International Football
IT’S REVENGE TIME FOR EAGLES AGAINST ARGENTINA, SAYS PETER RUFAI
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
Former Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, who picked the ball from the net in what turned to be the 1,500th goal in World Cup history when Argentina’s Claudio Caniggia connected a Diego Maradona’s free kick to put score line at 1-1 before getting the winner minutes later, has urged the current class of Super Eagles to avenge the USA ’94 defeat and also the subsequent three other losses to the South American giants.
Rufai was a member of the squad that is famously referred to as the golden generation of the Nigerian team. He told Sports Village Square that the time has come for the Super Eagles to put an end to the recurring defeats from Argentina in the World Cup.
- Peter Rufai as captain of the Super Eagles shakes hand with Diego Maradona in Nigeria’s first encounter with Argentina at the USA ’94 World Cup.
All past four encounters with the Argentina had been lost by the odd goal. In 1994, it was 2-1 after Samson Siasia had shot Nigeria ahead in the eighth minute. In 2002, a Gabriel Batistuta 63rd minute goal earned Argentina a 1-0 win which was followed by similar score line in 2010.
A more spirited effort was made in 2014 in Brazil, but Nigeria still lost 2-3. Rufai has urged the current squad to avenge for the previous squads, point out that the recent 4-2 defeat of Argentina is a pointer that Nigeria can beat Argentina in a competitive setting.
He however said that the team should remember that Argentina is not the only opposition in Group D. “Before Argentina, they have to sort out Croatia and Iceland”, said Peter Rufai.
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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