International Football
Breakthrough! Nigerian soccer joins video game big league as local stars get avatars
A sports fan and computer coder, Nigerian Victor Daniel became adept at soccer video games at university.
But he grew frustrated that they showcased clubs and players from across Europe but not the stars and strips of his native country.
Three years of tinkering and hundreds of lines of code later he remedied that omission, launching what he believes is the first African soccer game – Vikseen Virtual.
It’s a modified version of Japanese game-maker Konami’s copyright-free blockbuster simulation Pro Evolution Soccer, and features 50 clubs and more than 1,400 players from Nigeria’s top leagues.
Though Daniel’s modification has only been downloaded a few dozen times since he launched it in May, it’s already won plaudits on the pitch and on the sofa.
Harrison Austin, a footballer at Ikorodu City FC, a second-tier professional club in Lagos state, said having his own digital avatar could boost his chances of being scouted.
On the sidelines of a training session, Ikorodu City FC owner Oluwatoyin Gafar said Vikseen Virtual would help promote the club.
“It is going to increase funding, it is going to increase the followership, and it is going to create additional awareness,” Gafar said.
Another fan is Lagos gamer Udom Ukeme.
“I like the game because it is my nation’s game. I can see people that I know inside the game,” he said as he and a friend sat on a stripy sofa in his sitting room, smashing the buttons of a video game controller.
Daniel hopes to broaden Vikseen Virtual’s appeal further by introducing teams from across the continent, and including African music and commentators
-Reuters
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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