International Football
SUPER FALCONETS TO FACE EITHER EQ. GUINEA OR CAR IN RACE TO U20 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP IN COSTA RICA
Nigeria’s Super Falconets are among the eight teams that drew bye into the second round of the African qualifying series for the FIFA U-20 Women World Cup, Costa Rica 2022.
The Nigerian team will face the winners of the Round 1 tie involving Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic.
The draw was conducted this Monday 10 May at the CAF headquarters in 6 October City a satellite town to Cairo, Egypt.
CAF will have two representatives for the final tournament of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 2022.
However, a total of 40 teams decided to take part in the playoffs, a new record. The qualifying phase will take place in five (5) rounds organized in home and away matches.
CAF Director of competitions Khaled Nassar conducted the draw, assisted by Egyptian footballer Nadine Ghazy.
First Round
M1 – Djibouti v Eritrea
M2 – South Sudan v Rwanda
M3 – Eswatini v Mozambique
M4- Mauritania v Tunisia
M5- Niger v Benin
M6 – Togo v Mali
M7 – DR Congo v Sao Tome
M8 – Equatorial Guinea v Central African Republic
Second Round
S1 – Winner M1 v Tanzania
S2 – Burundi v Namibia
S3 – Angola v Botswana
S4 – Winner M2 v Ethiopia
S5 – Kenya v Uganda
S6 – Winner M3 v South Africa
S7 – Zambia v Malawi
S8 – Winner M4 v Ghana
S9 – Winner M5 v Morocco
S10 – Gambia v Burkina Faso
S11 – Winner M6 – Senegal
S12 – Guinea v Sierra Leone
S13 – Gabon v Guinea Bissau
S14 – Winner M7 v Cameroon
S15 – Egypt v Congo
S16 – Winner M8 v Nigeria
Three more rounds will follow, with two teams representing Africa in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Costa Rica 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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