International Football
Uyo Battle: Cameroon’s Discards FIFA Confederations Cup Squad
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Most of the 23 players that represented Cameroon at the FIFA Confederations Cup in June are conspicuously omitted in the 23 man list just released ahead of the back-to-back World Cup qualifying fixtures with Nigeria.
In the list released by Belgian coach, Hugo Broos, only eight of the 23 players that Cameroon took to the ‘Festival of Champions’ two months ago are listed in the squad that will face the Super Eagles in Uyo on Friday and then in Yaoundé next week Monday.
The eight include Joseph Fabrice Ondoa Ebogo, a goalkeeper with Spanish side, FC Seville. He was in goal two years ago when Nigeria beat Cameroon 3-0 in Vise in Belgium, the home country of Coach Hugo Broos.
Also in the list among the FIFA Confederations Cup players is Bokwe Georges, a goalkeeper who plays for Norwegian side, Mjondalen. Even though he got his first call-up in the days leading to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, he is yet to taste action.
Teikeu Adolphe of French Ligue 2 side, Sochaux, was one of the players that celebrated birthday during the Confederations Cup in Russia. Ernest Mabouka who places Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli league is yet another of the few Confederations Cup players recalled. He would at one point or the other crossed path with Super Eagles’ Anthony Nwakaeme who is given his first call up. He plays for Hapoel Be’er Sheva in the Israeli Premier League.
The other Confederations Cup players called up are Siani Sébastien of Belgian side, KV Oostende; Christian Bassogog of China Super League side, Henan Jianye and Toko Ekambi Karl of FC Angers in France.
The full list runs thus:
- Ondoa Frabrice (FC Seville, Spain)
- Goda Jules (AC Ajaccio, France)
- Bokwe Georges (Mjondalen, Norway)
- Ngadeu Ngadjui Michael (Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)
- Teikeu Adolphe (Sochaux, France)
- Mabouka Ernest (Maccabi Haifa, Israel)
- Castelletto Jean Charles (Brest, France)
- Leuko Serge (CD Lugo, Spain)
- Fai Collins (Liège Standard, Belgium)
- Banana Yaya (Panionios, Greece)
- Nouhou Tolo (Seattle Sounders, USA)
- Djoum Suitchuin Giles Arnaud (Hearts, Scotland)
- Mandjeck Georges (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic)
- Siani Sébastien (KV Oostende, Belgium)
- Franck Zambo Anguissa (Marseille, France)
- Choupo Moting (Stoke City, England)
- Aboubakar Vincent (FC Porto, Portugal)
- Moukandjo Benjamin (Jiansung, China)
- Bassogog Christian (Henan Jianye, China)
- Toko Ekambi Karl (FC Angers, France)
- Nsame Jean Pierre (Young Boys, Switzerland)
- Moumi Ngamaleu (Rheinorf, Austria)
- Fabrice Olinga (Royal Mouscron, Belgium)
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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