International Football
CAF CHIEFTAIN TO BE EXTRADITED FROM FRANCE; FACES WAR CRIME CHARGES
BY JAMES DIAMOND.
Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee member Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona will face trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague after France agreed to extradite him.
The CAF member, who is also President of the Central African
Football Federation, was arrested in France on December 12 after a warrant
issued by the ICC accused him of “alleged criminal responsibility for war
crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the western part of the Central
African Republic (CAR)”.
Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona is accused of murder, torture and recruiting child soldiers while allegedly leading an anti-Muslim militia ©Getty Images
It is suspected he previously led a Christian anti-Balaka militia in the CAR, which carried out systematic attacks on Muslims in the country from 2013 to 2014.
The ICC say they have “reasonable grounds” to believe Ngaissona is guilty of crimes against humanity including murder, torture and the recruitment of child soldiers.
He denies all the allegations but will now be extradited to The Hague following the French court ruling.
He will be moved from a jail near Paris where he is currently being held.
His arrest came just weeks after another suspected militia leader – Alfred Yekatom – was detained in the CAR.
He has also been transferred to The Hague to face trial.
According to news website New Vision, Ngaissona said during a hearing on December 19 that he “brought peace” to the CAR and is not a warlord.
He has also previously said that “everything I’ve done has been for the good of the country”.
His arrest has reportedly prompted two groups within the anti-Balaka movement to pull out of a Government disarmament programme in the CAR, that had been due to start by the end of the year.
The groups said that Ngaissona’s detention undermined the ongoing peace process instigated by the African Union and indicated an “unfair disregard” for alleged crimes committed by the Muslim Seleka.
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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