International Football
Nigeria Swaps Position with Cameroon in FIFA Ranking
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It will be akin to motion without movement for Nigeria when FIFA monthly ranking is released on Thursday. Nigeria moves a step upward in Africa, taking the fifth position which is currently occupied by Cameroon which in turn drops to the sixth which up to the time the new ranking will be released is occupied by Nigeria.
Both teams met earlier this month in a back-to-back World Cup encounters in which Nigeria massively won one and drew the other. Before then, the Nigerian home-based team had beaten Benin 2-0 in an African Nations Championship qualifier after losing the first leg 0-1.
Added to that is the massive 4-0 defeat of Cameroon and a 1-1 draw in the return leg. But in spite of the two wins against Benin and Cameroon and a drawn outing in the Lions’ den in Yaoundé, Nigeria’s total point haul depreciated from 716 to 696.
Nigeria’s position could however improve if FIFA takes into consideration the WAFU Cup match played against Sierra Leone last Monday in Ghana.
The cause of drop in point haul is the depreciation of matches played four years ago which are no longer in consideration for the current rating. This will also affect other countries.
For instance, Egypt which will still retain its number one status in the continent has its total point haul drop from 866 to 815 while that of Congo DR currently second, but to drop to fourth position in Africa will have 709 points as against the current 822.
On Thursday, Tunisia, currently fourth will move to the second position while Senegal will retains its third position but will have 748 points as against the current 794.
The ranking of African teams will run thus:
- Egypt 815 points
- Tunisia 810 points
- Senegal 748 points
- Congo DR 709 points
- Nigeria 696 points
- Cameroon 689 points
- Burkina Faso 663 points
- Ghana 646 points
- Cote d’Ivoire 637 points
- Morocco 635 points
- Algeria 564 points
- South Africa 477 points
- Mali 464 points
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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