International Football
SUPER FALCONS TO GO BIG AGAINST BANYANA FOR NINTH AFRICAN TITLE
African champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria will throw in their aces from the referee’s first blast of the whistle in Saturday’s Women Africa Cup of Nations final against South Africa at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Coach Thomas Dennerby and the captain, Onome Ebi have spoken of high level of motivation and determination in the team to retain the Women AFCON trophy and continue Nigeria’s near-absolute domination of the continental championship.
In 20 years of its existence, reigning champions Nigeria have dominated the Women AFCON to an embarrassing degree, with only Equatorial Guinea breaking their clean sweep on only two occasions.
Not just that; Nigerian players namely, Mercy Akide, Perpetua Nkwocha (on four occasions), Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala have emerged top scorers at different championships.
The latter two – Desire and Asisat – are still in the mix, and in fact constitute the Dreaded Duo that the Banyana Banyana will do well to keep sharp eyes on throughout the 90 minutes on Saturday.
Nigeria and South Africa have been in the final together once – in 2000, when the South Africans hosted but the Nigerians successfully retained the trophy after a 2-0 defeat of the hosts in Johannesburg.
While the whole team worked together for the hard –fought win over Cameroon in the semi finals, special credit must go to goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi for her calmness and confidence throughout, including stopping Gaelle Enganamouit’s kick in the penalty shoot –out, which lifted the Nigerians’ confidence.
On Saturday, Oluehi would as usual, be protected by the quartet of Josephine Chukwunonye, Onome Ebi, Osinachi Ohale and Ngozi Ebere, with Rita Chikwelu, Halimatu Ayinde and Ngozi Okobi likely to star in the middle, behind Ordega, Oparanozie and Oshoala.
Experience is an advantage standing ramrod on the Nigerian side, but it would not be an easy afternoon against a skilful, creative, energetic and technically –savvy Banyana Banyana side boosted by their 1-0 defeat of the Cup holders in the opening match of Group B in Cape Town on 18th November.
Some other positives have put the South African camp in buoyant mood. Victory over Mali in Cape Coast on Tuesday meant the Banyana will make a first –ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup come summer of 2019, and players like Thembi Kgatlana (whose goal put Nigeria to the sword) and Lebohang Ramalepe (sumptuous effort against Mali) are fired up for Saturday’s final.
Kgatlana has already been installed as the revelation of the tournament as she leads the goals’ chart with five, and in Captain Janine Van Wyk, who will be making her 159th international appearance, the Banyana have a leader who knows where all the crumbled cookies in African women football have been deposited.
An excellent atmosphere is guaranteed, with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo of Ghana to head a cast of dignitaries for the evening. CAF President Ahmad, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Olufemi Abikoye, NFF President and CAF 1st Vice President Amaju Pinnick and SAFA President and CAF Executive Committee member, Danny Jordaan are also on the list.
AWCON FINAL MATCHES IN HISTORY
1998: Nigeria 2 Ghana 0 (Abeokuta)
2000: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (Johannesburg)
2002: Nigeria 2 Ghana 0 (Warri)
2004: Nigeria 5 Cameroon 0 (Johannesburg)
2006: Nigeria 1 Ghana 0 (Warri)
2008: Equatorial Guinea 2 South Africa 1 (Malabo)
2010: Nigeria 4 Equatorial Guinea 2 (Johannesburg)
2012: Equatorial Guinea 4 South Africa 0 (Malabo)
2014: Nigeria 2 Cameroon 0 (Windhoek)
2016: Cameroon 0 Nigeria 1 (Yaounde)
2018: Nigeria Vs South Africa (Accra)
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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