International Football
TOKYO 2020 QUALIFIERS: OLYMPIC EAGLES SET TO AVENGE FOR SUPER FALCONS
Affliction shall not come a second time. That seems to be the refrain echoing in the minds of Nigeria’s U23 players as they brace up for the final challenge to get the ticket for the football event of the 2020 Olympics.
The qualifying tournament is the CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations this weekend in Egypt. Nigeria’s first match will be a West African derby with Cote d’Ivoire. The encounter on Saturday at the Al -Salam Stadium, Cairo is grudge-laden.
Cote d’Ivoire eliminated the Nigerian Women’s team from the qualifying series for the Tokyo 2020. Nigeria will want to avoid double jeopardy from Cote d’Ivoire.
According to a media statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Nigeria’s U23 boys have intensified final preparations and have high expectations of picking the three points against Cote d’Ivoire in the Group B opening game.
The NFF statement further pointed out that the head coach, Imama Amapakabo is delighted with the output of his wards at training sessions, which have been holding at the training pitch of the Mercure Hotel in Ismailia since the team arrived on Thursday evening.
“The players have been working very hard and that is a positive point. They are looking forward to the tournament with a lot of enthusiasm and confidence.
“We are also happy to have most of the Europe-based squad members with us already. That allows time for good planning, bonding and team building.”
Midfield ace Kelechi Nwakali was the first overseas-based player in the team camp (he joined before the team left Nigeria), and he has since been joined by the likes of Tom Dele-Bashiru, Sincere Seth, Muyiwa Olabiran, Orji Okwonkwo, Valentine Ozornwafor, Anthony Izuchukwu, Bright Enobakhare, Sunday Faleye and Aliyu Yau Adam.
Reigning champions Nigeria head Group B and will confront Cote d’Ivoire’s U23 squad at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Saturday afternoon, before further matches against Zambia next week Tuesday and South Africa three days later at the same venue.
The Olympic Eagles are expected to depart Ismailia to their Novotel Hotel base in Cairo on Thursday.
Team captain Azubuike Okechukwu, defenders Bitok Stephen and Josiah Chukwudi and forward Taiwo Awoniyi are the only players still expected in the team camp, and will arrive before the departure to Cairo.
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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