International Football
Nigeria begin another Ghana challenge today
The hitherto latent football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana have recently be reignited as both countries are set to clash again in the WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana today.
This is looks like a follow-up to the clash at the World Cup play-off and the U20 tournament that recently ended in Niger Republic where Nigeria overthrew Ghana, the defending champions.
While Nigeria excelled by picking a ticket for the India 2022 Women’s U17 World Cup, Ghana were stopped by Morocco.
The battle ground has now shifted to the U17 men’s tournament. According to CAF, the Ghanaian football authorities say they are ready to host the sub-region as the WAFU B U17 Championship which begins in the country this Saturday.
A mouth-watering clash is on the cards as the host nation will play their arch-rivals Nigeria in the opening match of the seven-team competition.
The coastal city of Cape Coast is the venue for the tournament of the West African Football Union WAFU (Zone B) with countries vying for honours.
Matches have been scheduled for the Cape Coast Stadium and Ndoum Stadium and organisers are pleased with the preparation for the two-week event.
“We are delighted over how Ghana has prepared to host our U17 boys in the tournament that is expected to hone their talents for the future,” WAFU B President Kurt Okraku told Cafonline.com on Friday.
“The stadiums, training pitches, medical and accommodation are all at the highest standards to ensure we have a fruitful competition for all the teams playing in the tournament.
“With this we expect the players from all the seven countries to give off their best and to show that the best footballers and football is indeed from our region.”
WAFU B Executive Director Boureima Balima revealed that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has been apt with preparation, giving the regional body the opportunity to deliver a very good tournament.
“Since we arrived, the cooperation with the LOC has been very professional which has given us the chance to mainly focus on delivering the best organisation for the players to excel,” Balima told Cafonline.com
“We have been setting some of the best standards in Africa and we want to continue to by delivering the best organisation for the team to focus on playing football.
“These players are the future of African football and we will give them the platform to demonstrate that.”
Five–time world champions Nigeria will be seeking to establish their credentials when they start their campaign on Saturday with their clash with two-time winners Ghana.
Interestingly, the Golden Eaglets are coached by Nduka Ugbade, who captained the Nigeria squad that won the country’s first of five world titles.
Ugbade is confident they can triumph from Group A where they face the hosts and Togo.
“I am happy with the squad that we have been able to come up with, and I can say confidently that we are in Ghana to make the nation proud,” Ugbade said.
“Our primary objective is to earn a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations, and then we go full throttle for the trophy.
“Nigeria has a pedigree in U-17 football and we cannot afford to disappoint.”
Cote d’Ivoire will play in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger with the two two sides in each group progressing to the semi-finals.
The two finalists from the competition will feature at the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Algeria early next year.
All four semi finalists in that continental tournament to be played in Algeria will qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Peru.
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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