International Football
NIGERIA’S SUPER FALCONS: OLUEHI, OKORONKWO HEAD DENNERBY’S INVITEES FOR WOMEN’S WAFU CUP
Goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, defender Glory Ogbonna, midfielder Amarachi Okoronkwo and forward Alice Ogebe are among 26 players that Super Falcons’ Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has invited to camp ahead of next month’s WAFU Women’s Cup Tournament in Abidjan, capital of Cote d’Ivoire.
All invited players have been asked to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuye, Abuja on Sunday, 28th April as training sessions would commence on Monday, 29th April.
Veteran midfielder Osarenoma Igbinovia and forward Chioma Wogu have also been called, as well as former captain Evelyn Nwabuoku.
Goalkeepers Alaba Jonathan, Christy Ohiaeriaku and Chiamaka Nnadozie will contest for the number one position with Oluehi, who maintained her place among the sticks as the Falcons won a ninth African title in Ghana last year, and has kept the position ever since.
Defender Maryam Ibrahim and midfielder Cynthia Aku, as well as former junior internationals Peace Efih, Ugochi Emenayo, Joy Jerry and Joy Bokiri will also get another look-in as Dennerby prepares to compile his final list for the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France.
The WAFU Women’s Cup Tournament will take place in Abidjan 8th – 18th May 2019, with the Super Falcons to play in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Mali. Host nation Cote d’Ivoire will tackle Senegal, Togo and Ghana in Group A.
26 FALCONS INVITED FOR WAFU WOMEN’S CUP
Mary-Magdalene Anjor, Peace Efih, Ugochi Emenayo, Osarenoma Igbinovia, Alaba Jonathan, Glory Ogbonna, Christy Ohiaeriaku, Amarachi Okoronkwo, Tochukwu Oluehi, Chidinma Okeke, Alice Ogebe, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Uchenna Kanu, Joy Jerry, Chioma Wogu, Maryam Ibrahim, Cynthia Aku, Rita Okoro, Adebisi Saheed, Evelyn Nwabuoku, Rofiat Sule, Joy Bokiri, Mary Ologbosere, Esther Sunday, Antionette Payne, Rofiat Imuran
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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