All of the group winners and the top four runners-up will qualify for the next round and the Asian Cup.
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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