International Football
FALCONS TO GO BIG AGAINST KOREA TO AVOID GOING HOME
The Super Falcons will throw all their firewoods into the furnace when they file out against their counterparts from Korea Republic on Wednesday in their second match of the 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France.
Venue is the Stade des Alpes in the city of Grenoble, where Group A’s bottom-of-the-table clash will begin at 3pm.
Head Coach Thomas Dennerby and team medics on Tuesday ruled veteran defender Faith Michael out of the tournament. The Pitea IF of Sweden defender was injured in a clash with goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi during Saturday’s 0-3 loss to Norway and will take no further part in the championship, no matter how far the African champions get.
The team again trained at the Stade Eugène Thenard on the Avenue du General de Charles Gaulle, on Tuesday, and apart from Michael, the remaining 22 players are rearing to go against the Far East Asians.
In Michael’s absence, petite Chidinma Okeke, a former junior international who featured for Nigeria at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup also staged in France last year summer, will start at right back. She was impressive against the Norwegians when she replaced Michael in the 53rd minute on Saturday.
The central defensive pairing of veteran Onome Ebi and Osinachi Ohale will be maintained, as left back Ngozi Ebere. In the midfield, Dennerby will decide whether to once more go with the trio of Ngozi Okobi, Rita Chikwelu and Halimatu Ayinde, or rest the latter for Portugal –based Chinaza Uchendu.
Desire Oparanozie, Asisat Oshoala and Francisca Ordega will be saddled with the assignment of getting the goals that will keep Falcons’ hopes of remaining in France beyond 17th June.
While Nigeria and Korea DPR have squared up to each other on two occasions at the FIFA World Cup (one win each way), it is a first meeting for the Super Falcons and the Koreans of the south.
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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