International Football
Austin Eguavoen takes charge as home-based Super Eagles begin training ahead of Mexico tie
Ahead of the international friendly match against México next month in Los Angeles USA, invited Home-based Super Eagles commenced preparations for the match yesterday in Abuja.
The 25 players invited for the assignment all turned up for the day-one training session which began in the morning with former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen, taking charge of the proceeding while Team’s manager Gernot Rohr observed from the stand with handful football fans also watching as the players underwent patience practice exercise.
The light session yesterday morning saw Enugu Rangers’ front man, Ibrahim Olawoyin scored the only goal of the match against Ikechukwu Ezenwa led side.
Rohr had surprised pundits when we invited entirely home-based players for the match but reports has it that most of the foreign-based players actually opted out and wanted their off season vacation and rest well for loaded program from their respective clubs and at same time prepare for next World Cup qualifying round of matches which will come up in September.
While it may by a wise decision to give room to domestic players for more exposure, an inside source disclosed that with most likely defeat against the team will no doubt has an adverse effect on the team in the next FIFA ranking when it is released next month.
Nigeria still maintained 32nd position in the ranking and third best on the continent with Senegal, Tunisia ahead of the team while current AFCON Champion, Algeria are fourth on the log.
Nigeria will play the Concacaf on July 3rd at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the stadium that staged the final match of USA 94 World Cup final which Brazil won on penalty shoot-out against Italy.
The team according to NFF, will train twice a day
Players in Camp
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Heartland FC); Shaibu Suleman (PKE FC Lagos); Nwabali Stanley Bobo (Lobi Stars)
Defenders: Olisa Ndah (Akwa United);
Tope Olusesi (Rangers International); Ifeanyi Anaemena (Rivers
United); Christopher Nwaeze (Kwara United); Enyinnaya Kazie (Rivers
United); Mohammed Zirkiflu (Plateau United);
Tebo Franklin Degaulle (Nasarawa United); Lawal Oriyomi Murtala (Kwara
United)
Midfielders: Anthony Shimaga (Rangers International); Seth Mayi (Akwa
United); Uche Nwasonaya (Plateau United); Samuel Nnoshiri (Katsina
United);
Forwards: Stephen Jude (Kwara United);
Ibrahim Olawoyin (Rangers International); Charles Ashimene (Akwa
United); Chinonso Ezekwe (Rangers International); Auwalu Ali Malam
(Kano Pillars); Neurot Emmanuel (Plateau United); Abdulmutalif Sanusi
(Katsina United)
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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