International Football
TOKYO 2020 QUALIFIERS: FIFA APPOINTS MALIAN, IVORIAN OFFICIALS FOR SUPER FALCONS
World football –ruling body, FIFA has appointed officials from Mali to take charge of the 2020 Olympics Women’s Football Tournament qualifying match between Nigeria and Algeria in Blida on Wednesday, 28thAugust 2019.
The Algeria Football Federation has scheduled the match for the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida (outside Algiers), to kick off at 7pm Algeria time (same time as in Nigeria).
Teneba Bagayoko will be the referee, with her compatriots Mariam Coulibaly (assistant referee 1) and Djeneba Dembélé (assistant referee 2) also on duty. The fourth official will be Dorsaf Ganouati from Tunisia while Mana Dzodope from Togo will serve as referee assessor and Oumou Kane from Mauritania will be the match commissioner.
For the return leg in Nigeria, which the Nigeria Football Federation has scheduled for the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Tuesday, 3rd September 2019, starting from 4pm, FIFA has appointed Zomadre Kore from Cote d’Ivoire to be the referee.
Her compatriots Lou Ta (assistant referee 1), Denise Akoua (assistant referee 2) and Fatoumata Kra (fourth official) will join her on the assignment. Ghanaian Emmanuella Aglago will serve as referee assessor and Cameroonian Souadatou Kalkaba will be match commissioner.
Head Coach Thomas Dennerby has been drilling 30 home-based Super Falcons in training sessions at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja for the past one week, with a half dozen overseas –based professionals expected to join the team before they fly out to Algeria on Sunday, 25th August.
Nigeria has not participated in the Women’s Football Tournament of the Olympics since Beijing, China in 2008. The Falcons failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
30 FALCONS IN CAMP FOR ALGERIA
Goalkeepers: Jonathan Alaba (Bayelsa Queens); Christy Ohiaeriaku (Delta Queens); Tochukwu Oluehi (Rivers Angels); Chiamaka Nnadozie (Rivers Angels)
Defenders: Glory Ogbonna (Ibom Angels); Chidinma Okeke (FC Robo); Abidemi Ibe (Bayelsa Queens); Ugochi Emenayo (Nasarawa Amazons); Margaret Etim (Rivers Angels); Maryam Ibrahim (Nasarawa Amazons); Maureen Okpala (Confluence Queens); Joy Duru (Nasarawa Amazons)
Midfielders: Peace Efih (Rivers Angels); Osarenoma Igbinovia (Bayelsa Queens); Amarachi Okoronkwo (Nasarawa Amazons); Cecilia Nku (Rivers Angels); Adebisi Saheed (Bayelsa Queens); Cynthia Aku (Rivers Angels); Regina Otu (Pelican Stars); Celine Ottah (Bayelsa Queens)
Forward: Adejoke Ejalonibu (Nasarawa Amazons); Rafiat Sule (Rivers Angels); Joy Bokiri (Bayelsa Queens); Alice Ogebe (Rivers Angels); Nneka Julius (Edo Queens); Tessy Biahwo (Bayelsa Queens); Lola Phillip (Nasarawa Amazons); Mary-Magdalene Anjor (Bayelsa Queens); Rofiat Imuran (Sunshine Queens); Joy Jerry (Bayelsa Queens)
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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