International Football
Nigeria’s Jay Jay Okocha among World Cup draw assistants
Although the Super Eagles failed to make it to the 2022 World Cup, former captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha will be one of the eight stars that will assist when the draw for the final competition is made in Doha on Friday.
He is also joined by a former Super Eagles coach to the France ‘98 World Cup, Bora Milutinović a dual citizen of Serbia and Mexico.
The full line-up of assistants will also include Adel Ahmed MalAllah (Qatar), Ali Daei (IR Iran), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia). The event will be staged at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center and will get underway at 19:00 local time 6pm in Nigeria.
FIFA World Cup champions Cafu (Brazil) and Lothar Matthäus (Germany) will team up with six more assistants for the final draw to reveal the groups for the 2022 edition of football’s global showpiece.
“I am getting used to this, but it still gives me goosebumps,” said Cafu, who will be taking part in a final draw for the third time after also playing in three successive FIFA World Cup final matches in 1994, 1998 and 2002, winning the trophy twice.
“It is a sign that the World Cup is getting nearer. It is nearly 20 years since I became the last South American player to lift the World Cup and it is a memory I will always cherish. Playing at the World Cup, when your whole country comes to a standstill to watch the game, is incomparable.”
The other assistants also need little by way of introduction. Lothar Matthäus captained West Germany to victory in 1990. Jay-Jay Okocha was a playmaking midfielder who helped Nigeria qualify for their first FIFA World Cup in 1994 and won the Olympic title two years later, while Tim Cahill scored Australia’s first-ever FIFA World Cup finals goal against Japan in 2006 and also represented the Socceroos in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Bora Milutinović is the only coach to have managed at five consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup with different teams: Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), USA (1994), Nigeria (1998) and China PR (2002).
There will also be three famous faces from the Middle East among the draw assistants for the first FIFA World Cup in the region. The host country will be represented by Adel Ahmed MalAllah.
The former defender represented Qatar at the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1981, when they won the silver medal, and at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in 1984.
“I’m thrilled to be a draw assistant in my home country, and proud of Qatar. A FIFA World Cup in our region is a dream come true for every Arab footballer and football fan. This generation will make history on the pitch and we cannot wait to welcome the world here in just a few months’ time,” said MalAllah.
In 1982, Rabah Madjer set Algeria on their way to one of the biggest World Cup upsets in the tournament’s history when he scored the opening goal in his side’s 2-1 win over West Germany, whereas former IR Iran forward Ali Daei was the leading scorer in men’s international football until his remarkable tally of 109 goals was overhauled by Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in September 2021.
The eight draw assistants will be supported by a conducting team comprised of two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup™ champion Carli Lloyd, football pundit and former England player Jermaine Jenas, and British-Jamaican sports presenter Samantha Johnson.
“It will be a great honour to experience the World Cup atmosphere again, this time as a draw conductor for the men’s tournament. As a fan, I’ve been closely following the qualifiers, and as a former player, I can’t wait to share the stage with such legends of the game,” said Lloyd.
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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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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