International Football
AFTER EARLIER N4MILLION INCENTIVES, AHMED MUSA CHARGES OLYMPIC EAGLES TO GO FOR WIN IN SUDAN
Super Eagles’ captain, Ahmed Musa, who last March donated four million Naira to Nigeria Olympic Eagles for beating Libya has charged the team to go all out and make the nation proud as they intensified preparations for the final round of this year’s U23 AFCON qualifiers against Sudan.
Musa made the call when he showed up at the team’s training session at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja on Sunday evening.
The Eagles’ skipper added that with hard work and dedication, the team could beat Sudan in Omdurman to stand a bright chance to qualify for the forthcoming U23 AFCON in Egypt.
“I am here to encourage and pledge my support to you due to the importance of the game ahead of you.
“I have played for the U23 before making my debut for the Super Eagles in 2010, and with dedication, hard work and grace of God, today I’m the Super Eagles captain.
“Nigeria is blessed with a lot talented footballers. I am the captain of the Super Eagles not because I am better than most of the players but due to dedication and hard work. I urge you to go all out and beat Sudan because the game serves as Olympic qualifiers.”
The Imama Amapakabo –led team is expected to depart the shores of the country early next week, with the first leg billed for Thursday, 5th September at the Al Merriekh Stadium in Omdurman.
The return leg will hold in Asaba, Delta State on Tuesday, 10th September. Winners over two legs between Nigeria and Sudan will qualify for the 3rd Africa U23 Cup of Nations, scheduled for Egypt 8th – 22nd November this year.
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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