International Football
INFANTINO GETS CHALLENGER FOR FIFA PRESIDENCY!
BY LIAM MORGAN.
Former Swiss international Ramon Vega has emerged as a possible challenger to Gianni Infantino for the FIFA Presidency at this year’s election in Paris.
The election holds at
the 69th FIFA Congress in Paris, France on June 5 this year.
Vega, 47-year-old footballer turned financier, who won 23 caps for Switzerland, is reportedly weighing up a bid for the top job at world football’s governing body and is assessing the likelihood of securing the required five nominations before the February 5 deadline.
Infantino, elected in 2016 to serve the remainder of Sepp Blatter’s term after his Swiss counterpart resigned amid the corruption scandal, was widely expected to run unopposed.
But reports suggested this week that a former player with extensive experience in the finance sector was considering challenging Infantino.
Vega, who played for clubs in Switzerland, Italy, England, Scotland and France during his career, seemingly fit the description as he is the founder and chief executive of London-based company Vega Swiss Asset Management.
He confirmed to Süddeutsche Zeitung, one of Germany’s largest daily newspapers, that he was mulling over whether to stand against Infantino.
Candidates must receive nominations from five different Member Associations within FIFA’s 211-strong electorate before next Tuesday (February 5) to be eligible to run.
The election is scheduled to take place at the FIFA Congress in Paris on June 5 before the start of the Women’s World Cup.
“Because of the great response and the positive reactions that I have from many sides I take this task seriously and see if there is any need in the football world to bring about the election of the next FIFA President in June by means of a democratic election campaign,” Vega told Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Vega previously considered standing for FIFA President in 2016 but his candidacy never came to fruition.
Should Vega be a contender this time around, his chances of victory appear slim as Infantino is the red-hot favourite for re-election.
Infantino has already been given the backing of the Oceania Football Confederation and the South American Football Confederation in his bid to seal a full four-year term at the helm of the governing body.
The 48-year-old former UEFA general secretary is also thought to have a considerable stranglehold in Africa.
His radical plans for a revamp of the football calendar, including changes to the Club World Cup and the creation of a global Nations League, have irked some of Europe’s members, however.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has been at the forefront of the opposition to the proposals and threatened to lead a walkout of officials from European football’s governing body at a fractious FIFA Council meeting in October if the issue was put to a vote.
Infantino’s conduct as FIFA President was again called into question late last year after information obtained by the hacking group Football Leaks allegedly showed he had directly influenced changes to the FIFA ethics code.
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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