International Football
NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA TO LAUNCH JOINT BID FOR 2023 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
- BY LIAM MORGAN
South Korea is considering proposing a joint bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup with North Korea after FIFA suggested the possibility of the two countries hosting the tournament.
Korea Football Association (KFA) secretary general Hong Myung-bo told South Korean news agency Yonhap that FIFA had approached the organisation regarding a potential joint bid.
Hong revealed South and North Korea staging the event was first mentioned by world football’s governing body a month ago when KFA President Chung Mong-gyu was attending a FIFA meeting.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed it would be “great” for the two nations, still technically at war after conflict ended in armistice rather than a peace treaty, to co-host the event and said he was aware of the possibility.
“I have been hearing for the Women’s World Cup in 2023, the two Koreas,” Infantino said following a meeting of the International Football Association Board in Scotland.
Hong said the KFA had informed the South Korean Government of the potential for the countries to join forces to bid for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
He added that the governing body had not yet received a response from the Government, while the idea has not yet been discussed with their North Korean counterparts.
Should a bid materialise, it would mark the latest show of sporting diplomacy and cooperation between South and North Korea.
The two nations are set to jointly bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and officials from the countries presented their idea to the International Olympic Committee at a meeting last month.
It follows softening of tensions between the two countries following last year’s Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, where South and North Korean athletes took part in a joint march at the Opening Ceremony.
They also competed in a combined women’s ice hockey team.
Further demonstrations of cooperation have occurred at events such as last year’s Asian Games, while talk of joint teams in several sports at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo remain ongoing.
The race for the 2023 Women’s World Cup has begun to heat up in recent months, with Australia, Japan, South Africa, Colombia and New Zealand among possible contenders.
FIFA officially opened the bidding process for the tournament last month and gave interested countries until March 15 to submit an expression of interest.
World football’s governing body also announced the FIFA Council, rather than the full Congress, would select the location for the competition, with a decision expected at a meeting next 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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers
- World Cup5 days ago
Osimhen Returns as Chelle Names 23-Man Squad for Crucial World Cup Qualifiers