International Football
EGYPT SPORTS MINISTER AVERTS SALAH’S POSSIBLE WORLD CUP BOYCOT
A potential commercial issue that could have seen the rave of the moment, Mohammed Salah boycotting the World Cup has just been resolved.
The mercurial Liverpool striker who was instrumental to Egypt’s qualification for the World Cup for the first time in 28 years was at the brink of pulling out of the Egyptian World Cup squad following the use of his image on the Egyptian national team’s aircraft.
According to him and his lawyer/agent, Ramy Abbas, the use of the image was illegal as it was placed close to the logo of telecommunication firm, WE which is a rival to Salah’s personal sponsor, Vodafone.
The use of the image, Abbas argued, infringed on a commercial right that Salah had signed. The plane is sponsored by WE.
Initially, the Egyptian FA refused the plea to remove the image and the initial refusal was met with anger.
Salah’s lawyer, Abbas, insisted: “”They are not allowed anything without having obtained express written permission from the owner of the rights.” The player also remarked in a tweet: “Unfortunately the way to deal with it is a very big insult… I was hoping the deal would be classier than this.”
Depicting Salah next to the corporate logo of WE could potentially cost Salah millions of pounds, as they would have breached his contract with Vodafone. With the deadlock, political intervention was needed from the Sports minister, Minister Khaled Abdel-Aziz, to get the Egyptian FA to stop the use of the player’s image as Salah had cut the image of cult hero in Egypt weaning the citizens off their passion for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The sports minister summoned the board members of the Egyptian Football Association for urgent talks on Sunday. Abdel-Aziz said late Sunday that he and the association have agreed to meet Salah’s demands.
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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