International Football
EGYPT 2019: AMAPAKABO CALLS 35 FOR SHOWDOWN WITH SUDAN
Coach Imama Amapakabo has extended invitations to a total of 35 players ahead of Nigeria’s home-and-away AFCON U23 qualifying matches against Sudan next month.
The Olympic Eagles are away to Khartoum for the first leg of the fixture on 6th September, before hosting the Sudanese at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba four days later.
To qualify for the final round of the series, Amapakabo’s wards lashed their Libyan counterparts 4-2 on aggregate, winning 4-0 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium after a 2-0 first leg defeat in Ben Guardia, Tunisia.
The winner over two legs between Nigeria and Sudan will qualify for the 3rd Africa U23 Cup of Nations, scheduled for Egypt 8th – 22nd November 2019, and at which Africa’s flagbearers at the Men’s Football Tournament of next year’s Olympics will emerge.
All the invited players are expected to arrive at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja on Thursday, 8th August 2019.
THE FULL LIST
Adamu Abubakar (Wikki Tourists); Galadima Mohammed (Nasarawa United); Amos Obasoge (Insurance FC); John Lazarus (Lobi Stars); Etboy Akpan (Akwa United); Haruna Garba (Jordano FC); Abiodun Joseph (Sunshine Stars); Ebube Duru (Lobi Stars); Ojo Adebayo (Water FC); Joshua Akpedje (MFM FC); Ndah B (Remo Stars); Anumudu Udochukwu (Lobi Stars); Stephen Manyo (Enyimba FC); Family Ahmed (Adamawa United); Fatai Gbadamosi (Shooting Stars); Olatunji Oluwadamilare (Enyimba FC); Ndala Ibrahim (Nasarawa United); Seth Mayi (Remo Stars); William Ukeme (Wikki Tourists); Ibrahim Sanusi (Nasarawa United); Ndifreke Effiong (Akwa United); Sunday Adetunji (Abia Warriors); Musa Ronaldo Suleiman (Katsina United); Chibundu Amah (Sunshine Stars); Joshua Agboola (Katsina United); Umar Abba (Wikki Tourists); Cletus Umotem (Rivers United); Muritala Tiye Yusuf (Shooting Stars); Michael Eranumu (Insurance FC); Ibe Tobechukwu (Abia Warriors); Stephen Wisdom Ikechi (Wilbros FC); ThankGod Simon (MFM FC); Tofa Alhassan (Green Barrot); Adegboyega Semiu Dapo (Stationery Stores); Azeez Oseni (36 Lions)
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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