International Football
Cameroon Focus on Moses, Tip Bassogog to Counter Him
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The arrival of Victor Moses into the Super Eagles’ camp is sending jitters into the Cameroon fold. A Cameroonian journalist who is apparently in Nigeria anchored his story on Tuesday’s publication in Nigeria’s newspaper, Sporting Sun which announced the arrival of the Chelsea star.
That prompted the Cameroon web to go into analysis of a possible star war of Victor Moses and Cameroon’s Christian Bassogog who plays for China’s Henan Jianye.
According information gathered by Sports Village Square from the Cameroon publication, Victor Moses is as well celebrated by the Nigerian press and the public.
Continuing, Cameroon web remarked that some supporters practically worship Victor Moses. According to cameroun-info.net, a Nigerian supporter, Achibong Essien remarked:”I do not currently see any African player who has the level of Victor Moses.
“He is a world class striker. With his arrival, we are pretty sure that Nigeria will win against Cameroon”.
The Cameroonians are looking forward to a confrontation of Moses and their own star man, Christian Bassogog as players likely to shape the outcome of Friday’s match.
The Cameroenweb partly attributed Nigeria’s home loss to South Africa to the absence of Moses and recalled his brace against Algeria last November. But the publication feels that what Moses can do, Bassogog could also do.
It recalled Bassogog’s brilliance at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon where he was named the best player.
His goal against Ghana in the semi-finals of the CAN makes is evergreen. The former Aalborg striker is also making an incredible season in China having scored seven goals and making six assists.
He is therefore the striker Cameroon is looking up to assist the better known Vincent Aboubakar in delivering possible goals.
“We have to beat Nigeria if we want to stay alive in these qualifications and we will have to take the game on our own and beat them,” Bassogog was quoted by FIFA.com as saying.
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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