International Football
NIGERIA TEAM’S NAMESAKE, GREEN EAGLES HOPE TO CONFIRM NEXT ROUND BERTH
A Zambian clubside with the former nickname of Nigeria’s national team, Green Eagles along with tough opponents of Nigeria’s Enugu Rangers in the 1970s, Green Buffaloes, on Wednesday hope to successfully wrap-up their respective first round assignments in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Until March 28, 1988, the Nigerian national team was called Green Eagles until the Late Admiral Augustus Aikhomu rechristened the team as “Super Eagles”.
The two Zambian sides, Green Eagles and Green Buffaloes made bright starts as they seek better fortunes in this edition following Buffaloes and Nkana’s elimination on the first hurdle of the Confederation Cup.
Green Eagles and Buffaloes are both away this week and armed with similar 2-0 home wins from match –day-one last week.
Continental debutants Eagles are in eSwatini to face Young Buffaloes while Buffaloes visit South Sudan to play El Merriekh Juba.
Eagles have quietly settled in eSwatini for the last four days to plot their passage to the second round and coach Aggrey Chiyangi has kept faith in the same side that won on November 27 in Choma.
But Eagles’ 2018 league season top scorer on 19 goals, Tapson Kaseba, is absent for a second successive match and is a subject of interest from South Africa PSL club and fellow CAF Confederation Cup campaigners Free State Stars.
A successful outing in eSwatini for Green Eagles will see them book first leg away date on December 15 to face either Hussein Dyey of Algeria or Diables Noirs of Congo Brazzaville with the North Africans enjoying a 2-0 home win from the first leg on November 27.
Meanwhile, Buffaloes are looking to complete the job in Juba against El Merrikeh on their debut visit to South Sudan.
“It is really important that when you play a game like that and you get the result, a lot of players get excited but we are talking to them and we are telling them that the game is not yet over until after the second leg which is here in South Sudan,” Buffaloes coach Bilton Musonda said.
“We are doing a lot to also tell them that football is not all about home advantage because even away, you can surprise people and win it if you have the right mentality and good attitude towards the game.”
Buffaloes second round date should they successfully navigate their way in Juba will be a big second round test against the tournaments record three-time champions CS Sfaxien away in Tunisia on December 15.
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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