International Football
AMUNEKE NAMED BRAND AMBASSADOR
Leading soccer scouting and marketing application, Al Haddaf, has named former African Footballer of the Year Emmanuel Amuneke as its ambassador.
The innovative Al Haddaf was designed in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic in order to expose budding talents across the continent via the app to affiliate clubs across Europe and other parts of the world.
Based in Cairo where Amuneke made name with Zamalek during his heyday, Al Haddaf according to the erstwhile Super Eagles forward, is a good platform to market players and coaches with ease without the exigencies of travelling for trials.
“Al Haddaf is a genuine platform and one of the reasons I’m partnering with them is due to the fact that it offers many young African players unrestricted access to foreign scouts since travelling is becoming a major issue across the world as a result of COVID-19,” stated the former Barcelona winger. “There are millions of talents on the continent but very few have the chance of travelling out for trials with clubs in Europe particularly at this period.
“By registering on Al Haddaf, many players would have the opportunity to be seen without even stepping outside their community. This is a big advantage for them and I can only enjoin them to take the opportunity since they are going to register with just a token.”
Meanwhile, it should be of interest that players and coaches have the chance of uploading their profile, images and videos once their registration is completed.
The management team of Al Haddaf will select five players with best videos on a monthly basis and recommend to top European clubs for consideration. The Al Haddaf app in the meantime, would be up and running from February.
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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