International Football
MANCHESTER UNITED LEGEND RYAN GIGGS NOW WALES’ COACH
Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs was on Monday named the been the new manager of the Wales national side on a four-year contract.
This comes in the wake of Chris Coleman stepping down and taking up the post as Sunderland boss after the Welsh failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
Giggs beat Coleman’s assistant Osian Roberts and former Wales internationals Craig Bellamy and Mark Bowen to the job, with the trio also being interviewed for the vacant post.
The ex-United man made 64 appearances for his country between 1991 and 2007, but was on the end of much criticism as a result of him making himself unavailable on a regular basis, especially for friendly fixtures.
He was the immediate favourite for the role when Coleman departed, however, and will now have a chance to prove his worth as a manager, having done so as a player in an illustrious career with the Red Devils.
Giggs was also a candidate for the Swansea job back in 2016, but lost out to Bob Bradley, who did not survive very long at the helm.
He will have some huge boots to fill on the international scene, though, with Coleman having become Wales’ most successful manager after leading the side to the semi-final stage of the Euros in 2016.
“I am so proud to have been given the honour of managing the national team,” Giggs said after the announcement was made.
“The challenges that we have ahead of us with the Nations League and qualification for UEFA Euro 2020 excite me a great deal. I can’t wait to start working with the players as we prepare for those crucial games later in the year.”
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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