International Football
GHANA, CAMEROON, OTHERS GO FOR NIGERIA’S SCALPS IN AFRICAN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
The 13th edition of African Women’s Championship opens at Accra Sports Stadium with Ghana attempting to beat Algeria and possibly go all the way to the final and lift the trophy for the first time.
The Black Queens have Nigeria’s Super Falcons, who open their title defence on Sunday against South Africa, to blame for not having won this tournament. On all three times of their reaching the final, Nigeria stopped the Ghanaian run – 1998, 2002 and 2006 – to acquire a record 10 titles in all (if the two previous editions before the championship format started in 1998 are counted).
Now that Ghana will be hosting for the first time, expectations are that the Black Queens would acquit themselves this time.
The Black Queens lost steam in recent years as they failed to get out of the group stage and even missed the tournament, as it happened in 2012. But in the last edition (Cameroon 2016), they came back forcefully and won the bronze medals.
However, the team have evolved with some new faces and brimming with confidence following encouraging results in friendly matches arranged to make up for not participating in the qualifiers as host nation.
Ghana’s opponents in the opening match of Ghana 2019, Algeria are one of the minnows in the continent. The Fennecs have appeared four times in the tournament and exited at the group stage of each of them. They were last in ranking in 2006 and seventh among eight teams in 2010 and 2014 African Women’s Championships.
In the other match of the day, Cameroon faces Mali.
Like Ghana, Cameroon will hope to meet Nigeria later in the competition to settle old scores having been beaten four times in the final by the Super Falcons.
This is Mali’s seventh appearance in the finals but they are yet to cross the line from the group stage to the knockout rounds.
Only Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea (twice) have lifted this title.
The top three teams in Ghana 2018 will represent Africa in next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Saturday’s fixtures…
Group A: Ghana v Algeria (4:30pm), Mali v Cameroon (7:30pm)
Sunday’s fixtures…
Group B: Nigeria v South Africa (4:30pm), Zambia v Equatorial Guinea (7:30pm)
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers