International Football
Cameroon Players Opt Out of Squad, Coach Alters List
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Cameroon’s Belgian coach, Hugo Broos, had to revise his list many times before it was finally released last Friday.
Before then, the Cameroonian media had attributed many lists to him. Prominent in the various lists peddled then was Andre Onana, a goalkeeper of Ajax Amsterdam.
He is a former Cameroon youth international and a cousin to Cameroon’s first choice goalkeeper, Frabrice Ondoa. He was named in the squad that played France in a friendly match last year May but only debuted in a 2-1 defeat of Gabon in a friendly match last September.
Sports Village Square reports that his name was conspicuously missing in the 23-man squad announced to face Nigeria prompting local media to raise questions. André Onana, according to Coach Broos, asked via telephone to be excused from the matches with Nigeria.
Consequently, the Belgian coach had to replace him with Goda Jules who plays for AC Ajaccio in the same French region where Super Eagles trained last May.
Andre Onana was not the only player that pulled out of the squad. Coach Broos was also disappointed by the Jérôme Guihoata and Lucien Owona, leading to the coach having trouble in choosing his defenders.
The coach therefore had to settle for Nouhou Tolo a 20 year old who is 1.78 metres tall.
He will be operating from the left rear. He plays for Seattle Sounders in the United States. Another late call up is the 24-year old home based Frantz Pangop who has been called up to replace Toko Ekambi Karl of FC Angers in France who was number 20 in the 23-man list released on Friday by Coach Broos.
But by the weekend, he too pulled out. Frantz Pangop plays for Union Douala as striker and was part of the Intermediate Lions team that qualified for the African Nations Cup Championships earlier this month.
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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