International Football
FLASHBACK: SIASIA’S BIG MISS AS AUSTIN OKOCHA DEBUTS FOR SUPER EAGLES
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is 27 years today that maverick midfielder, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha made his Super Eagles’ debut. It was in a 2 March 1993 World Cup qualifying match Nigeria played against Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan.
One of the high points of the match was the possible goal chance that Samson Siasia lost in a match that could have given Nigeria a winning head-start in the triangular league involving Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria.
Nigeria lost the match as the hosts came from a goal down to win 2-1. Since, and for 13 years, Okocha was a recurring decimal in the Nigerian national team, making 70 appearances and also became the captain of the team.
Even though, like Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama who was also a skipper, he made appearances in three editions of the World Cup, Okocha is the Nigerian player with most appearances having featured in 11 of Nigeria’s World Cup matches.
Enyeama featured in eight, comprising of one at the 2002 edition, three in 2010 and four at Brazil 2014.
Okocha had earlier featured for the Flying Eagles in Nigeria’s failed title bid at the 1991 African Youth Championships in Mauritius.
Even though often well recalled, as the worst goal-miss is the 63rd minute chance for Nigeria to draw level in a World Cup match with South Korea in 2010 after the Korean goalkeeper was helplessly sprawling on the turf, Yakubu Aiyegbeni surprisingly missed target of an empty net from about three metres.
However, on this date, 2 May 1993, as Nigeria took the lead through Rashidi Yekini in an away World Cup qualifier against Cote d’Ivoire, the Super Eagles could have consolidated their lead mid way into the second half when a defence-splitting pass came to Samson Siasia.
With Ivorien goalkeeper, Alain Gouamene already beaten, Siasia blundered with the chance as he opted to convert it instead of passing to an unmarked and better-positioned Yekini.
Cote d’Ivoire later drew level and went ahead to win 2-1. Siasia returned home to be roundly vilified by fans and the press.
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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