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FRANCE 2019: NIGERIA’S COACH, DENNERBY PREPARING FOR THE GAME OF HIS LIFE

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According to FIFA.com, preparation is everything when it comes to succeeding at a FIFA Women’s World Cup™ This is  a fact Thomas Dennerby is very much aware of. He took over as head coach of Nigeria’s women’s national team in January 2018 and jumped at the chance to take his team to the Cyprus Cup.

“First of all I was very happy that we had this opportunity,” the Swede told FIFA.com. “Playing at a tournament like this is extremely important for a team like the Super Falcons. We played against teams that are ranked a bit higher. That gave us a lot of experience.”

Nigeria’s coach, Thomas Dennerby is aware of the great task ahead

Nigeria met Austria, Slovakia, Belgium and Thailand at the competition.

“We were a bit unlucky in the first game [against Austria] and we can almost forget about it. We got a red card just after six minutes, but actually we did well in the first half.

“But when you play with only ten players for such a long time then you start to get tired.” That proved to be costly for his side, who eventually slipped to a 4-1 defeat.

“If you look at the games after that, we played really well against Slovakia in the first half, but we lost a bit of concentration in the second,” Dennerby continued.

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“There were three penalties in the last 20 minutes, but we won 4-3. Our attacking play in that game was good. We had some really nice link-ups.

“I think our match against Belgium was probably our weakest game. We were very slow, we didn’t react and only acted after something had happened. We were better in our final match against Thailand – we worked more as a team again.

“If you put the game against Austria to one side, then we only let in one goal from open play. But I’m sorry to say that for different reasons we conceded too many goals from set pieces.”

That has left the 59-year-old and his coaching staff with plenty of work still to do, and not only in defence. “We definitely need to work on our attacking play,” he said.

“It’s one thing to score four times against Slovakia and three times against Thailand, but when you go to a World Cup where we will play against Norway, Korea Republic and France, it will be a totally new challenge for the players.

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“We need to work on creating chances against the best teams. We need to work on our build-up play and trying to give the players more confidence on the ball.”

If that is a big challenge for the squad, it is for the coaching staff too: the players are extremely loyal to them, but are reluctant to make any mistakes.

“They really want to do the best and do the right thing,” said Dennerby, who guided Sweden to third place at the 2011 Women’s World Cup. “I’m not saying they don’t do that in Europe, but in Nigeria they’re more extreme. It’s good in many ways, but also very heavy on their shoulders because they want to be so loyal.

“They need to feel free, that they can make mistakes. They will get a smile from the coach anyway.”

It is a smile intended to give his Super Falcons self-belief as they look to learn and grow from their errors. After all, fortune favours the bold.

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“We have a really tough group, no doubt about it,” Dennerby said. “I think we have a really good chance to have a good game against Norway and also against South Korea.

“And hopefully, if I can dream a little, three of four points when we come to the final match against France so that we can have that feeling of: ‘Wow this is a once-in-a-lifetime game against the host nation.’ If I were still a player, it would be the game of my life.”

 

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad

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Mateus Mane in England's colour

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.

Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.

Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.

He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.

With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.

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Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.

While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.

-Reuters

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Soon Cisse ceases to be Senegal’s Coach

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After 107 matches spanning nine years, Aliou Cisse will not have his contract renewed as Senegal coach, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Of the 107 matches, Cisse’s team won 70, drew 24 and lost 13.

But the impressive scorecard is not enough to impress his employers.

Thus, the end beckons for Cisse’s successful nine-year spell in charge of the side that included a first Africa Cup of Nations title and two World Cup qualifications.

He had been under increasing pressure after Senegal’s surprise last 16 exit at the 2023 Cup of Nations when they lost on penalties to hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

Senegal are unbeaten in six matches since then, but home draws with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso, and criticism from certain quarters over their style of play, made up the mind of the country’s sports ministry, who fund the salary of the national team coach, that a change was needed.

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“The FSF would like to thank Aliou Cisse for his good collaboration and his brilliant results at the head of the various national selections that he has managed since his arrival in 2011 and wish him every success for the future,” the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said in a statement.

FSF added Cisse’s exit stemmed from a failure to fulfil the targets in his last contract, which expired at the end of August, which included victory at the 2023 Cup of Nations and reaching the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

They also said the “regression of our national team in the FIFA rankings and the risk of disaffection between our national team and the Senegalese (public)” had played a role.

The FSF will appoint an interim technical team to lead the side in Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi at home on Oct. 11 and away four days later.

Cisse, 48, was captain of Senegal when they reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with what is heralded as a golden generation of players.

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He briefly had a spell as caretaker coach of the national team in 2012, but took over full time three years later.

He led Senegal to 2018 and 2022 World Cup qualification, making the last 16 in the latter before losing to England. They were beaten in the final of the 2019 Cup of Nations by Algeria.

The side made up for that disappointment when they beat Egypt in the final two years later to be crowned African champions for the first time.

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Why  FIFA banned Samuel Eto’o

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Always in the news for bad reasons, Samuel Eto’o has again made global headlines. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has banned the former striker and the current president of the Cameroon Football Federation.

He is banned from attending Cameroon’s matches for the next six months for violating conduct rules during the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, where his national team faced Brazil in the round of 16.

According to FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, Eto’o was found to have breached articles 13 (“Offensive behaviour and violations of fair play principles”) and 14 (“Misconduct of players and officials”) of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code.

The sanction stems specifically from the match between Brazil and Cameroon, held on September 11 in Bogotá, Colombia. As a result, Eto’o will be prohibited from attending any matches involving Cameroon’s national teams, both male and femaleacross all age groups.

“Mr Eto’o has been notified today, the date on which the sanction comes into force,” stated the FIFA press release.

This is not the first time Eto’o has faced controversy. He previously drew attention for his behavior towards players and national team coach Marc Brys, whom he allegedly threatened in front of cameras if his directives were not followed.

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During the Qatar World Cup, the former Real Madrid, Mallorca, and Barcelona player made headlines again after assaulting a fan who filmed him outside a stadium after a match.

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