International Football
HECTIC SCHEDULE AS FIFA BEGINS NIGERIA’S FACILITIES INSPECTION FOR 2020 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The inspection of facilities that Nigeria have to offer for the hosting of the 2020 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup has began in earnest.
The five-man team expected to arrive Lagos Monday evening was expected to inspect the hotel facilities at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday evening.
Sports Village Square reliable gathered that the visiting officials are expected to spend the night at the hotel where they will have a pre-inspection briefing as well as another meeting on finance and budget.
The inspection of facilities commences on Tuesday after the FIFA team must have checked out of the Eko Hotels and Suites.
Tuesday’s activities will begin at the construction site of
the waterfront Onikan Arena. This is easily the oldest existing sporting arena
in Nigeria which origin dates back to 1936 as the then Association Ground.
It was renamed the King George V (KGV) on April 12, 1952 after it got a facelift to commemorate the coronation of the English Monarch. It was renamed Lagos City Stadium in 1963. The great Pele of Brazil is one of the legends that have graced the turf at Onikan.
The structure was pulled down on June 7,1973. The reconstructed stadium was commissioned on October 2, 1982 and renamed Onikan Stadium, which was again pulled down in 2018 and again renamed, Onikan Arena as reconstruction is nearing completion.
From Onikan, the Medical Group of the visiting FIFA team will go to St. Nicholas Hospital, which proposed as one of the referral medical outfits, if Nigeria gets the nod.
According to information gathered by www.sportsvillagesquare.com, the inspection team moves to Campos Square on the Lagos Island. This is one of the five training sites proposed.
The other proposed training sites are Eagle Club in Surulere, Teslim Balogun Stadium, the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium and the University of Lagos Sports Centre.
After the inspection, the FIFA team and the NFF men will pay a courtesy call on the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide O. Sanwo-Olu.
Thereafter, the team leaves for the domestic wing of the Murtala Airport for a trip to Benin. They are expected to pay a courtesy call on the Governor of Edo State at about 2.30pm on Tuesday.
Thereafter, the inspection begins with the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, which like the Onikan Arena in Lagos, is undergoing reconstruction.
Originally, it was the Ogbe Stadium, inaugurated on December 7, 1968 before the name changed to Ogbemudia on May 18, 2001 when it was re-commissioned.
It is being rebuilt in preparation for the next edition of the National Sports Festival.
Even though originally commissioned in 1968, it has its remote history in 1952 when Chief Gaius Obaseki, chairman of Benin Divisional Government gave out £1,000 for the building.
The Benin Divisional Council also provided additional £1,000 for annual maintenance. Actual construction began in January 1967.
From the stadium, the FIFA team will proceed to the University of Benin sports centre, which is designated as training site along with the Western Boys College.
The medical group will inspect the Central Hospital Benin. From here, the team heads for Asaba by air and will lodge at Best Western Hotel.
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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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