International Football
DALUNG SPURRED EAGLES WITH FULL BONUS FOR RWANDAN DRAWN MATCH
The Nigerian sports minister, Solomon Dalung provided the big impetus that steered the Super Eagles to a 1-0 victory over Libya on Friday at the ongoing African Nations Championship, the NFF officials have revealed.
Friday’s 1-0 win over Libya has taken the Super Eagles close to a place in the quarter –finals.
NFF 2nd Vice President Shehu Dikko told thenff.com at the weekend that Dalung actually swung the game Nigeria’s way hours before kick –off, when he approved that the players be paid the full bonus for the drawn opening match against Rwanda if they earned the maximum points against 2014 champions Libya.
“The Honourable Minister should get the credit for that victory because his approval for the team to be paid full bonus for the Rwanda game if they defeated Libya meant the players went all out, knowing they would be getting two full bonuses with a win.
“The approval was simply to restore the 50% the team lost for drawing against Rwanda,” Dikko explained.
On Tuesday, the Eagles have opportunity of going for a third full bonus when they take on pointless debutants Equatorial Guinea at the Stade Adrar in Agadir, at the same time Libya will be playing Rwanda in what promises to be an explosive tie in Tangier. Kick –off is 7pm Morocco time (8pm in Nigeria).
Four –pointer Nigeria will be guaranteed a place in the last eight if they avoid defeat against Equatorial Guinea. Rwanda, also with four points and same one goal advantage as Nigeria, will hope to also avoid defeat against three –pointer Libya to reach the last eight.
If the Eagles finish top of the table, they would return to Tangier to tackle the second –placed team in Group D next Sunday with the possibility of a semi final in Marrakech three days later.
Should they finish second in the pool, they would be up against the top –placed team in Group D in Agadir also next Sunday with the possibility of a semi final at Casablanca’s Stade Mohamed V three days later.
The final match of the championship is scheduled for the Stade Mohamed V on Sunday, 4th February.
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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