International Football
AHEAD FRANCE 2019: FIERCE TEST FOR SUPER FALCONS IN SPAIN
After pounding a first division club from Iceland (UMF Selfoss) 6-1 on Friday, Nigeria’s Super Falcons face a more worthwhile test when they square up to their Canadian counterparts in a friendly match in the city of Murcia, Spain on Monday.
Following earlier tests
against teams like China and Belgium in the run –up to the 8th FIFA
Women’s World Cup finals in France this summer, the nine –time African
champions will be able to truly measure their progress against the Canadians,
who have promised to field their full strength on the day.
Both countries began talks for this encounter during the draw ceremony of the FIFA World Cup in France in December last year. On Monday, coaches Thomas Dennerby and Kenneth Heiner-Møller will send out their strongest squads on the turf of Pinatar Stadium for a real test, two months before the big showpiece begins in France.
Kenneth Heiner-Møller has made it known he values the encounter with the African champions, as it would enable him to anticipate what to expect against the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon, whom Canada tackle in their first match of the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Montpellier on 10th June. The North Americans will also play New Zealand and The Netherlands in the group phase.
On their part, the Falcons will open their campaign against Norway in Reims two days earlier. Nigeria will also confront Korea Republic in Grenoble on 12th June, before taking on tournament hosts France in Rennes on 17th June.
Nigeria and Canada have locked horns twice at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals. On 8th June 1995, at the Olympic Stadium in Helsingborg, Norway, the Super Falcons came from behind to tie their group phase encounter 3-3. On 5th July 2011, at the Rudolf-Harbig Stadion in Dresden, Germany, Nigeria pipped Canada 1-0 in another group phase encounter.
The Super Falcons are scheduled to participate in the WAFU B Women’s Tournament in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 8th -18th May, before setting up camp at the Avita Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria, from where will fly to France for the World Cup.
The 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals hold 7th June – 7th July 2019.
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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