International Football
To Be or Not To Be? Neymar’s Saga Keeps Swinging
Nothing is certain yet regarding the status of Neymar in the coming football season. Virtually every hour, a new riddle is added to the saga. At one point, it appeared the switch from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain was a done deal.
At another point, Neymar was reported to have buckled under pressure from team-mate friends, especially the highly influential Lionel Messi. In fact, Gerard Pique, defender and husband to popular music icon, Shakira, took to his twitter handle and tweeted: “He stays.”
Neymar was reported to have given a condition to stay, which was the signing on of his fellow Brazilian, Coutinho, a condition that Barcelona was also reported to be pursuing vigorously.
But all that seem far from the true situation. Yet the 25 year old Neymar has refused to make a public statement on the state of his status. So, conflicting reports keep coming from Brazil, Spain and France.
The forward was heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, and that looked quite probable. Yet sources at Globo Esporte have been made to understand that a switch is no longer on the cards.
Neymar, who was thought to be convinced to leave the Camp Nou for France, has had his head turned by his closest friends on the team.
His father has since approached Barcelona for a new and improved contract for his son, but the Spanish side has responded by informing the player’s camp that a wage hike – more so the sum demanded – is not possible due to the delicate financial situation at the club.
Pique seemed to erase all doubt regarding a move for his teammate after posting a photo on social media on Sunday that was believed to have signalled the end of Neymar’s Barcelona career.
However, Globo report that the Brazilian had absolutely no knowledge of it until it was actually posted.
The relationship between the two players, though, hasn’t changed. But persons in Neymar’s camp are understandably displeased.
Neymar is thought to have held talks with PSG’s Brazilian defenders Thiago Silva and Marquinhos over the move. And it is also believed that conversations with Dani Alves were the reason for the full-back choosing PSG over Manchester City because he was convinced that his compatriot would be coming to join him. The 25-year-old isn’t prepared to speak publicly on the matter, acting on advice from his father, but Pique is expected to clarify his actions when he sits down for an upcoming press conference.
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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