International Football
ALBANIAN CLUB, KF TIRANA SACKS NIGERIA’S COACH NDUBUISI EGBO
The first African coach to take a team to the European Champions League, Ndubuisi Egbo, remained upbeat despite losing his job at KF Tirana just four matches into the new Albanian season.
The Nigerian, 47, led the club to their first league title in a decade back in July; becoming the first African coach to lead a European team to a league title and qualification to the Uefa Champions League or any European competition.
KF Tirana said the decision had been “taken due to poor performances in the last matches” and also thanked Egbo for “his dedication and title success last season”.
Egbo remained philosophical following his dismissal after losing the last two matches.
“I would like to thank the club for the opportunity to serve, which helped me become the first African to win a European title and end up managing in the Uefa Champions League and the Europa League,” Egbo told BBC Africa Sport.
“I don’t have any regrets or disappointment because I gave the maximum and the team did likewise, so I remain grateful to God for what we achieved and accomplished together.
“To the fans for their incredible and overwhelming support towards me and the team, I am grateful.
“The players for their wonderful and positive spirit all through our campaign last season, I say kudos to them all.
“Both those who made big impact and those with little impact, all of them as a team made it to happen with faith in God almighty. For now there is no regrets but grateful to all.”
From player to coach
Egbo won the Albanian league, the cup and Super Cup in three years as a player with KF Tirana.
After holding the coaching job on an interim basis many times before, he was appointed partway through the season in late 2019, with Tirana eighth in the 10-team division.
But the former Super Eagles keeper, who is a duel Nigerian-Albanian national, realised the local media had labelled his old team a ‘sinking ship’ got to work and swiftly turned things around by bringing a new attitude to the club.
Results improved as he guided the team to a 16-game unbeaten run, stepped things up by winning 20 out of 23 matches which culminated in FK Tirana being crowned the Kategoria Superiore champions in the 100th year of the club’s formation.
“It doesn’t happen by mistake that we pulled together and surprised the journalists who had written the team off,” said Egbo, who was dismissed after two wins and two defeats this season.
“I know it’s impossible to erase the history we created. For me as the first Nigerian, African to win a title in Europe. Creating more history by taking my team to Europe’s top two continental competitions cannot be erased.
“I know there are great days ahead in life. Better is not good enough, I believe the best is yet to come.”
A former Nigeria international who first came into prominence in south-eastern Enugu with NITEL Vasco da Gama, Egbo played for two of the premier teams in Lagos in NEPA and Julius Berger, before moving to Egypt to join Al-Masry.
He spent three years in the North African country and won the FA Cup there in 1998.
At international level, he earned a handful of caps and was part of Nigeria’s squad to consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2000 and 2002.
-BBC
French soccer icon Zinedine Zidane has agreed to take over his national team’s head coaching duties following this summer’s FIFA World Cup, ESPN reported Monday.
Zidane, 53, reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the Federation Francaise de Football to replace Didier Deschamps, who has held the role since 2012.
Zidane, who managed La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid for two stints (2016-18, 2019-21), has long been expected to eventually become the skipper for France.
As a player, the dynamic midfielder won the 1998 Ballon d’Or and was a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year (1998, 2000 and 2003). He helped France win the World Cup in 1998 and finish second in 2006. He was infamously sent off during the final of the 2006 World Cup when he headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest.
-Reuters
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The ‘Finalissima’ match between Spain and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East, while the South American side rejected multiple alternatives, UEFA said on Sunday.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forcing several sporting events to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The contest between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.
UEFA said they held discussions with the organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.
“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement.
Qatar’s Local Organising Committee said airspace disruption and travel restrictions led to the cancellation of its Qatar Football Festival, where the host country, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Serbia were also set to play friendly games this month.
The Football Association of Serbia later announced they would play away in Spain on March 27 and host Saudi Arabia four days later.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES REJECTED BY ARGENTINA
The Finalissima’s cancellation was not just about Qatar’s security concerns, however, with UEFA saying they explored other feasible alternatives, but they proved to be ‘unacceptable’ to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).
UEFA first offered to stage the match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid with a 50:50 split of supporters in the stadium.
A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs — at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America in 2028.
However, the AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.
“Ultimately, UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March… or on the alternative date of 30 March. This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.
SPAIN WERE READY TO PLAY
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said they had offered Argentina “all possible options” in collaboration with UEFA to ensure the match went ahead, adding that they had the organisational capacity to stage the clash on short notice.
“From the very outset, the Federation has expressed its absolute commitment to ensuring this match goes ahead, as it believes it brings prestige and international reputation at a crucial time in a World Cup year,” the RFEF said.
“Furthermore, it has worked tirelessly to achieve this. Spain was prepared to play, as has always been stated.”
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11.
The 2022 edition of the Finalissima was held at Wembley Stadium in London where Argentina beat Italy 3-0.
-Reuters
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Soccer chiefs from Europe and South America will hold a final meeting before a Thursday deadline to decide whether and where this month’s “Finalissima” between Spain and Argentina will be played, with London emerging as the leading candidate after doubts over Doha, multiple sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The match between European champions Spain and Copa America holders Argentina had been scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
However, it has become increasingly unlikely that Qatar will host the fixture after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) has been pushing for a swift resolution, mindful that the March international break is viewed as vital preparation ahead of the June-July World Cup in North America.
“I know that negotiations are underway,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told Spanish Public Radio (RNE) on Monday. “The first thing, as a society, is to stop the conflict, but once you are immersed in it and you don’t know how long it will last, the solution would be, as long as you can’t play there, to find another venue as soon as possible.
Wembley Stadium staged the previous edition in 2022, when Argentina beat Italy, but it is set to host England v Uruguay on March 27. London, however, has other stadiums capable of staging the showpiece, leaving the English capital as the most likely alternative should Doha be ruled out, sources confirmed.
ALTERNATIVE OPPONENTS CONSIDERED
While keen to face Argentina and high-profile players such as Lionel Messi, sources told Reuters that Spain had made clear their priority was not to waste the last window of international fixtures before the World Cup and they were already contemplating alternative opponents.
With Spain also due to face Egypt three days later, any change would require agreement between the RFEF and European soccer body UEFA, South American confederation CONMEBOL, global governing body FIFA and the Argentine FA (AFA).
The RFEF, AFA and UEFA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
A spokesperson for South American confederation CONMEBOL told Reuters that several meetings between the parties had taken place in recent days but did not confirm Thursday’s deadline or London as the preferred venue.
Madrid was initially proposed by the RFEF but rejected by the AFA, who preferred a neutral venue rather than giving Spain home advantage.
Morocco offered to stage the game, but the RFEF was unwilling to back their Mediterranean neighbours amid tensions behind the scenes over the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Morocco and Portugal will co-host. Both Spain and Morocco are campaigning to stage the final.
Miami was also considered, with Messi based there at Inter Miami, but Hard Rock Stadium is hosting the Miami Open tennis tournament at the same time.
-Reuters
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