International Football
NIGERIA’S CHAMPIONS, ENYIMBA, SETS SIGHT ON CAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE
Enyimba’s Coach Usman Abdallah is already looking beyond the club’s success at the concluded Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Championship Playoff as he confidently declared that the players can compete favourably on the continent in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League later in the year.
Enyimba on Wednesday night clinched their eight league title after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Akwa United in the second fixture of the last Matchday of the 2019 playoff at the Agege Stadium. Five other teams that finished in the top three of the regular NPFL season participated in the Playoff. The clubs are Kano Pillars, Rangers International, Akwa United, Lobi Stars and FC IfeanyiUbah. The Aba Elephants finished tops in the round rubbing mini league format with 12 points after losing once to Kano Pillars, that finished in second place after picking 11 points to join Enyimba as Nigeria’s second representative in the CAF Champions League. Rangers International grabbed the CAF Confederations ticket following their third place finish.
Abdallah had always maintained that the Playoff was different from the home and away fixtures and the club’s performance at the playoff proved him right as Enyimba won four of their five games. At the regular post match conferences during the playoff and especially on the day Enyimba were beaten 2-0 by Kano Pillars, Abdallah insisted that “we are still in contention for the title though it seems not to be in our hands to determine anymore’. But the 1-1 draw between Pillars and Rangers on MatchDay 4 changed the dynamics and handed Enyimba the power to determine their fate as they flogged Lobi Stars 2-1 to mount the leadership.
Asked if he considers his squad a balanced side that can win the CAF Champions League, Abdallah responded, “this players worked hard to achieve this result and I have every confidence that with a lot more hard work, they can compete well on the continent”.
He would not be drawn into comparing the present squad with the previous squads that won the CAF Champions League back to back in 2003 and 2004 but explained that, “every team comes with their own potentials and strengths. There are no two squads that can be same and alike but what I know is that the players we have here are dedicated and hardworking. Yes, we are not ruling out scouting for some other players to add to the strength of the squad”.
It was the Coach’s second season at Enyimba having to inherit the side from Paul Aigbogun. The soft spoken coach said the title win is a fulfilment of his ambition to bring something to Enyimba.
“We should look at the win in the context of the entire team including the supporters who have stood by us. On personal note, I feel fulfilled that I am able to add to the laurels of Enyimba and it is a personal attainment for me”, remarked Abdallah who confided in a club staff that he would wish to join his family and savour the moments if he could enjoy that luxury.
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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