International Football
IT’S NIGERIA V SOUTH AFRICA AGAIN AS SUPER FALCONS START TITLE DEFENCE
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
About 24 hours after their men national teams squared up in Johannesburg, the women squads of Nigeria and South Africa will face off in another continental duel.
This time at the Cape Coast Stadium, it is Matchday 1 of the Africa Women’s Champions where both teams are pitched in Group B.
The Super Falcons have always prevailed over Banyana Banyana. Pre-African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON), Nigeria humiliated South Africa 11-2 aggregate (4-1 in Ibadan and 7-1 in Johannesburg) in 1995, which determined Africa’s single qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup later that year in Sweden.
Both teams then met in the final of the 2002 AWCON in South Africa with the host team abandoning the match in the 73rd minute having conceded two goals.
The Super Falcons stopped South Africa in the semi-finals of the last two editions; 2-1 in Namibia 2014 with both goals by Asisat Oshoala, and a Desire Oparanozie’s thunderous free kick two years later in Cameroon.
Oparanozie, the EA Guingamp of France star, says the Super Falcons will not underrate their opponents as they are focused on a good start and ultimate title defence.
The 24-year-old striker attributes the confidence to the cordial team spirit on and off the pitch.
Equatorial Guinea will come in later in the day to face Zambia in the other match of the group.
The only other team apart from Nigeria to have won the trophy (2008 and 2012), Equatorial Guinea are expected to challenge the Super Falcons. But
the central Africans will first have to handle Zambia, who are in the finals for only the third time. Quarter-finalists in 1995, Zambia did not qualify again until 2014. And they could not go beyond the group stage of that edition.
The AWCON finals also double up as a FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign, as the top three finishers will book a ticket to France 2019.
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
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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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