International Football
Battle of Uyo: Injury Set Back for Chipolopolo
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Zambia’s Chipolopolo whose camping begins this Sunday in Ghana for an all-important World Cup qualifying match with Nigeria on Saturday have suffered injury blows.
Sports Village Square gathers that Brian Mwila, the 24 year old Platinum Stars’ striker whose two goals against Algeria in Lusaka last month put Zambia’s World Cup hopes back on track has been down with injury and has to be dropped.
Mwila opened scoring for Zambia in the sixth minute of the match against Algeria in Lusaka and doubled the lead 24 minutes later to put Chipolopolo on track.
He has been in terrific form for Zambia since making his debut against Gabon in a friendly match and has gone on to score seven times in eight games making him the Chipolopolo’s leading scorer this year.
He was reportedly injured in the 3-1 defeat of Algeria in Lusaka. So severe was the injury that he could not make it to the return leg.
According to Lusaka Times, the Chipolopolo team doctor, George Magwende ruled him out of the crucial match with Nigeria.
“Brian (Mwila) will not be part of the team as he had a recurrence of the injury he suffered during the Algeria game. It is best to give him time to fully recover,” he said.
Added to the injury of the budding star is that of Belgium based midfielder, Emmanuel Banda Jnr who debuted in the rare away win against Algeria last month. He is also ruled out of the Battle of Uyo. Team Doctor George Magwende told Fazfootball.com that Belgium based Emmanuel Banda had also been ruled out due to injury.
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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