International Football
WE MUST GET PAST NORWAY TO GET INTO THE KNOCKOUT ROUNDS SAYS SUPER FALCONS’COACH, DENNERBY
Coach Thomas Dennerby reflected onMonday that his African champions must scoop all three points against Norway in their first match of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, to stand on a good pedestal of reaching the knockout stages.
The Swedish tactician made this observation as he inspected, alongside other members of the Nigeria delegation,the facilities for the Super Falcons’ first match of the finals, including the 21,000 –capacity Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims.
“In the early editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Norway used to have outstanding teams. I am not saying they no longer have a strong team. But I believe that if we are able to use our power and pace to maximum effect, and we improve our marksmanship, we can get a good result against them.
“Certainly, we would need a fitness coach to put the Super Falcons in great shape so that we can have that power and great pace to work for us. We would also need to play friendly matches and invitational tournaments to try various formations and combinations.”
The inspection of the Stade Auguste Delaune was done alongside the delegations of Norway, United States of America and Thailand, who would also make use of the venue for matches during next summer’s World Cup.
The stadium was opened as Stade Municipal in 1934, but brought down entirely and rebuilt in 2008. It is named after a former Sports Minister of France who died in a concentration camp during World War II.
Nigeria and Norway go at each other’s jugular in the second match of Group A on 8th June 2019, a day after hosts France and Korea Republic would have opened the tournament at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Incidentally, Norway’s coach, youthful Martin Sjogren, is also Swedish and is a friend of Dennerby.
“Our objective would be to get three points off Norway. We would then go hard against Korea Republic and then take our chances against France. For me, coming to the World Cup next summer should not be about Nigeria just making up the number.
“We should have the mission to come here and make an impact at the World Cup. Nigeria is ripe for that, but adequate preparation will be key.”
The delegation, which included NFF Director of Communications Ademola Olajire and Team Administrator, Mary Oboduku, also inspected the Mercure Hotel Reims where the Super Falcons will stay, as well as the training pitch. After playing Norway on 8th June,the Super Falcons will move to Grenoble to play Korea Republic on 12th June before heading to Rennes to take on France on 17th June.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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