International Football
AHEAD FRANCE 2019: SUPER FALCONS IN SPAIN FOR TWO GAMES
A delegation of the Super Falcons of Nigeria, including 24 players, has fully settled down in Spain as the African champions continue their preparations for the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France this summer. A number of the players left on Monday night while the rest of the delegation departed Nigeria on Tuesday.
Having already taken in two matches at the China Tournament in Meizhou in January and four matches at the Cyprus Women’s Cup in February, the Falcons will play two matches in Spain, including a high-profile clash with the Canada Women National Team.
They first play a first division club, UMF Selfoss on Thursday, 4th April, before the potentially –explosive encounter with the Canadians on Monday, 8th April. The matches will hold in the city of Murcia.
After their exploits in Spain, the nine –time African champions will prepare to take part in the eight –nation WAFU B Women’s Tournament in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire in May.
Organizers announced on Tuesday that the tournament will hold 8th -18th May in the Ivorian capital, with the senior women teams of hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic taking part.
The draw ceremony for the WAFU B Tournament has been scheduled for Tuesday, 16th April.
After the WAFU Cup tourney, the Super Falcons will move to the Avita Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria – the same facility that hosted the Super Eagles ahead of their flight to Russia for the FIFA World Cup finals last year summer.
From Austria, the Falcons will fly into France, where they take on Norway, Korea Republic and tournament hosts France in the group stage of the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, holding 7thJune – 7th July.
24 SUPER FALCONS IN SPAIN
Goalkeepers: Tochukwu Oluehi; Alaba Jonathan; Chiamaka Nnadozie
Defenders: Faith Michael; Onome Ebi; Osinachi Ohale; Josephine Chukwunonye; Ngozi Ebere; Patricia George
Midfielders: Ngozi Okobi; Rita Chikwelu; Halimatu Ayinde; Cecilia Nku; Ogonna ChukwudiForwards: Asisat Oshoala; Rasheedat Ajibade; Anam Imo; Chinaza Uchendu; Courtney Dike; Desire Oparanozie; Ini-Abasi Umotong; Alice Ogebe; Antionette Oyedupe Payne; Uchenna Kanu
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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