International Football
African quintet handed tricky 2022 World Cup groups
The five African countries at this year’s World Cup have been handed tricky groups at the tournament with Tunisia drawn to face world champions France while Cameroon will play five-time winners Brazil.
African champions Senegal will take on hosts the Netherlands in Group A with Ghana drawn in Group H to play Uruguay in what will be a repeat of the 2010 World Cup quarter-final.
Morocco will play Belgium, the second highest ranked side in the world as the Atlas Lions will take on the European side in Group F.
Africa’s biggest hope will be pinned on Senegal, who won the recent TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, as they will play hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
The Teranga Lions, led by captain Sadio Mane of Liverpool, have been in excellent form over the year, having won Africa’s flagship tournament when beating Egypt in the final in February before beating the same opponent last week to qualify for the competition.
The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia will face tougher opponents in Group D as they will play title holders France, Denmark and a team from one of the playoffs in the coming weeks.
Cameroon are in Group G to face South American giants Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland while Morocco will face Belgium, Canada and Croatia in Group F.
Ghana will be seeking a revenge over Uruguay who eliminated them at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa under controversial circumstances and they will also face Portugal and South Korea in Group H.
No two teams from the same continental association were put in the same group, except for European teams.
In the overall draw, former champions Germany and Spain will clash at this year’s tournament after they were put in in Group E with Japan and the winner of the intercontinental playoff between Costa Rica and New Zealand in June.
Another interesting group is Group B where England will face geopolitical rivals USA and Iran as well as a winner from a playoff that involves their neighbours Scotland and Wales.
The draw in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Friday was attended by more than 2,000 guests including the CAF leadership led by President Patrice Motsepe, representatives of the five African countries participating in the competition as well as several other African federations leaders.
The draw assistants featured some African legends Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha of Nigeria and Algeria’s Rabah Madjer as well as former World Cup winners Cafu and Lothar Matthaeus.
Nigerian music superstar, David ‘Davido‘ Adeleke, opened the event together with American star Trinidad Cardona and Qatari sensation Aisha as they performed the song, Hayya Hayya (Better Together) , which is the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 official soundtrack.
This was followed by the opening speeches by the FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who vowed a spectacular tournament.
“I feel proud and happy that the world will see Qatar as we promised. We will provide an exceptional World Cup in our Arab world,” Sheikh Al-Thani assured.
Hosts Qatar, who will be playing in their first World Cup, will take on Ecuador in the tournament’s opening game at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
The tournament gets underway on 21 November and the final is set for 18December, one week before Christmas.
Those Qatar 2022 groups in full
Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal
Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland/Wales/Ukraine
Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia
Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan
Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
-Cafonline
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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