International Football
Tunisian who handled Nigeria’s home loss to South Africa to referee Super Eagles’ Qatar 2022 match with Liberia
Youssef Essrayri of Tunisia who handled Nigeria’s shock home loss to South Africa in a 10 June 2017 Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifiers has been assigned to referee the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifying match against Liberia in Morocco next week.
He also handled the controversial Enyimba versus Raja Casablanca of Morocco 2018 CAF Confederation Cup match in Aba.
He has officiated two World Cup qualifying matches in the 2018 series, the first being an away 1-0 win of Cote d’Ivoire over Liberia in November 2015 and the 2-0 defeat of Cape Verde last October.
Essrayri who became an international referee 10 years ago will be the referee for the Day 5 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Lone Star of Liberia taking place at the Grand Stade de Tangier in Morocco on Saturday, 13th November.
The match is a ‘home’ game for the Lone Star – reverse fixture of the Day 1 clash at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on 3rd September, which the Super Eagles won 2-0 thanks to a Kelechi Iheanacho brace.
Essrayri will be assisted by compatriots Aymen Ismail (assistant referee 1), Youssef Jami (assistant referee 2) and Mehrez Melki (fourth official) at the match that will begin at 5pm Morocco time (6pm Nigeria time).
Former FIFA referee Seli Zinko from Cote d’Ivoire will be referee assessor while Sullay Kamara from Sierra Leone will be match commissioner. Dr Bilal Mohamed Rida, Moroccan, will serve as medical officer.
For the Day 6 clash against Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Tuesday, 16th November, FIFA has listed Algerian official Mustapha Ghorbal as referee. He will be assisted by compatriots Mokrane Gourari (assistant referee 1), Abbes Akram Zerhouni (assistant referee 2) and Lahlou Benbraham (fourth official).
Ivorian Nomandiez Doue, another former FIFA referee, will serve as referee assessor with Sierra Leonean Prince Kai Saquee as match commissioner. The medical officer will be Dr Abdulrahim Onimisi Ozi Salami of Nigeria.
The Nigeria/Cape Verde clash will kick off at 5pm.
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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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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