International Football
It’s another titanic South Africa -Nigeria clash in women’s football as Mamelodi clash with Balyesa Queens

Sworn rivals, Nigeria and South Africa again clash today in women’s football as CAF President owned South African outfit, Mamelodi Sundown face Bayelsa Queens in a Group B match of the African Women’s Championship match in Marrakech, Morocco.
South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns are the defending champions. In recent time, matches in women’s football have seen the South Africans having the edge over Nigeria.
The latest was the Falcons versus Bayana Bayana duel in Morocco earlier this year in the CAF Women’s Cup of Nations.
Bayelsa Queens are debutants in the competition that has just entered its second edition. But owing to Nigeria’s stature in women’s football, today’s match is seen as a kind of early final.
Bayelsa Queen’s captain, Uzoamaka Igwe already knows the enornimity of the clash.
She told CAF media: “I know is not going to be easy. Mamelodi Sundowns are here as the champions and will give us a difficult match but we have prepared well and trained hard to do well in the tournament.”
Her statememnt is underlined by the determination of the defending champions.
Jerry Tshabalala, their coach remarked: “When we came year last year, the idea was for us to win the championship, we are back again, and want to defend our title.
“We’ve won our [South African ]league three times in a row, and we hope to be the first team to win the Women’s Champions League title back-to-back. Against Bayelsa Queens, we understand the challenge that we will face and also know what to expect.”
The defending champions are however not taking things for granted. “Playing against a Nigerian club like Bayelsa Queens is going to be tough but we are not coming to underestimate any team in this competition” remarked Lelona Daweti, striker of Mamelodi Sundowns.
” We are trusting ourselves and our coaches. So, we will come out to do our best, and play our good football as Mamelodi Sundowns and the rest will follow.
Among the players listed by Bayelsa Queen is Edidiong Etim, scorer of Nigeria’s second goal in the six-goal thriller with Germany in Sunday’s third place match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
It is doubtful, if she will be availaible for tonight’s potential thriller with the South Africans.
International Football
Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

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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International Football
Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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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International Football
Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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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