International Football
Zambia in Dilema Over Veteran Kalaba and Sinkala
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Zambian officials have not yet decided whether two of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations heroes, Rainford Kalaba and Nathan Sinkala, will be included in the point-hunting squad being assembled to face table-toppers, Nigeria in next weekend’s make or mar World Cup qualifiers.
Sports Village Square has information that the duo will only know their fate this Friday ahead of the Sunday departure of the squad to Ghana for camping.
Zambia coach, Wedson Nyirenda is expected to name his final squad at Football House for the decisive clash in Uyo next weekend. Already some of Zambia’s well-known players have been forced out of the squad. These are Fwayo Tembo, Clatus Chama and Billy Mutale. Sports Village Square gathered that there had been public outcry over the ‘retirement’ of these players.
It is also gathered that since the back-to-back wins over Algeria early this month, Coach Nyirenda has been very outspoken and seem to enjoy the confidence of his employers.
“Apart from the veteran Kondwani Mtonga, Nyirenda has Donashamo Malama as his plan B while Green Buffaloes’ Jackson Chirwa was omitted from the previous squad”, a Zambian report revealed.
The report continues: “That leaves Sinkala as the only readymade option to anchor the engine room. Sinkala last played for Zambia a year ago. His chances of a possible recall are rated 1/5.
“Kalaba’s inclusion in the team could be a welcome boast but there’s a tone from Nyirenda that he is rebuilding a new team and wants to do away with players with ego”.
Hard-fighting Collins Mbesuma who scored Zambia’s only goal in the 2-1 loss to Nigeria last year has been discarded. He also scored the goal in the 1-1 draw with Cameroon last month. Also ignored in the Zambian selection are Fwayo and Clatus Chama. Chisamba Lungu is confined to the reserve bench.
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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