International Football
COTE D’IVOIRE FOOTBALLER FOUND DEAD ON RAIL TRACKS IN INDIA
Ivorian footballer, Diomande Aboubacar has been found dead on railway tracks on the Mumbai-Howrah route in Janjgir- Champa district of Chhattisgarh, in India, police said on Monday.
His mutilated body was recovered from the tracks near Baradwar railway station on August 9 night, Sub-divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Champa area Udyan Behar reportedly said. .
According to the officer, a cellphone in his pocket, helped police establish his identity.
The images of documents related to him were found in his mobile phone, he said.
Initial investigation suggests Aboubacar was granted a visa in July for playing football in India. He most probably landed in Mumbai on August 8 and was on way to join his teammates in Kolkata by a train, the officer said.
The 31-year-old played as a midfielder for Asec Mimosa in Abidjan.
The officer said prima facie it appears Aboubacar died after falling off the train but more details would be known after investigation is completed.
Also, it was not clear by which train he was travelling, Behar said.
The police had contacted Railway officers in Howrah to enquire about recovery of any missing bags in Mumbai-Howarh trains, but so far no inputs have been received in this regard, he said.
“We have contacted his friends in Delhi and have also spoken to his brother and informed him about the incident,” the SDOP said, adding so far nobody has come to claim his body, which has been kept in a morgue of Baradwar.
The district police have also informed the Cote d’Ivoire Embassy in New Delhi, but they were yet to respond, he added.
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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