International Football
FLASHBACK: VINCENT ENYEAMA ON TRAGIC DAY DEBUT FOR SUPER EAGLES
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Even five years after his international retirement, Vincent Enyeama still holds the record of 101 caps in Nigeria’s Super Eagles. His last match was the Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifying duel with Chad in Kaduna on 13 June 2015.
Yet his record-setting appearances for Nigeria began on a day of national and sporting tragedy. He was a surprise starter when the Super Eagles faced the Harambee Stars of Kenya in a ceremonial farewell match as the team prepared to depart for Europe on the way to South Korea for the 2002 World Cup.
With everyone oblivious that the air crash in Kano on that 4 May 2002 fateful day had the sports minister, Ishaya Mark Aku on board and as a victim, the Super Eagles dressed up at their Eko Hotels abode to face the Kenyans.
Henry Nwosu, then one of the assistant coaches to Adegboye Onigbinde who was the Chief Coach, came into the room to request that the manager allow Enyeama to start the game.
Before then, Austin Ejide had been the first choice goalkeeper since Onigbinde took over the team three months earlier. Onigbinde was rebuilding a new Super Eagles after the sports minister had in February sensational disband the Africa Cup of Nations’ second runners-up and World Cup-bound team.
Enyeama was not the only debutant of the day. Osaze Odemwingie and Femi Opabunmi also played for the first time for the Super Eagles. Opabunmi, then a 17-year old 2001 Golden Eaglets’ graduate was not just a scoring debutant, he featured in the goalless draw with England at the World Cup.
It was also in that match that Vincent Enyeama played the first of his eight World Cup matches across three editions in 2002, 2010 and 2014.
At the June 12, 2002 match with England, Enyeama was a titan and kept a clean sheet in what was his third match with the Super Eagles. He stood out against an England side that paraded stars like David Beckham, Michael Owens and Rio Ferdinand.
It was in similar fashion that Enyeama denied the legendary Lionel Messi several scoring chances at the 2010 World Cup.
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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