International Football
NFF UNVEILS SUPER EAGLES’ WORLD CUP PROGRAM
To several applauses and commendation for good planning and focus, the Nigeria Football Federation on Wednesday in Lagos made public its 2018 FIFA World Cup program for the Super Eagles, revealing venues and dates for six pre-World Cup friendly matches, kit launch, camping programmes and venues, the team base camp, sponsors’ event and how the team will travel during the World Cup finals proper.
NFF President Amaju Pinnick unfurled the entire program at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, immediately after the contract signing with Coca-Cola.
The program explained that the Eagles will play Poland, Serbia, Democratic Republic of Congo, England, Czech Republic and a yet-to-be-named South American team on the way to the World Cup finals in Russia.
On 7th February in London, kit sponsors NIKE will unveil the official kit the Eagles will use at the World Cup finals, while a Sponsors/Partners event will hold also in London hours after the friendly with England’s Three Lions at Wembley on 2nd June.
The team’s first phase camping will hold in Abuja or Uyo between 22nd and 30th May, while the second phase camping will hold at a health resort in Austria 3rd – 11th June.
The close camp at the Eagles’ official World Cup team base camp is at Yessentuki, Stavropol Territory in Russia’s southern region, starting 11th June.
KEY DATES
7th February: NIKE to launch official kit in London
23rd March: Friendly Vs Poland in Warsaw
27th March: Friendly Vs Serbia in London
22nd May – 30th May: First Phase Camping in Abuja/Uyo
28th May: Friendly Vs DR Congo in Abuja/Uyo
2nd June: Friendly Vs England in London. (Same night, Sponsors/Partners event in London)
3rd – 11th June: Second Phase camping in Austria
6th June: Friendly Vs Czech Republic in Austria
9th June: Friendly Vs TBC in Austria
From 11th June: Close camp at team base camp in Yessentuki
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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