International Football
BRAZIL TO FACE NIGERIA’S SUPER EAGLES AND SENEGAL NEXT MONTH
Brazilian team will play against Senegal and Nigeria at the National Stadium of Singapore, on October 10th and 13th. Sports Village Square got the information from the Brazilian football federation website.
The football organization also made the announcement on its twitter handle.
According to the Brazilian FA website, Senegal and Nigeria are “two of Africa’s main forces today”.
That explains why the Brazilians decided to utilize the next FIFA window for the matches. The National Stadium of Singapore, reopened in 2014 with a capacity of 55,000 fans, will be the scene of the clashes scheduled for the 10th and 13th, at 8pm local time (9am Brasilia).
On October 10, 2019, the Brazilian National Team will play their first ever game against Senegal. Best African team in the FIFA Ranking, Senegalese are in the 20th position of the classification.
Three days later, on October 13, Brazil and Nigeria (33rd in the FIFA Ranking) face off on the same stage. It will only be the second major squad match against the Nigerians. The first was in 2003, with a 3-0 Brazilian victory in Abuja, the Nigerian capital. Gil, Luís Fabiano and Adriano scored the goals of the triumph.
The opposing teams come from good results in 2019. Senegal and Nigeria finished second and third respectively in the June and July African Cup of Nations. The choice is in line with the concept established between the president of the organization and the Brazilian National Technical Commission, to play against top 50 opponents of the FIFA ranking whenever possible.
– We chose two of the best African teams because they are high level confrontations and against a school that the Brazilian National Team has had few encounters in recent years. It was a wish of the Technical Commission, so we went after these opponents – commented the Coordinator of the Team, Juninho Paulista.
Under coach Tite, Brazil faced only one African team. In November 2018, with a goal from Richarlison, defeated Cameroon. The match was held in Milton Keynes, England, and marked the season’s end for the team.
This will be the second pass of the Brazilian National Team through the refurbished National Stadium of Singapore. In October 2014, also in a friendly period, Brazil defeated Japan 4-0, with four goals from Neymar, for an audience of approximately 51,000 people.
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers