International Football
Three days to crucial World Cup tie, Ighalo still absent
Returnee, Odion Ighalo is the only invited player yet to report to the Super Eagles camp in Tangier for Saturday’s crucial match with Liberia.
The match is crucial as Nigeria may eternally pick the group’s ticket if they beat Liberia and if Cape Verde fail to beat Central African Republic in the Matchday 5 series.
Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, who took over from the internationally retired Ighalo joined the rest of the team on Wednesday.
It is not known yet if Ighalo has declined the last minute invitation. It was in similar vein 40 years ago that the last stage of Nigeria’s qualifying games for Spain ’82 was bungled when already retired Christian Chukwu was brought back and array of four other offshore players – Andrew Atuegbu, Thompson Usiyan, Christian Nwokocha and Tunji Banjo – were brought in, leading to the destabilization of equilibrium in the squad.
Nigeria lost the 10 October 1981 match in Lagos before losing the return leg match in Constantine.
The arrival of Osimhen Wednesday morning according to the official Instagram page of Super Eagles increased the number of players in camp to 22.
For Osimhen, who was part of Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Verona last weekend, in a short video clip posted on the team’s official page joined the rest in the gym and was part of the full training.
It was reliably gathered that should Ighalo fail to report to camp as expected, Gernot Rohr is set to retain the attacking formation of former Eaglets World Cup winning duo of Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho in the starting lineup while the former U-17 World Cup winner is already set to team up with Paul Onuachu as the back-up or late substitution
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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