International Football
Qatar braces for World Cup influx
A gleaming white World Cup stadium looms large at the end of the street in the quiet suburban neighbourhood of Al Thumama.
In three weeks, tens of thousands of soccer fans will file past the tidy villas, mosques and shops that line the route to the stadium due to host eight matches during the tournament.
On Tuesday, the quarter was bracing itself for the Nov. 20 kickoff of the World Cup: crowd control barriers on sidewalks, portable toilets beside houses and heightened home security.
“We have to be careful. We have to secure our houses…all the year we leave our front doors open. So for one month now, okay we will close it,” said resident Ahmed Al Kuwari.
Qataris, used to living in one of the world’s safest states, are increasingly concerned about potential vandalism, theft and unruly behaviour when some 1.2 million visitors descend on the tiny nation, which has a population of 3 million.
“Curiosity may spark and maybe people would just wander into villas…anything can happen,” said Sara Al Ansari, a Qatari lecturer whose family and friends have installed security cameras, concerned about their valuables.
Other changes were evident in the capital Doha on Tuesday when temporary measures for the World Cup took effect including altering traffic flows in and around the city.
A major thoroughfare along the seafront corniche closed and will be shut until after the tournament ends on Dec. 18. Workers are transforming it into a 6km (3.73 mile) long fan zone.
Traffic flow will be especially critical during the event’s group stage when four matches will be played each day at stadiums around Doha. Organisers, in an unprecedented World Cup promise, say fans can take in multiple games on the same day.
In an effort to reduce cars on the roads, the government ordered 80% of its employees to start working from home as of Tuesday. Schools will reduce hours for the next two weeks before shutting for the entire tournament, frustrating working parents.
“The little ones will just be having a party and will be driving us nuts,” said a Qatar-based parenting blogger.
“It’s going be challenging for sure, especially for families with both parents working,” added the blogger, opting to remain anonymous to avoid any trouble for openly airing frustrations.
-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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