International Football
Banyana coach looks forward to Falcons’ challenge
Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis says her side will be ready to face old foe Nigeria when the teams clash in the Aisha Buhari Cup on Tuesday.
Hosts Nigeria secured a 2-0 win over Mali in their opener, while Bayana completed an excellent 3-0 victory over Ghana to signal their potential.
The exhibition tournament, which features the leading sides on the continent, is being used to fine-tune squads ahead of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month, which in turn begin the long road to 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification.
“We have to make sure we get the plan right, we know what Nigeria is capable of. They are not the number one team in Africa for nothing. They have shown their pedigree over many years,” Ellis said.
“We have to stay on top of our game and make sure we stayed focussed. The game we played against Ghana helped the team settle a bit more.”
Ellis suggested there would not be too many changes for the Nigeria clash, which will be their last before a mostly home-based squad competes in the 2021 Cosafa Women’s Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay from next Tuesday.
“We are always looking at playing other players and giving others an opportunity, but we also want to win the game. You want to put your best lineup on the field and then make the changes from there.
“We have looked at a few areas of how we can do things differently, we will decide what we are going to do and how best it will suit the team. But our players are ready to step up, it doesn’t matter who gets chosen.
“We have shown over the last few years that we trust the players and that is the most important thing. If the player gets given an opportunity I am sure they will rise up.
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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