International Football
Bayelsa Queens have their fate in their hands
In few hours time at the Prince Herities Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, the Bayelsa Queens will engage Egypt’s Wadi Delga in the final matchday of Group B of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
A possible win is all they desire to get into the semi finals along with possible group leaders and defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.
But the group could turn into a Greek puzzle that could lead to employment of tie-breaker. Arithmetically, three teams could finish on six points each if Congo’s Mazembe should beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Bayelsa Queens beat Egypt’s Wadi Delga.
The 5-0 defeat of Wadi Delga by Mamelodi Sundowns comes handy for the South Africans who are likely going to have the edge on goal difference to move ahead.
On this account, Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens will need to go for the goals to avert a possible elimination on account of goal difference in the unlikely event of Mazembe beating Sundowns by three goals or more.
Although the encounter is a first clash of Wadi Degla and Bayelsa Queens, the Egyptians on home soil faces Rivers Angels last year.
Wadi Degla face West African opponents for a second time at the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 in their final group game, a must win clash saw them come up against Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana the game ended 2-2 despite Wadi Degla twice leading.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian champions began with a 2-1 loss to defending Champions Mamelodi Sundowns, they bounced back to win their next game against TP Mazembe 2-0.
In winning their second game after losing their opening game at the CAF WCL Finals Bayelsa Queens became the fourth side after Malabo Kings and Vihiga Queens in 2021, as well as Simba Queens at the current finals, to lose their opening game and then win their second game.
Progression to the next round will seen Bayelsa Queens become the first team from Nigeria to reach the last four, their counterparts Rivers Angels exited the 2021 tournament at the group stages.
Should Bayelsa Queens reach the Semi-finals they will become the second team from West Africa to do so along with the Ghanaian club Hasaacas Ladies, who ended as runners up in 2021.
If Bayelsa Queens do not reach the last four it will be for the first time that there will be no West African representative in the Semi-finals at the CAF WCL.
Should Bayelsa Queens reach the last four they will emulate the performance of the Nigerian national women’s national team, who made it to the last four of the recent 2022 WAFCON which was held in Morocco in July.
A win for Bayelsa Queens will see them become the first Nigerian team at the CAF WCL to win two games.
All five games involving Nigerian clubs at the CAF WCL have ended with a winner, none of the five games at the finals with either Rivers Angels or Bayelsa Queens has ended in a draw.
Of the five games involving Nigerian clubs at the CAF WCL in four of these games has the winning team kept a clean sheet, only in Bayelsa Queens 2-1 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies at the current competition has both teams managed to score.
Bayelsa Queens are the first Nigerian team to score in successive games at the CAF WCL, Rivers Angels failed to do so in their first two group games in 2021 losses to AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. Before winning their final game 4-0 against Vihiga Queens.
Should they keep a clean-sheet Bayelsa Queens will be the first team from West Africa to keep two clean-sheets at the CAF WCL Finals, in 2021 between the three WAFU representatives they kept just two clean-sheets.
Ogoma Josephs who converted a penalty to open the scoring for Bayelsa Queens against TP Mazembe in their last game, had 89 touches of the ball more than any of her teammates.
Grace Igboamalu scorer of Bayelsa Queens second goal in the win over TP Mazembe attempted six shots on target in the game, with all six shots being on target.
In their win over TP Mazembe – Bayelsa Queens completed 397 passes to their opponents 297 passes, making a 100 passes more.
Bayelsa Queens made 272 of their 397 passes against TP Mazembe in their opponents half.
Against TP Mazembe the Nigerian club had a game high 97 final third entries.
Bayelsa Goalkeeper Ange Bawou made four saves from the four shot she faced in the win against TP Mazembe.
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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International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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