International Football
GHANA DROPS DECISION TO PULL OUT OF AFRICAN GAMES’ FOOTBALL
Ghana’s men’s under-20 football team will compete at this month’s African Games in Morocco’s capital Rabat, after its Sports Ministry reversed a decision to not send a squad following the threat of a ban and fine.
As reported by GHANASoccernet.com, the International Games and Competitions Committee (IGCC) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports dropped football after a value-for-money audit.
Ghana has never won the football event of the African Games as their best outing had been the bronze in 1978 and 2003.
The IGCC claimed Ghana was not guaranteed a medal, meaning it was dropped along with eight other disciplines – badminton, canoeing/kayaking, cycling, fencing, shooting, swimming and triathlon.
With the Confederation of African Football (CAF) threatening to impose a ban and fine, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) intervened and outlined to the IGCC the negative effects of that decision.
GHANASoccernet.com reported that GFA general secretary Alex Asante explained the ramifications of the late withdrawal to the IGCC and how it would disrupt the tournament with the draw already done.
The country would have been fined by CAF and banned from the next CAF Under-20 Cup of Nations tournament.
However, Ghana’s contingent for the tournament is set to be reduced.
The men’s football tournament at the 2019 African Games starts on Friday (August 16) to August 30 in Rabat, Kenitra and Salé.
Ghana have been drawn in Group B alongside reigning Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations champions Mali, as well as defending champions Senegal and Burundi.
Forward Emmanuel Toku, who represents Portuguese side Boavista at club level, will captain the team.
Toku played an instrumental role in Ghana reaching the final of the 2017 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations in Gabon, where they lost to Mali.
He also played at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup that same year in India, helping his nation progress to the quarter-finals, again losing to Mali.
The IGCC recently unveiled Ghana’s kits for the 2019 African Games, which include backpacks, tracksuits, jerseys and trainers.
IGCC chairman Peter Twumasi confirmed that a contingent of 139, made up of 91 athletes, 29 coaches and 19 management members, would travel to Rabat.
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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