International Football
Morocco sing and dance their way into WAFCON quarter final
There was naturally a jovial, festive atmosphere amongst Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses after their 1-0 victory against Senegal which ensured they qualified for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations top of Group A.
Morocco won all three of their group matches at the partisan Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex and with Rain music blaring in the background they were in a singing and dancing mood as they spoke to journalists after the Senegal match.
“We are better than them, class and prestige,” was the gist of the song they sang in jest at their opponents in general, after Ghislane Chebbak’s penalty gave Morocco a tight win against Senegal.
One of the oldest members of the Moroccan team, Najat Badri, said qualification to the quarter finals and first place in their group was well deserved.
“The quarter-final will not be easy, but it is important for us to win this game. We are 90 minutes away from Morocco’s historic World Cup qualification. It would be great for the players, the federation, the whole country. We will do everything for that and to win the title. The cup must stay at home,” said Badri.
Striker Imane Saoud was happy with the positive way the team achieved progressed to the quarter finals with maximum points.
“It was our goal to win all three games, that’s what the group wanted. Now we will focus on the quarter-finals. We have four days to work well. I prefer to live in the present moment and savour it. We’ll see what happens after the next 90 minutes, but I’m pretty confident,” said Saoud.
Morocco will have to wait a little longer before finding out who their opponents will be in their quarter final, which will take place on Wednesday July 13 at 21h00 at Rabat’s Moulay Abdellah sports Complex.
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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