International Football
ROAD TO TOKYO 2020: NIGERIA TO FIRE ALL CYLINDERS AT COTE D’IVOIRE
Cup holders, Nigeria will refuse to negotiate dropping any of the three points when they confront the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Cairo in Saturday’s opener to Group B of the 3rd Africa U23 Cup of Nations.
The tantalizing West African derby will unfold at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo – the same venue where the Super Eagles picked up the bronze medals of the 32nd AFCON after beating Tunisia 1-0 in July – as from 3pm Egypt time (2pm in Nigeria).
Coach Imama Amapakabo has been able to welcome the majority of his listed overseas-based professionals, and with the complement of glory –hungry home-based professionals, expects to brush aside the challenge of the Ivorians, Zambia and South Africa in the group phase.
On Thursday, the Nigeria camp received a morale boost when top officials of the Nigeria embassy in Cairo, led by Abubakar Sadiq Muhammad, visited the team to deliver the message of the ambassador, Professor Dandatti Abdulkadir, OFR.
“On behalf of the Nigerian Ambassador to Egypt, Prof. Dandatti Abdulkadir, OFR and the Nigerian Government, I welcome you you to Egypt and wish you a successful outing in the forthcoming U23 AFCON tournament. Football is a major unifying factor in our country, and I believe you will all make us proud starting with the game against Cote d’Ivoire.
“Our presence here is to make sure you are comfortable. We will be at the stadium on Saturday in order to give you our maximum support,” said Muhammad, in company with head of chancery Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Ghazali and Muhammad Tukur Garba, administrative officer.
The Nigeria U23 contingent spent six days in Ismailia fine-tuning preparations for the finals before arriving in Cairo on Wednesday, where they are staying at the Novotel Hotel and Resorts.
Despite missing the services of substantive captain Azubuike Okechukwu and forward Taiwo Awoniyi for Saturday’s encounter, Amakapabo is bullish about the chances of his team against the fellow West Africans.
“We have players in camp here who are ready to give their all and do Nigeria proud any day, any time. We are quietly confident, and will take it one match at a time.
“We are quite aware that as defending champions, so much is expected of us. This team will throw everything into the battle and ensure it does not disappoint Nigerians.”
Former FIFA U17 World Cup –winning captain Kelechi Nwakali will be stand –in captain, and will be expected to supply the ammunition from the midfield for the strikers, including his former U17 team mate Orji Okwonkwo, to make hay at the fore.
The Nigeria team is brimming with hard workers, such as defenders Valentine Ozornwafor, Olisah Ndah, Sincere Seth and Anthony Izuchukwu, and midfielders Sunusi Ibrahim, Muyiwa Olabiran, Ndifreke Effiong.
England –based Tom Dele-Bashiru, who starred for the Nigeria U20 team at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland this year summer, will be expected to provide some top competition experience and steel in the middle.
Host nation Egypt will tackle Mali in Friday’s tournament opening match at the Cairo International Stadium from 4pm (3pm Nigeria time), before the two other Group teams Cameroon and Ghana clash at the same venue as from 6pm Nigeria time.
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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