International Football
NIGERIA TO RANK NUMBER 41 ON MONDAY; SET FOR POT 4 OF WORLD CUP DRAW
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
When the October 2017 FIFA ranking is released on Monday, Nigeria will be ranked number 41 in the world and fifth in Africa, Sports Village Square has calculated.
The October ranking is crucial as it will be exclusively used for the final draw of the World Cup which will hold on December 1 at State Kremlin Palace in Moscow Russia.
As at the moment, with the inclusion of Russia which even though will be 63rd in global ranking, but will be moved forward among the top eight seeds at the World Cup Draw, Nigeria will be number 19 in ranking among the 23 already qualified teams.
The situation will definitely change when some of the expected nine qualifiers are added next month. Of the nine expected World Cup teams, four are expected from Europe as eight will be drawn into straight knockout fixture on Tuesday.
Of the eight European teams struggling for qualification, Nigeria will be ahead of on Greece in the FIFA ranking to be released on Monday.
The effect of this is that Nigeria will be pushed three or four steps down the ranking ladder by the time the four new European qualifiers emerge.
The other seven European aspirants that are ahead in ranking to Nigeria are Switzerland (to rank 11), Italy (15), Denmark (16), Croatia (19), Northern Ireland (23), Sweden (25) and Ireland (26).
From the current 19th ranking among the World Cup qualifiers which will certainly go to 23 or 24 when four more qualifiers emerge from Europe, further threat to Nigeria’s position also come from Africa where either Tunisia (to be ranked 28th on Monday) or Congo DR (to be FIFA ranked as 35) will emerge from Group A.
Senegal which is set to pick the Africa Group D ticket will also be ranked 32 on Monday thus also pushing Nigeria down in World Cup Draw ranking.
Qualification of either Morocco or Cote d’Ivoire will not affect Nigeria’s position in the overall ranking of qualified teams.
As it is, based on the 23 qualifiers so far, Nigeria will temporarily be in Pot 3, but Pot 4 is the ultimate destination.
Only the Pot 1 is completely established and not open to changes. Those to be there are hosts, Russia, defending champions, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and France.
Teams in the same pot will not meet in the group stage of the World Cup.
The Pot 2 potentially has England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Iceland, Costa Rica and Egypt. Changes are expected in this pot as Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Croatia, Northern Ireland, Sweden and Ireland are potential entrants who are currently involved in European play offs.
They will know their opponents on Tuesday when a play off draw will be made at the FIFA headquarters.
Most likely to be in the Pot 4 when all the 32 teams must have emerged next month are: Nigeria, Iran, Serbia, Japan, Panama, Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia.
Significantly, of the 23 teams already assured of a place in the 2018 World Cup, the host country, Russia is the least ranked.
RANKING OF THE WORLD CUP 2018 QUALIFIED TEAMS
1st. Germany
2nd. Brazil
3rd. Portugal
4th. Argentina
5th. Belgium
6th. Poland
7th. France
8th. Spain
12th. England
13th. Colombia
17th. Mexico
18th. Uruguay
21st. Iceland
22nd. Costa Rica
31st. Egypt
34th Iran
38th. Serbia
41st. Nigeria
44th. Japan
49th. Panama
60th. South Korea
61st. Saudi Arabia
63rd. Russia
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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