International Football
MESSI, SUAREZ WARNED TO BOYCOTT ARGENTINA VS URUGUAY FRIENDLY IN ISRAEL
A clash between Argentina and Uruguay, that is expected to feature both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, is scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 19.
However, with Israel accused of multiple human right violations, there is always call for the boycott of public events taking place there.
This time is no different: a group of activists have gathered near Barcelona training ground on Friday while the team was training there on the late afternoon.
The protestors have asked Messi and Suarez to boycott the friendly in protest against the actions of Israeli authorities and in solidarity with Palestinians.
“You still have time to decide not to go,” the activists shouted outside of Joan Gamper Centre.
“Would you have gone to play in Apartheid South Africa?
“Don’t let them use you to cover up the war crimes of Israel, the match will be close to Gaza where footballers have been intentionally shot in the legs, do you want to be complicit in that?”
The protesters believe that the players have got their message ‘loud and clear’.
This is not the first time the attempt to organize a game featuring Messi in Israel meets a pushback.
Argentina national team was scheduled to play a friendly against Israel back in June 2018 in Jerusalem before going to the World Cup. However, after multiple protests, the game has been suspended.
Unconfirmed reports claim that Messi and Mascherano are the ones who pressured the AFA not to go ahead with the Israel game.
Messi also publicly expressed his support for the Palestinian cause back in 2014 when he pressed for the violence in the region to come to an end.
It remains to be seen how Argentina and Uruguay football associations will proceed with their decision about the game taking place in Israel.
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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