International Football
FIRST FIFA WOMEN’S FOOTBALL CONVENTION HOLDS TODAY
BY NANCY GILLEN
The first FIFA Women’s Football Convention is due to begin in Paris, with the 2019 Women’s World Cup set to kick off in the same city on Friday
Leaders from the world of football, business and politics will descend upon Expo Porte de Versailles in the French capital for the two-day convention.
The first day will be dedicated to women’s football
practitioners and representatives of FIFA’s 211-member associations and six
confederations.
It will explore and debate the five strategic pillars from FIFA’s first Women’s Football Strategy, launched last October.
This includes growing participation, increasing commercial value and building upon the foundations of the game.
On the second day, political leaders, commercial partners, senior representatives from international organisations and high-profile players will be welcomed to the convention to discuss the challenges, barriers and opportunities for growth and development of women’s football.
Particular focus will be placed on sustainable strategies and building a more diverse and inclusive society.
Moderators include several high-profile female sports broadcasters, such as former England player Alex Scott and Amanda Davies of CNN.
“The inaugural FIFA Women‘s Football Convention is a crucial stepping stone in promoting the women’s game, making football a sport for all and to use it as a platform to empower women and girls around the world,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA chief women’s football officer.
Parc des Princes in Paris will host the opening match of the World Cup on Friday, with the hosts taking on South Korea in Group A.
The competition will then continue across nine French cities until the final on July 7.
It is set to be the most high-profile Women’s World Cup yet, with more than 720,000 tickets sold at the 50-day mark.
The opening clash sold out within 48 hours.
In his opening comments for the convention’s programme, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that it was “an unprecedented time for women’s football.”
“The sport is thriving as never before, filling iconic stadiums and attracting unparalleled levels of global fan interest and media coverage,” he said.
“It is no exaggeration to say that we are entering a new era for the women’s game.” “On the eve of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, which is poised to set records, this is the perfect moment for us to assess the progress of the women’s game and how to fully implement our strategy.”
–insidethegame
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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