International Football
FIFA HIGHLIGHTS NIGERIA’S BEACH SOCCER SENSATION, ABU AZEEZ
When Abu Azeez took to the pitch at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Dubai 2009, it felt like he was dreaming. By far the youngest player in the Nigeria team at just 15-years-old, earlier that year he had played beach soccer for the very first time.
Ten years later, he’s back and in a vastly different place as he prepares for the Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay as the second-oldest player in the Nigeria squad.
“I used to look up to senior players and veterans but now 95 per cent of the team are looking up to me and hoping to learn from me,” Azeez told FIFA.com from Asuncion. “I have so many responsibilities now—it’s a big difference than ten years ago.”
Azeez, who is the first Nigerian to score 100 goals for the national team, is getting his team ready to face Portugal, Oman and holders Brazil in Group D.
“I enjoy being a leader, but it’s not as easy as I thought,” he said. “When everyone is down, you have to be up. I enjoy it because I’m growing as a man. When I stop playing, the lessons I’ve learned from here will transfer into my life in general, and it will help me a lot. Players have different attitudes and qualities and you need to cope with everyone.”
Early in his career Azeez was a point man, with the more experienced players behind him, but he’s had to adapt his game to be more versatile. Now his role is to orchestrate play from deep positions, ready to play anywhere that the Super Sand Eagles need.
“I’ve learned all about positioning from the Brazilians like Benjamin, Bruno Malias and Buru—they don’t have a specific position, but they attack and defend; that’s the best way to play beach soccer.”
The captain of the Super Sand Eagles is a real student of the game. He regularly watches live streams of other tournaments around the world and sends clips to his team-mates to study and to instruct them on specific tactical points.
“We need to be extremely smart to overcome these teams. If we utilise our strengths and take our chances, we should surpass our performance in the Bahamas in 2017.”
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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