International Football
WILFRED NDIDI IS DOUBTFUL FOR NIGERIA’S WORLD CUP QUALIFIER OPENER
Strong indications have emerged that English Premier League side Leicester City is seek to stop recuperating Nigerian midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi from playing in the opening group match for Super Eagles when the African qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup s underway in the last week of March.
The draws ceremony for the African group stage matches will hold next week Tuesday in Cairo Egypt where all the three opponents of the Super Eagles would be known but the first stage of the matches will run from 21st-28th of March this year.
Meanwhile, the absence of the injured Ndidi has created a major gap in the English side quest for another UEFA Champions League slot next season for England with 1-2 loss at home to Southhampton last weekend and now third on the ladder with Manchester City replacing them as second to run away Liverpool FC.
The surprise EPL Champions three years ago are sweating over the injury suffered by Ndidi, which will see the midfielder miss at least two months on the sideline.
Ndidi’s expected return from injury will be likely the end of February and with Nigeria set to begin the race for the World Cup 2022 in Qatar in March.
According to sources, Leicester City feel Ndidi’s injury is related to the high amount of games he has played since the start of the year and deserve a rest which he could stretch to March during FIFA window.
Ndidi is expected to the back late next month and Leicester FC aim is to keep him fresh for the rigorous run at the peak of the season and feared relapse on the injury most especially if he plays for Nigeria on hard surface in African qualifying matches.
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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