International Football
REFUGEE FOOTBALLER, AL-ARAIBI SET TO RETURN TO AUSTRALIA AFTER BAHRAIN DROPS EXTRADITION REQUEST
BY LIAM MORGAN
Refugee footballer Hakeem Al-Araibi is set to return to Australia today after Bahrain withdrew a request to extradite him amid widespread pressure and an international campaign for his release.
A court in Thailand, where he had been detained for the past 70 days, approved a request to drop the proceedings against him.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed Al-Araibi has been released from prison and is due to fly home to Australia, where he has refugee status, later today.
“This morning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed us that Bahrain was no longer interested in this request,” Thailand’s Office of the Attorney General foreign office chief Chatchom Akapin said.
Today’s announcement is considered a surprise as Al-Araibi, who appeared at a criminal court hearing last week, was expected to remain in jail for the next 60 days as his lawyers prepared his case against extradition.
Bahrain had previously remained defiant on its extradition request, with interior minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa claiming “external interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain is unacceptable” after a campaign was launched for his safe return to Australia.
Al-Araibi was fearful he would be tortured or even killed if he was ordered to return to Bahrain as he had been a vocal critic of its regime.
He fled Bahrain in 2014 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison that year for allegedly vandalising a police station during Arab Spring protests in the Gulf country, charges he strongly denies.
Former Australia international Craig Foster, who led the campaign, thanked Thailand for allowing Al-Araibi to be released.
“My thanks go to the wonderful people of Thailand for your support and to Thai Govt for upholding international law,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Most important thing now is Hakeem’s immediate wellbeing.
“Sure Embassy staff will take care of him, there’ll be tears there tonight, as there are in our household right now.
“This is significant win for humanity, people everywhere standing up for good, pushing back against regimes who flout international law, for human rights.”
In a statement, Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Chris Nikou said the governing body “was extremely grateful to the Governments of Thailand and Bahrain for taking the decision to allow Hakeem to return to Australia”.
The FFA was initially criticised for its initially slow response to the situation.
FIFA also issued a statement following the news, stating it was “extremely pleased” to see Al-Araibi released from prison.
“This is the outcome we have worked for together with a broad coalition of human rights organisations, governments and the wider football community over the past two months,” world football’s governing body said.
“We would like to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to this outcome and, in particular, the relevant public authorities for doing the right thing and bringing Hakeem’s ordeal to an end.
“We wish Hakeem a safe return to his family and hope he will be able to resume his footballing career soon.”
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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