International Football
YAKUBU AYEGBENI VISITS FLYING EAGLES IN GERMANY CAMP
The Nigeria U20 boys, the Flying Eagles got a surprise visitor at their Germany camp on Thursday when former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Ayegbeni paid a visit to the team.
Ayegbeni, who played for Nigeria at the 2000 Olympics in Australia said he decided to visit the team to motivate the players ahead of the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Poland.
The former Everton and Portsmouth striker was also happy to reunite with his former teammate Wilson Oruma who is the welfare officer of the team.
“I have played in the youth sides for Nigeria and I know what it means to these young lads (the Flying Eagles) to represent their country, ” the former striker said. “It was a pleasure to come here and speak with the boys and also to encourage them to go all out and do the country proud.
“I am happy with what I’ve seen in training and I urge them not to rest on their oars. They have the quality to do the country proud.”
Ayegbeni also applauded the technical crew for the blend of home-based and overseas-based players in the squad. The former Portsmouth striker opined that the blend will do Nigeria good as he also expressed happiness in meeting his former Super Eagles team-mate Wilson Oruma.
“The blend is good and I hope the boys will bond well before the tournament starts. The technical crew has done well with what I’ve seen and I believe Nigeria will go far in the competition. I urge them to win the Cup to celebrate President Buhari’s victory in the last elections. I am also very happy to meet Wilson (Oruma). He’s my former teammate and brother and it is nice seeing him today. I wish the team all the best in Poland and hopefully they win the trophy for the first time,” Ayegbeni added.
The Flying Eagles are currently in Germany for the final leg of preparation for the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup to be hosted by Poland, 23rd May – 15th June.
The Flying Eagles will take on Saudi Arabia U20 team on Sunday, 5th May in their second preparatory game after drawing 3-3 in their first test game against SC Freiburg.
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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