International Football
Mass Withdrawal hits Super Eagles’ camp ahead of back-to-back friendlies with Cameroon
This may not be best of time for Super eagles’ coach ahead of this month’s FIFA window friendly matches following the last minute withdrawal of some key players invited for the games against Austria and Cameroon.
As at Monday, Nigeria’s manager, Gernot Rohr told ESPN that seven of his players have withdrawn thus giving the him a major problem of inviting fresh players at the last minute for the proposed two-match encounters with the Africa Cup of Nations’ hosts.
Since the drawn match with Tunisia last October, the Super Eagles have maintained a five-match unbeaten run which could be under serious threat when they face four-time African champions, Cameroon later this week.
Cameroon has never beaten Nigeria in regulation and extra-time since 27 August 1989 – a run of almost 32 years.
Rohr is said to be afraid of the cancellation of the match against Cameroon because of player withdrawals.Out of the 24 players summoned for the outings in Austria on June 4 and 8, seven players have informed the national team coach of their inability to make the trip due to injuries.
Reports have it that the injured players are Victor Osimhen, Crotone’s Simy Nwankwo, Porto’s Zaidu Sanusi, West Brom’s Semi Ajayi, Fulham’s Ola Aina, Benfica’s Tyronne Ebuehi and Hoffenheim’s Kevin Akpoguma.
Rohr’s hopes of preparing the Super Eagles for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with this month’s friendlies now hinge on a selected few who are still in England otherwise the Cameroon friendly might be called off.
“I don’t know if they can cancel, I only know that I have a maximum of 18 players. If the players from England, William (Troost-Ekong), Kelechi, Ndidi and Iwobi can come, then maybe we play but I have no substitutes and there is no chance to get other players,” Rohr told ESPN.
“But if they cannot play because they have to go into quarantine, then we cannot make it.
“I think they made this friendly in Austria to give us a good condition for preparation, but I see that it is difficult to motivate the players to come to Europe because some of the players are in Nigeria already. And they have to come back to Europe to play.
“My problem now is that I hope that we will have 18 players to arrive.”
The German coach is yet to lose against Cameroon with the Super Eagles after three matches, but he is lamenting the depleted defence he has to manage even if the game goes as planned.
“We had nine defenders in the list. Six now are out,” he continued.
“They said they had some injuries and the doctors from the clubs said they need to rest because they have some pains. So we got some medical attestations from the teams.
“Ola Aina told me yesterday that his ankle is painful and he cannot make it and the club physio said he cannot play. Then we have (Kevin) Akpoguma, we knew already he is injured and cannot play.
“Victor Osimhen is injured. He sent us an attestation. The meniscus in his knee is painful.
“(Zaidu) Sanusi is injured. He was in Paris to see a doctor, for surgery perhaps but not for the moment. (Tyronne) Ebuehi sent us a message with a medical attestation that he cannot make it. And Semi Ajayi also says he has problems with his back and the Physio says he needs two weeks of rest.
Rohr tried late calls for RB Salzburg’s Samson Tijani and Midjtylland midfielder Frank Onyeka, but both players are also not available.
“I invited the player Tijani from Salzburg who has told me that he was injured in training yesterday… hamstring. And Frank Onyeka from Midjtylland, I called him but he cannot come either,” he said.
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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