International Football
NIGERIA’S KELECHI NWAKALI RANKED AMONG PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR IN EGYPT 2019
Will the Egypt 2019 Africa Cup for the U23 throw up new stars? That will be determined as the competition, which enters its third edition kicks off this Friday.
Apart from the three tickets for the 2020 men’s football event that are at stake, already eyes are on the potential stars. Among those picked for special attention is Nigeria’s Kelechi Nwakali.
The midfielder was the Nigerian captain in the U-17 FIFA World Cup Chile 2015 where he guided them to their record fifth title, winning the Golden Ball in the process.
Currently featuring for the Spanish side, Huesca, will he live up to expectation? He is expected to be on parade with the Nigerian side, which take on Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday in a West African derby.
Also being focused on is Egypt’s Ramadan Sobhy, teammate of Nigeria’s Junior Ajayi at the fanatically supported Al Ahly of Cairo.
Sobhy, who had previously played in England
for Stoke City and Huddersfield Town was among Egypt squad in FIFA World Cup, Russia 2018. He also
was among The Pharaohs side
that finished Africa Cup of Nations Gabon 2017 as losing finalists. He played
in the previous edition of U-23 Africa Cup of Nations, Senegal 2015, scoring
once.
Squaring up against Sobhy in the opening match of the Egypt 2019 is Mali’s Aly Mallé. A winger with Turkish side, Balikesirspor, Malle won the bronze ball in the U-17 FIFA World Cup Chile 2015, scoring two goals and assisting as much as Mali finished the global tournament as runner ups.
Also to be on parade is Cameroon’s Eric Ayuk. Like Mali’sMallé, he also plays in Turkey. But his club is Osmanlispor.
He scored twice in the qualifiers. He is a regular starter with his Turkish side, and scored once in this season’s league.
The Ghanaian star to watch is Owusu Kwabena who plays for
Cordoba, in Spain. He has three caps with the Black Stars and was a part of Ghana squad in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, also in Egypt. He scored four goals in the U-23 AFCON qualifiers.
On Saturday when Nigeria takes on Cote d’Ivoire, the player to watch out for is Christian Kouamé. The player who wears shirt number 11 and features for Italian side, Genoa, scored twice in the qualifiers.
He has been in a brilliant form with Genoa, having scored five goals and assisted three in Serie A this season.
In the South African squad is Luther Singh who plays for Morirense in Portugal. He won the Golden Boot as top scorer of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Zambia 2017. He scored two goals in five caps with senior Bafana Bafana side.
The star player to watch out for in the Zambian squad is Patson Daka of Red Bull Salzburg in Austria. He was voted best player when Zambia won the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations at home in 2017. He won CAF Youth Player of the Year award for the same 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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