International Football
FIFA “EXTREMELY DISTURBED” BY KILLING OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST IN GHANA
FIFA has condemned the killing of a Ghanaian journalist who helped expose corruption in African football.
In a statement, world football’s governing body said it was “extremely disturbed” by the death of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, who was shot dead in Accra on Thursday (January 17).
Hussein-Suale made his name as part of a team whose investigation forced the resignation of the former head of the Ghana Football Association and former FIFA Council member Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Dozens of football referees and officials across several countries were also banned following the investigation, which exposed them for accepting bribes from undercover reporters posing as agents.
Hussein-Suale was shot twice in the chest and once in the neck by men on motorbikes while driving home in Ghana’s capital.
No arrests have yet been made.
In a statement FIFA offered its “deepest sympathies” to his family.
“FIFA has been extremely disturbed and saddened to hear the
news that a local journalist based in Ghana was shot dead,” FIFA said.
“FIFA reiterates its support for journalists doing important investigative work which on many occasions leads to improvement and governance standards, not only in football but across the board in public life.”
“FIFA reiterates its support for journalists doing important investigative work which on many occasions leads to improvement and governance standards, not only in football but across the board in public life.”
Hussein-Suale had previously made a complaint to police about his safety after a Ghanaian politician called for retribution against him.
Speaking on television, Kennedy Agyapong revealed a photo of Husein and asked supporters to “beat him” if they saw him.
“That boy is very dangerous,” he said whilst pointing at the photo.
“He lives here in Madina [a suburb of Accra].
“If he comes here, beat him.”
Agyapong has since denied being behind the killing, but the Committee to Protect Journalists has called for an immediate investigation, insisting Ghanaian authorities must take threats made against the press seriously.
Hussein-Suale’s employers, the investigative journalism firm Tiger Eye PI, called the murder an “assassination”.
“We call on the security agencies to unmask the elements behind this assassination and bring them to book,” they said.
Hussein-Suale’s boss, the award-winning journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, paid tribute to his former colleague on Facebook, saying he was an “excellent, experienced investigative journalist”.
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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