International Football
Africa’s Road to South Korea 2017 Begins
From Eric Asomugha, Lusaka, Zambia.
As battle for places at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea gets under way on Sunday, Zambia will take on Guinea in the opener of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in an encounter that recalls past rivalries of the duo.
Since the introduction of a final tournament by CAF in 1991, which is played by eight teams, Zambia and Guinea have only met twice.
Sunday’s encounter will therefore be their third clash in the age-graded tournament.
In 1995 tournament hosted by Nigeria, Zambia and Guinea played a 2-2 draw. And both teams failed to qualify from their group, finishing third and fourth respectively.
Four years later in the finals staged in Ghana, Zambia thrashed Guinea 6-2 in their second ever meet. Zambia did qualify from the group but lost 3-1 to host Ghana in the semi-finals.
But this time around, Zambia as the hosts will hope to avenge that defeat and use it as spring board for a perfect outing.
Matches of the tournament are double-header in nature. Hence, Egypt and Mali take to the stage after the opening match.
It will be the sixth encounter in the tournament’s history. Both met twice in 1989 before the introduction of a final tournament with Egypt losing 0-2 to Mali in the first leg in Bamako before retaliating in the second leg in Cairo to qualify to the next stage.
In 2003 tournament hosted by Burkina Faso, Egypt defeated Mali 1-0 in the semi-finals. In 2011, Mali beat Egypt 1-0 in the group stage. Egyptians took revenge to upset Mali 1-0 in the semi-finals of that tournament hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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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