International Football
QATAR 2022 THROWS UP INTRIGUING QUALIFYING FIXTURES
BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE
The Super Eagles’ journey to a seventh FIFA World Cup finals kicks off in October with a home fixture against Liberia, while Cape Verde Islands will host Central African Republic. These sides were placed in Group C of Africa’s second round qualifiers for Qatar 2022 tickets in the draw held in Cairo.
Forty teams were drawn into 10 groups, but only one country per group will reach the last qualifying round where Africa’s five representatives for Qatar 2022 will emerge.
Going by current rankings and pedigree in international competitions, Nigeria have an easy group in theory. Thirty-first in the world and third in Africa, no other team in the group come close to the Super Eagles.
Cape Verde are in 78th spot in global standing (16th in Africa), while Central African Republic are 26th in the continent and 109th in the world.
Liberia are the lowest rated in the group – 44th in Africa and 152nd in the world.
Unlike the other teams in the Group C, none of which have ever advanced to the final qualifying round in the continent, Nigeria have missed only one FIFA World Cup finals (Germany 2006) since their debut at the global tournament in 1994.
Nigeria and Cape Verde have never met in a competitive game. A friendly match on January 9, 2013 ended goalless. It was a warm-up for that year’s Africa Cup of Nations, which the Super Eagles won in South Africa,
While the Central African Republic will be engaging their Nigerian counterparts for the first time on the road to Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, Liberia had fallen victims to their West African “big brother” on two occasions in FIFA World Cup qualification.
For the 1986 tournament, which Nigeria would fail to qualify, the then Green Eagles stopped the Lone Star of Liberia 4-0 in the first round, winning both legs 3-0 in Lagos and 1-0 in Monrovia.
And on the road to sealing their third FIFA World Cup participation in 2002, Nigeria were in Group B of the second round qualifiers with Liberia, losing 1-2 in Monrovia and winning 2-0 in Port Harcourt.
Nigeria won the group to go through with just a point over Liberia. Sudan, Ghana and Sierra Leone finished behind the duo in that order.
At Mali 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria and Liberia were in Group A with the host nation. Julius Aghahowa’s 63rd minute goal won the last group match against Liberia, which ensured that the Super Eagles topped the group.
The qualifiers for AFCON 2013 also brought Nigeria and Liberia together; their paths crossing in the second round. Nigeria returned from Monrovia with a 2-2 outcome and wrapped up the tie 6-1 at home to progress 8-3 aggregate.
The Super Eagles recent results have given their compatriots hope of advancing from Group C. Their last two matches in the qualifiers for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations saw the Super Eagles winning at home (2-1 against Benin Republic) and 4-2 in Lesotho.
Other highlights of the draw include the disappointment that at least two of the continent’s past representatives at FIFA World Cup will miss the next edition in Qatar.
Due to their low rating and the lottery of the draw, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and the Ivorien Elephants, as well as the Black Stars of Ghana and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana find themselves in the same groups.
In Group D are Cameroon, Africa’s record qualifiers for the global tournament, who have been to the finals seven times. They also have the honour of being the first African team to reach the quarterfinals in 1990.
The Ivorien, on their part, qualified three times.
Both teams, who will now go head-to-head for the sole ticket in Group D, will attempt to redeem themselves after failing to qualify for the last edition in Russia.
For the Black Stars of Ghana, who recently fired and hired their coaching crew, the main hurdle in Group G are South Africa.
Ghana have featured in three finals, including at South Africa 2010 where they missed the semifinals when a last minute goal-line handball by Luis Suarez ensured that Uruguay survived at the expense of the last African team standing.
Apart from playing as hosts in 2010, South Africa also qualified for 1998 and 2002 editions.
The second round of Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Africa starts in October and will be concluded in the same month a year later. The third and final round will then hold between November 8 and 16, 2021 in a two-legged knockout format.
Here are the pairings for the second round of 2022 FIFA World Cup (Africa draw):
Group A: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Djibouti
Group B: Tunisia, Zambia, Mauritania, Equatorial Guinea
Group C: Nigeria, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Liberia
Group D: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Malawi
Group E: Mali, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda
Group F: Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Angola
Group G: Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia
Group H: Senegal, Congo Republic, Namibia, Togo
Group I: Morocco, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
Group J: DR Congo, Benin Republic, Madagascar, Tanzania
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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