International Football
SUPER EAGLES PLAYERS TO UNDERGO ANOTHER COVID-19 TEST TODAY
Ahead of the second international friendly match against Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on Tuesday in Austria, all the Super Eagles players, technical crew and the backroom staff will undergo another Covid-19 test this Monday.
According to ThisDay newspaper, the Media Officer of the team, Toyin Ibitoye said that the exercise is in-line with the protocol agreement by all the teams involved with friendly matches and all the players and officials are aware of the laid down rules.
When the test was conducted last Thursday before the Friday match against Algeria, the entire team had a clean bill of health.
“We are all aware of the development and not in any way new to us. While the technical staffs are going on with the plans for the match against Tunisia, the medical staffs has also put all in place that will ensure every member of the contingent goes through the mandatory process tomorrow (Monday).
According to him, the Head coach Gernot Rohr, still maintained the same protocol the team had before the match against Fennec of Algeria last Friday.
“We are looking forward to a good game against Tunisia and the players have put the lone goal loss to African champion Algeria behind them and are optimistic of coming out stronger in the final friendly match.
“All the players are acquainted with the global health challenge and because of this, the coach still maintained strict protocol rules with nose masks within the hotel, social distancing and regular sanitising after every outing outside of the hotel and training ground,” Ibitoye reportedly explained.
It is the second match of the Super Eagles this year, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down football globally since the month of March, just before a quick-fire double AFCON qualifying series with Sierra Leone that will now hold next month.
Nigeria, who capped four new players on Friday, lost 0-1 to African champions Algeria in a fast-paced friendly game in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Missing four of their regulars such as Wilfred Ndidi, Joe Ayodele-Aribo, Oghenekaro Etebo and marksman Victor Osimhen for different reasons, the team had to start with an unfamiliar midfield trio of Oluwasemilogo Ajayi, debutant Frank Onyeka and Alex Iwobi, with left back Zaidu Sanusi getting Coach Gernot Rohr’s nod ahead of regular Jamilu Collins to win his first cap.
The match against Tunisia will hold at the same venue at 7:30pm Nigerian time.
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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