International Football
First silverware-eyeing Ghana calls 30 players to camp for Aisha Buhari Cup

Ghana women’s national team which is yet to win any major international honour despite the country’s high profile in African football is leaving no stone unturned in the quest for honours at the Aisha Buhari Cup tournament in Lagos.
The Head Coach Mercy Tagoe-Quarcoo has invited 30 players to the camp of the Black Queens in preparation for the maiden edition of the invitational tournament taking place in Lagos, from 13th to 21st September.
Ghana play in Group B of the tournament against Cameroon and South Africa. In the roster, there are 22 home–based professionals and eight foreign-based players, including team captain Elizabeth Addo and Grace Asentawaa of Spanish club, Real Betis.
THE FULL SQUAD
Fafali Dumehasi (Police Ladies), Kerrie McCarthy (Kumasi Sports Academy), Mary Neequaye (Immigration Ladies), Abigail Tawiah Mensah (Berry Ladies), Victoria Antwi-Agyei (Kumasi Sports Academy), Gladys Amfobea (Lady Strikers), Beatrice Sesu (Police Ladies), Jaqueline Asamoah (Kumasi Sport Academy), Ellen Coleman (Lady Strikers), Janet Egyir (Hasaacas Ladies), Linda Eshun (Hasaacas Ladies), Janet Adu Agyemang (Fabulous Ladies), Philicity Asuako (Police Ladies), Nina Norshie (Berry Ladies) Justice Tweneboa (Ampem Darkoa Ladies), Mary Essiful (Soccer Intellectuals), Grace Adams (Berry Ladies), Henrietta Annie (Police Ladies), Monica Addai (Berry Ladies), Rashida Ibrahim (Berry Ladies), Elizabeth Owusua (Sea Lions), Milot Pokua (Hasaacas Ladies), Sophia Agyarkwa (Soccer Intellectuals), Vivian Adjei Konadu (Thunder Queens), Sonia Opoku (Ampem Darkoa Ladies), Veronica Appiah (Hasaacas Ladies), Naomi Animah (Kumasi Sports Academy)
Foreign-Based: Jennifer Cudjoe (Gotham FC), Grace Asentewaa (Real Betis Feminas), Wasila Diwura Soale (LSU), Elizabeth Addo (Djurgaden IF), Portia Boakye (Djurgaden IF), Eunice Beckman Nketiah (FC Cologne), Alice Kusi (ZFK Spartak), Priscilla Adubea (Racing Santander)
International Football
Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
International Football
Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
International Football
Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
BREAKING: At last FIFA’s Axe falls on South Africa!
- World Cup1 week ago
South Africa to Appeal FIFA Ruling Over Mokoena Eligibility Case
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Super Eagles Set for Double Friendly Showdown with Venezuela and Colombia in USA
- World Cup6 days ago
FIFA Sanction on South Africa Offers Super Eagles a Lifeline — But a Lesson from History Looms
- World Cup1 week ago
Sport Minister Orders Probe into SAFA over Bafana’s Costly Points Deduction
- CAF Confederation Cup1 week ago
Asante Kotoko End Kwara United’s Confederation Cup Campaign in Abeokuta
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Two penalty appeal lost as Flying Eagles stumble at first hurdle
- World Cup4 days ago
Super Eagles Walk Tightrope as Nine Key Players Risk Suspension in World Cup Qualifiers