International Football
VIDEO – HERO’S WELCOME FOR SADIO MANE IN SINGAPORE
Sadio Mane had stepped into the lobby of Swissotel The Stamford on Tuesday afternoon with airpods in his ears, but the Liverpool star was not deaf to the adulation of the many Liverpool fans present.
To the tune of The Archies’ Sugar Sugar, the 80-strong crowd
heartily serenaded their favourite footballer, singing “Sadio, Oh Mane
Mane!” as the Senegal forward arrived for his first visit to Singapore.
Some of the fans had made a beeline for the hotel as early as 10am to catch a glimpse of the 27-year-old, who is here with his national team. The Lions of Teranga are here as part of the Brazil Global Tour that sees the Selecao play Senegal on Thursday and Nigeria on Sunday at the National Stadium.
Looking somewhat bemused by the strong support, Mane did his best to entertain as many autograph and wefie requests as possible on both sides of the barricades, which had been set up to allow the team to pass through.
Clad in a cap bearing his SM10 initials, Senegal team jacket, white polo-tee and track pants, and carrying a white backpack, there were a couple of times when he looked like he was about to scoot off, only to stop and sign more memorabilia and accede to more photo requests.
Sylvester Ng could not help himself as he jumped and whooped in delight after securing a wefie and a signature on a Liverpool FC magazine featuring the No. 10.
The 18-year-old student, who had staked out the hotel since 1pm, told The Straits Times: “Shiok ah! I have supported Liverpool since I was in Primary 5, and Sadio Mane ever since he joined from Southampton in 2016, so you can say he is my childhood hero. I feel so, so lucky.”
C.T. Lim, a 45-year-old businessman, also took time off work to take his nine-year-old son Jia Le, who was clad in a Liverpool jersey, to the hotel. They were rewarded when Mane signed on their Champions of Europe book.
He said: “We like Mane not only because is he a good player, but he is also a kind-hearted person who gives back to society. We will also be supporting him and the other Liverpool players in the Brazil team from the front row on Thursday.”
In contrast to the Brazil team, who had arrived in batches, the 23-man Senegal team and their backroom staff arrived together at Changi Airport at 3.22pm following a 12-hour flight from Paris, where they had assembled.
Playing for the first time in Singapore, they will be hoping that the Republic will be where their fortunes turn around after suffering wretched luck in recent major tournaments.
At last year’s World Cup, they finished with the same points, goals scored and conceded as Japan, whom they had drawn 2-2 with in Group H. But with both teams placed behind group winners Colombia, the Africans became the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated by the fair play criteria as they had accumulated more bookings than the Samurai Blue.
Then, in July’s African Cup of Nations, Aliou Cisse’s men strode into the final, which they dominated, only to lose 1-0 to Algeria, who made their one shot at goal count.
Senegalese YouTuber Stan Diop, who runs the Les Outsiderz channel which covers the team, told ST: “Of course, when you lose under such circumstances, it is hurtful, but the mood is generally good within the team.
“We have the same coach since 2015 and the team have been largely successful. There is a good hype around the team and I think we can match the Brazilians.
“People see the Brazil superstars, but when we look at our players, we have Mane, who has played with and earned the respect of Brazilians like Roberto Firminho and Fabinho, one of the best defenders in Kalidou Koulibaly, and the new PSG fan favourite Idrissa Gueye.
“I was surprised to see fans stopping our goalkeeper coach Tony Sylva, which shows how knowledgeable some of them are here. Maybe not many people know about Senegal, so it would be nice to show to the world outside Africa what Senegal are about through these friendlies.”
Tickets for both games are still available at www.sportshubtix.sg, Singapore Indoor Stadium box office, all SingPost outlets, The Star Performing Arts Centre box office and Scotts Square concierge desk or ring 3158-7888.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health
Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game
England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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