International Football
EUROPE’S TOP TEAMS GANG UP AGAINST INFANTINO’S NEW FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP FORMAT
FIFA’s president,Gianni Infantino was the general secretary of UEFA before assuming the highest football administrative position in 2015. But his primary constituency is currently ganging up against him as the European Clubs Association (ECA) agreed at its General Assembly in Amsterdam to oppose the Club World Cup which FIFA want to begin in 2021 to replace the Confederations Cup.
The 164 member clubs of the ECA, whose members include the clubs from all of Europe’s top leagues, expressed disapproval of the new plans for the competition being pioneered by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The event currently features seven teams, with only one from Europe, the winner of the UEFA Champions League. Spanish team Real Madrid won the 2018 edition.
It was announced earlier this month that it would be expanded to include 24 clubs from the six continental Confederations, eight of which would be from Europe.
The tournament would replace the Confederations Cup in 2021.
The ECA oppose the idea, however, as it is set to take place from June 17 to July 4, an already congested period of time.
The Africa Cup Nations and Copa America are set to take place in the same summer, with both competitions requiring European players. But no word has yet come from the two confederations. Africa may not be bothered much as the star players often employed at the Africa Cup of Nations are often based outside the continent.
“We have repeatedly stressed that the international match calendar and competitions have been agreed and defined up to 2024,” ECA chairman, Andrea Agnelli, said at the General Assembly.
“The main priority at this stage must be for stakeholders to engage in a detailed assessment of how the landscape of international football might evolve post-2024 prior to addressing specific competitions.
“FIFA’s decision to revamp its Club World Cup starting 2021 is one ECA cannot support.”
Agnelli also complained they had been given no information by FIFA on how the European teams would qualify for the event.
“I don’t understand how we could possibly take part today since there is nothing about access,” he said, as reported by insideworldfootball.
“We need more detail before we can commit to such a project.
“We are the ones investing in players, infrastructure, youth development.
“The idea of a competition like this on a global scale might make sense but the way this has been managed is like managing the local lottery for Thanksgiving.
“A window has been blocked to put together a competition for clubs from across the world but that’s all we know.”
UEFA also oppose the proposed Club World Cup.
Other business included the reelection of Ivan Gazidis, chief executive of Italian Serie A club AC Milan, as a member of the ECA Executive Board and a unanimous vote to promote diversity and inclusion in football as a statutory objective of the organisation.
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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