International Football
Allegation of ‘black magic -juju’ rocks Black Stars!
There have been a wild accusation in the camp of Black Stars, Nigeria’s sole obstacle to the qualification for Qatar 2022 World Cup.
According to Ghanaweb, a renowned lawyer, Moses Foh Amoaning has alleged that players are rejecting to play for the Black Stars because of the use of black magic ‘juju’, saying the claim is not just a mere allegation.
Over the years, the use of ‘juju’ at the camp of the Black Stars has been constantly reported after every tournament.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, Foh-Amoaning said one of the major issues confronting Ghana football, more specifically the Black Stars is the alleged use of juju by some Black Stars players.
“I have told you Paul that coaching is only an aspect of the problem in Ghana football, we have the dynamics of the team itself and this juju bit is not something that you can push away. Because the juju thing pushes a lot of good players away,” he said.
“Even if you have a good coach, he is not going to play the game because if the players do not want to play, they will not do it and there is nothing you can do about it. And if the players wake up at night and they are being disturbed by a mallam, they will not play and that disrupts the chemistry of the team.”
When asked if the reports of juju in the camp of the Black Starts are true, he said “Of course it is true. You can also go and find out because you are a journalist but I’m telling you is true,” Moses Foh Amoaning told Paul Adom-Otchere.
The Black Stars exited the 2021 AFCON without winning a single game after being placed in a group that had Comoros, Gabon, and the Atlas Lions of Morocco.
The team will be hoping to make amend when they play Nigeria in the playoff of the 2022 World Cup next month.
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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