International Football
MOROCCO TO UPDATE FIFA ON WORLD CUP 2030 CROSS CONTINENTAL PLANS
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino in Marrakesh, Morocco for the latest of FIFA’s executive summits for regional federations is expected to receive an update on Morocco’s plan to organise the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Unconfirmed reports say the FIFA president has no objections to what would be the tournament’s first ever cross-continental edition.
The FIFA Statutes do not prevent the World Cup from taking place on two continents simultaneously and having lost five times, Morocco is taking the gamble of lining up with Europe’s Iberian neighbours. In November, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Costa, expressed their enthusiasm for the idea.
Although nothing firm has been decided it is an open secret that South America would be favourites to host the tournament with Uruguay teaming up with Argentina and Paraguay to commemorate the centenary of the World Cup’s inaugural edition in 1930 in Uruguay.
But they could face strong opposition from Britain and the Republic of Ireland who are considering making a joint bid, with an ongoing feasibility study likely to be wrapped up by the end of this month or early February.
An unlikely joint bid from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and Romania has also been floated with the final vote likely to take place ahead of the 2022 finals in Qatar.
The waters have been somewhat muddied by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin’s stated keenness for Europe to put forward a single bid, which would mean either the UK-Ireland or Spain-Portugal almost certainly having to abandon any hosting plans.
The 2030 World Cup will not of course be the only issue that will be discussed in Marrakech, nor the only one that FIFA and UEFA disagree on.
Infantino’s much-publicised controversial plan for an expanded Club World Cup and revamped Nations League seems almost certain to be addressed, with a final decision on the contentious $25 billion project set for mid-March.
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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