International Football
Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Uzoho part ways with Apoel FC
Francis Uzoho and Apoel FC have parted ways by mutual consent, the Cypriot First Division club has announced.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper will continue his career elsewhere despite having two years left on his current contract.
After completing his loan spell at AC Omonia, the Nigeria international joined the Legend in July 2020 on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
His maiden game for Apoel was a 3-0 triumph over Ermis Aradippou before injury crept in to miss the crucial games which his team lost.
During the 2020-21 campaign, Uzoho featured in 18 league matches as Sofronis Avgousti’s men finished third on the log.
While no reason was given for the mutual termination of the contract, the club wished the African star all the best for his future.
“The company Apoel Football (public) limited announces the completion of its cooperation with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho,” a statement from the club website read.
“We wish Francis the best of luck.”
Uzoho is expected to announce his next destination in the coming days. Currently, he is in Gernot Rohr’s squad ahead of this month’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.
He would be looking forward to displacing Maduka Okoye and Daniel Akpeyi to man the post of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winners when they square up against Peter Butler’s Liberia on Friday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.
It will be recalled that Francis Uzoho was shown a straight red card for the first time in his career on April 2, 2019, during his spell at Anorthosis Famagusta.
Even at that, his team cruised to a 3-0 win over Alki Oroklini in a Cypriot First Division fixture.
The former Deportivo La Coruna goalie has come under intense criticism in recent times from a section of fans who feel he is older than the age he claims.
In his response, however, he stated those criticising him don’t know him when he was growing up, revealing he had a small stature.
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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