International Football
BRAZIL, AUSTRALIA BID FOR 32-TEAM WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
BY LIAM MORGAN
Australia and Brazil have confirmed their respective bids for the 2023 Women’s World Cup are unaffected by the expansion of the tournament from 24 to 32 teams.
The addition of eight teams, approved by the FIFA Council this week, meant world football’s governing body effectively had to re-open the bidding process for the event.
FIFA has extended the deadline for bids for the 2023 World Cup to be submitted from October to December as a result.
The organisation’s ruling Council is also set to announce the hosts of the tournament in May 2020, two months later than originally planned.
Nine bids were submitted – from Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and a joint effort from North and South Korea – by the initial deadline.
But it is feasible countries may have to drop out of the race owing to the additional pressure the eight extra teams will put on the host country.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) was the first to reiterate its intention to stage the 2023 World Cup.
“Australia stands ready to work with FIFA to deliver an historic 32 nation FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023,” said FFA chairman Chris Nikou.
“FFA will await the updated documentation from FIFA and, once received, will work diligently with relevant stakeholders to adjust features of our original and ongoing planning to address the expanded competition requirements.”
The Brazilian Football Confederation has also confirmed it is able to host a 32-team tournament.
The 32 nations will be split into eight groups of four at the finals, mirroring the format of the men’s World Cup between 1998 and 2018.
United States are the current women’s world champions after they beat The Netherlands 2-0 in the final in France last month.
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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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