International Football
THRICE IN A ROW, NIGERIA’S FALCONS MISS OUT FROM OLYMPIC GAMES
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nine-time record-making African Champions, Super Falcons of Nigeria have again failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the third time in a row.
The Nigerian side, which hitherto could boast as the best side in Africa, last qualified for the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing.
They failed to qualify for both London 2012 and Rio 2016. They have now completed the cycle by failing to make it to the Tokyo 2020.
Thy struggled to hold a rampaging Ivorian side to 1-1 draw at home and thus exited the qualifying series via the away-goal rule having played a barren draw in Abidjan last week.
Going by the pedigree of the Nigerian team which scored two cancelled goals in the way match last week, a deluge of goals was expected from them, recalling the ancient past when they littered the African football fields with the carcasses of destroyed teams.
Alas, it was a sheer dream as it was the Ivorians who kicked off that dictated the pace with quality moves and deft ball controls.
Their approach to the game, unlike the lackadaisical attitude of the Super Falcons soon paid off as Nina Kapho found the tight angle of the Nigerian net from a right-sided free kick in the 12th minute.
There are then panicky football ensued on the part of the Nigerian side as more pressure mounted on the defence line while supply of serviceable passes were cut off, leaving skipper and point-person upfront, Asisat Oshoala stranded most of the time.
But in a breakaway move in the 34th minute, Oshoala leveled for Nigeria to lift the hope of a possible qualification. But lack of cohesion and the greater determination of the Ivorians prevented any other goal.
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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