International Football
‘World Cup War’: Black Stars claim Super Eagles have sent spies to Ghana!
Understandably, a fixture of Nigeria and Ghana hold a big significance for both countries who have been rivals since 1951.
But this month’s back-to-back fixtures appear to be the biggest since both teams’ maiden encounter on 20 October 1951.
It is not just because it is a World Cup qualifying fixture as there have been such encounters in the past. But above all the previous match-ups, this month’s own is the ultimate as the aggregate winners go to the zenith of football competition – the World Cup, the very first in the Gulf Region and the first with the 36-team format.
It is therefore not a big surprise at manoeuvres and counter-manoeuvres allegedly by both camps.
According to Ghana, Nigeria have already begun their underground work and operations ahead of the 2022 World Cup playoff first leg against Ghana on March 25, 2022.
Ghana are expected to host Nigeria at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium before the second leg to be played at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja on March 29, 2022.
A report in Ghanasoccernet claims that Nigeria have sent spies and scouts to Ghana to monitor proceedings and preparations of the Black Stars team ahead of the game.
According to the report monitored by Sports Village Square, the delegation has been sent to Ghana to prepare grounds for the team before they arrive in the country on 23 March.
The reports has it that the members of the delegation are currently lodging at a plush hotel in East Legon.
“They will later move to Cape Coast to scout for a good hotel for the team and the travelling supporters.
“Last week it was reported that The Nigeria Football Federation has already requested for 10,000 tickets for the game against Ghana.
The three-time AFCON champions are hoping to beat the Black Stars in order to make their seventh World Cup appearance this year in Qatar.”
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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