International Football
NIGERIA’S FLAMINGOS AWAIT WINNERS OF DR CONGO AND RWANDA IN U17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION SERIES
Like their elder sisters – Falcons and Falconets, the Nigerian U17 sides, Flamingos are drawn by in the opening round of the qualifying series for their age graded World Cup.
The Nigerian side will enter the race in the second of four-round series. They are programmed to face the winners of the DR Congo and Rwanda opening round clash as per the draw conducted at the CAF headquarters in Egypt on Monday for the African qualifiers of the FIFA U-17 Women World Cup, India 2022.
CAF Director of competitions Khaled Nassar conducted the draw, assisted by Egyptian footballer Nadine Ghazy.
Twenty nine teams will take part in the qualifiers which will determine CAF’s three places in the U-17global women’s event.
The first round includes the 10 less ranked teams and the remaining 19 will be exempted. 10 teams will play the first round to qualify five teams.
This qualifying phase will be contested in the form of four rounds organized in home and away matches.
Following are the results:
First Round:
(1st leg: 13, 14, 15 January 2022 – 2nd leg: 27, 28, 29 January 2022)
M1 – Eritrea v South Sudan
M2 – Equatorial Guinea v Kenya
M3 – DR Congo v Rwanda
M4 – Senegal v Sierra Leone
M5 – Benin v Mauritania
Second Round
S1 – Winner M1 v Cameroon
S2 – Zambia v Namibia
S3 – Djibouti v Burundi
S4 – Tanzania v Botswana
S5 – Winner M2 v South Africa
S6 – Uganda v Ethiopia
S7 – Egypt v Guinea Bissau
S8 – Winner M 3 v Nigeria
S9 – Liberia v Guinea
S10 – Winner M 4 v Ghana
S11 – Niger v Sao Tome
S12 – Winner M 5 v Morocco
Third Round
T1 – Winner S1 v Winner S2
T2 – Winner S3 v Winner S4
T3 – Winner S5 v Winner S6
T4 – Winner S7 v Winner S8
T5 – Winner S9 v Winner S10
T6 – Winner S11 v Winner S12
Fourth Round
Winner T1 v Winner T2
Winner T3 v Winner T4
Winner T5 v Winner T6
Aggregate winners qualify to represent Africa in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022
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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