International Football
EGYPT 2019: NIGERIA’S FLYING EAGLES’ COACH, AMAPAKABO INVITES 33 TO CAMP AHEAD OF LIBYA FIXTURE
Head Coach Imama Amapakabo has called to camp 33 players ahead of next month’s Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifying fixture between Nigeria and Libya.
The first leg, to be hosted by Libya in Tunisia (as the Libyans still cannot host international matches in their country) will hold between 20th – 22nd March, with Nigeria able to choose between 25th and 26th March for the return leg.
Already, the Nigeria Football Federation has opted for 25th March for the return leg, with the expectation that the Libya Football Federation will opt for either 20th or 21st March for the first leg.
The invited players resumed camping in Abuja on Wednesday.
Nigeria is the defending champion of the Africa U23 Cup of Nations, having defeated Algeria in the final of the second edition of the championship staged by Senegal in December 2015. That triumph earned the Olympic Eagles a ticket to the Men’s Football Tournament of the Rio 2016 Olympics, where they won the bronze medal – Nigeria’s only medal at the Games.
Former Nigeria international goalkeeper Amapakabo has called four goalkeepers, nine defenders, 10 midfielders and 10 forwards for the assignment. He is to be assisted by Kennedy Boboye (Assistant Coach), Fidelis Ilechukwu (Assistant Coach) and Etta Egbe (Goalkeepers’ Trainer).
Egypt will host the 3rd Africa U23 Cup of Nations, 8th – 22nd November 2019.
THE INVITED PLAYERS
Goalkeepers: Amos Benjamin (Bayelsa United); Makanjuola Adewale (Ekiti United); Anozie Chinedu (FC IfeanyiUbah); Stanley Nwabili (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: John Lazarus (Lobi Stars); Chidera Eze (Rangers International); Anumudu Udochukwu (Lobi Stars); Austin Ugochukwu (Kano Pillars); Chinedu Ajana (Katsina United); Kehinde Adeyemi (Sunshine Stars); Ndah Olisah (Remo Stars); Chinwendu Ali (Yobe Stars); Ebube Duru (Lobi Stars)
Midfielders: Ayobami Junior (Shooting Stars); Isah Ndala (Nasarawa United); William Ukeme (Wikki Tourists); Olatunji Matthew (Enyimba FC); Seth Mayi (Plateau United); Yusuf Maigoro (Kano Pillars); Iwuala Anayo (Kada City); Cletus Emotan (Rivers United); Chigozie Obasi (Sunshine Stars); Chukwudi Agor (ASJ, Owerri)
Forwards: Etiboy Akpan (Akwa United); Anas Mohammed (Shooting Stars); Chijoke Alaekwe (FC IfeanyiUbah); Shamman Tanze (Kano Pillars); Agboola Joshua (Katsina United); Wari Williams (Nasarawa United); Ebuka Okeke (Lamray United); Tolu Ojo (Remo Stars); Wasiu Alalade (Enyimba FC); Solomon Nsude (FC IfeanyiUbah)
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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