International Football
MESSI WANTS HIGUAIN BACK IN ARGENTINA’S WORLD CUP SQUAD
BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA.
Argentina’s captain, Lionel Messi, has joined the President of Argentina Football Association, Claudio Tapai in drumming support for the recall of Juventus’ hit-man, Gonzalo Higuain to the Argentina national team ahead of the 2018 World Cup in which the team will face Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria in Group D.
The outcome of the last match played by Argentina last month has sent signals to concerned Argentines that the national team needed more than just having Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi as the main stars of the team.
Among those to have been disappointed is the legendary Diego Maradona, who wants Coach Jorge Sampaoli sacked for him.
The Argentines, the two-time World Cup champions, playing without Messi and also with Aguero playing just the first half, crumbled miserably 2-4 to a turbo-charged Super Eagles of Nigeria. An encore of the duel is expected when both meet again on June 26 in the World Cup.
The recall of Higuain lies solely on Sampaoli, the coach. Higuain, a former Real Madrid star who now features for Juventus has been sidelined from the Argentina squad in the past seven matches. He was in action when Nigeria clashed with Argentina during the 2010 and 2014 World Cup editions.
Messi told Argentine publication, TyC Sports that Sampaoli should reconsider his position on Higuain.
“For me he is one of the best number nines in the world. He demonstrates this every weekend at Juventus but does not play the same with Argentina
“I believe that this period without the national team did him good. We spoke about it through messages; it was a good thing that he had this period of absence. But he must be in the squad.”
Higuaín has tallied 31 goals in 69 appearances for the Argentinean national team, and has faced the Super Eagles three times, scoring one goal and providing an assist.
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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