International Football
TOGO PLANS PERFECT FINISH IN CHAN QUALIFICATION TIE WITH NIGERIA
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The Togolese SparrowHawks are not leaving anything to chances despite their apparent comfortable first leg score line advantage that saw them beat Nigeria 4-1.
With four days to the deciding second leg, they plan to once again beat the Nigerian side.
According to Togo Tribune, the 2-1 defeat of Nigerian again at the WAFU Cup tie has proven that the home based Super Eagles are very venerable.
It was further gathered by www.sportsvillagesquare.com that the training session of the Togolese squad, which resumed on Monday placed more emphasis on finishing by the strikers.
On Tuesday, the Togolese squad completed their second training session on ball conservation, finishing work in front of goals and one half on the pitch.
The coach, Jean-Paul Abalo “was confident and determined to obtain a qualification history,” the media officer of the national team remarked.
If Togo obtains a favourable result at Agege Stadium on Saturday, it will be the first time the team will qualify for the African Nations Championship, which enters its sixth edition next year in Cameroon.
“It will be a tough game, but my players are ready. They know they are 90 minutes to achieve something historic, “says the boss of the local Sparrowhawks.
Super Eagles side, the goal is simple and clear: to turn the tide (4-1) of Lomé. Their coach Imama Amapakabo knows that the task will be difficult for his players to score at least three goals without cashing any.
Togo Tribune reports that Amapakabo has called for reinforcement to the squad that crumbled miserably in Lome, Togo and in Senegal in last few days.
The paper reported that eight new players from Kano Pillars; including Ifeanyi Nweke and Nyima as well as Nwangwua and Ifeanyi Aneamena of Enyimba and Anthony Shimanga of Enugu Rangers have been recruited to help overturn a first leg three goal deficit.
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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