International Football
FROM FOES TO FRIENDS; SUAREZ CALLS JUVE CAPTAIN HE BIT AT BRAZIL 2014
It’s been six years since the infamous biting of Italian player, Giorgio Chiellini by Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez. Now the duo will be teammates at Juventus where Chiellini is the captain.
According to Daily Mail in UK, Suarez phoned Chiellini to clear the air as the outcast Barcelona striker inches nearer to joining Juventus.
It will be recalled that in the Uruguay’s 0-1 loss to Italy at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, Suarez infamously bit the shoulder of Chiellini. Even though Suarez escaped the red card as the referee did not see the incident that was captured on camera, he was later banned for four months for the savage attack.
Now, according to Italian publication, La Gazzetta dello Sport, Suarez has spoken to Chiellini, who is Juve’s captain, as he aims to put the incident behind them and move on as potential team-mates.
Suarez is set to sign a contract worth £9m per year after tax – the same wage he earns at Barcelona. Despite the disgraceful nature of Suarez’s bite, Chiellini has since shrugged off the incident.
He said: ‘Suddenly I noticed he had bit my shoulder.
‘It just happened, but this is his contact strategy in hand-to-hand combat and, if I may say so, it is mine too.
‘He and I are similar.’
Despite laughably trying to claim that Chiellini had injured his teeth with his shoulder Suarez later took responsibility for his actions.
Suarez said: ‘I admit I was wrong, but I am a human being.
‘Each player has his own style of play, his own character and this got me where I am now.’
Juventus are set to land Suarez in a deal worth just £4.4million as Barcelona continue their summer clearout under new boss Ronald Koeman.
At 33 years old, Barca are keen to move on the striker in a bid to ease their wage bill and Juventus are hopeful a cut-price deal for the former Liverpool hitman can be done within the next three weeks, in time for the start of the new Serie A campaign.
According to Sky Sports Italia, Juventus are hoping that with Suarez in their team alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala they could field one of the best front threes in Europe.
Juventus have excellent relations with Barcelona and are confident an agreement for Suarez’s move to the Allianz Stadium can be arranged swiftly.
Suarez has already agreed a three-year-deal with Juve worth around £9million per year with bonus clauses to be added.
However, the deal could be held up by Suarez’s financial demands from the Nou Camp outfit.
It is understood the Uruguay hitman is demanding £22m in severance pay and is not willing to negotiate lowering his request.
Suarez’s contract at the Nou Camp expires next summer having joined them six years ago from Liverpool.
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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