International Football
TODAY IN HISTORY: NIGERIA DEBUT IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
It is 60 years today since the Nigeria football team made its debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup qualifying series.
The Nigerian side, then simply known as the Red Devils were part of the six African sides that entered for the Chile ’62 World Cup.
The others were Ghana, Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan and the United Arab Republic, a short-lived union of Egypt and Syria.
The six African teams were divided into three groups of two teams and were to play on home and away basis. The three group winners were to go on a triangular league also on home and away basis.
The winner then advanced for a play-off for a final place with a European team. Nigeria parading a galaxy of stars like Godwin Achebe, Fabian Duru, Amusa Shittu, Dejo Fayemi, Asuqu Ekpe and Dan Anyiam were drawn against traditional rivals, Ghana.
So, on this date, 28 August 1960, in Accra, Nigeria lost their maiden World Cup qualifiers 4-1 to Ghana.
The Black Stars were truly at home, opening scoring in the 18th minute through Edward Acquah.
They doubled the lead in the 44th minute through Edward Boateng. Dejo Fayemi enters the record books as Nigeria’s first scorer in a World Cup qualifying match when he scored in the 50th minute to reduce the tally to 2-1.
Since Fayemi’s curtain raiser, there have been 176 other World Cup qualifying goals by Nigeria, taking the total haul to 177 as at the end of Russia 2018 qualifying series.
The milestone 100th goal was scored by Victor Agali in the 67th minute of Nigeria’s defeat of Sudan on 27 January 2001 in Port Harcourt.
In the Nigeria’s debut in the World Cup qualifying series, after Fayemi pulled a goal back, Ghana went ahead with two quick goals from Edward Aggrey Fynn in the 54th minute and Mohammed Salisu in the 55th minute brought the score line to 4-1.
When Nigeria beat Algeria 3-1 in one of the qualifying matches for Russia 2018, it was another milestone game as it was Nigeria’s 100th World Cup qualifying match.
As at the end of the qualifiers for Russia 2018, no African side has racked up as many qualifying victories as Nigeria, whose overall record of 58 wins from 104 games equates to a win rate of 55.76 per cent.
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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