International Football
LIKE THE CLASS OF 2015, FOURTH-PLACED GOLDEN EAGLETS VOW TO WIN U17 WORLD CUP
After finishing fourth at the 2019 Africa U17 Cup of Nations in Tanzania, Samson Tijani, the captain of the Golden Eaglets has said the players have shifted their focus to winning the FIFA U17 World Cup at the finals in Brazil later this year.
Tijani told thenff.com that the team was just unfortunate not to have qualified for the final, but said himself and the rest of the squad are satisfied with the qualification of the team for the FIFA U17 tournament in the land of samba.
“Personally, I did not feel too bad because our main aim was to qualify for the World Cup and we succeeded in that aspect. We approached every game as they came, unfortunately, Guinea defeated us on penalty shoot-out in the semi final.
“It was a very tough game. We were not scared of penalty kicks but it happened that we were destined to lose to Guinea.”
Tijani went further: “Against Angola, we defeated them earlier in the group stage but in the third place game, they were very fast-paced and we tried to match them. We were surprised that we lost the game.
“Now, our thoughts are on how we can prepare very well and go to the World Cup and win the tournament. The last set of Golden Eaglets that won the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile, in 2015 did not win African tournament. But at the World Cup, the team flew high and won the tournament. I believe that with strong support from NFF, the training sessions that our coaches will put us through and with players working hard and playing as a team, we will win the World Cup in Brazil,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 2021 edition of the African U17
Nations Cup is scheduled to hold in Morocco. Moments after the Cameroon’s 5-3 win over Guinea in the
final, the symbolic handing over of the CAF Flag took place on the podium with
CAF President Ahmad Ahmad, Wallace Karia (president of Tanzania Football
Federation) and His Excellency Abdelilah Benryane (Moroccan Ambassador to
Tanzania) as the actors.
CAF President Ahmad Ahmad received the flag from Karia, before handing over to
Moroccan Benryane to officially launch the journey to the 14th edition of the
biennial cadet championship.
It will be the second Morocco will be hosting the U-17 AFCON after 2013.
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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