International Football
Bayelsa Queens on redemption mission against TP Mazembe
Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens who narrowly lost 2-1 to defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns in the Group B opening match of the CAF Women’s League in Morocco will attempt to bounce back into reckoning when they face TP Mazembe at the Grand Marrakech this evening.
The match kicks off at 8pm, Nigerian time.
Both teams are meeting for the first time. This game also represents the first time that a team from the Democratic Republic of Congo will face a team from Nigeria at the CAF WCL.
It will be the second meeting between teams from the UNIFFAC Zone and WAFU Zone at the CAF Women’s Champions League, the only previous such clash saw Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana defeat Malabo Kings of Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in their opening game at the 2021 tournament at the 30th June Stadium in Cairo on 5th November 2021.
At the 2021 tournament the UNIFFAC Zone representative Malabo Kings resurrected their tournament in their second group game against Wadi Degla, after losing their first game they won their second 3-0 which helped them eventually reach the semi-finals as they drew their final game 1-1 against AS Mandé of Mali.
Like their counterparts Rivers Angels who were Nigeria’s first representatives last year, Bayelsa Queens began the 2022 CAF Women’s Champions League with a 2-1 loss against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.
They will be looking to avoid the same fate as Rivers Angles who lost both their opening games in 2021, as they lost 3-0 to AS FAR and then 1-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.
Bayelsa Queens managed to become the first team to score a goal against defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies when Mary Anjor scored in the 81st minute of their 2-1 loss against the South African club.
Sundowns Ladies had not conceded a goal in their five games at the 2021 tournament.
Despite losing their opening game Bayelsa Queens had more shots on target (7) than their opponents Sundowns Ladies (4).
Bayelsa Queens had a 72.8% pass success rate in their first game.
Blessing Llivideva was Bayelsa Queens most influential player in their opening game, completing 35 passes more than any of her team- mates, as well as 4 good long balls a joint high for a team. She also shared the most passes between her and her teammates, she made at least 8 passes to three of her colleagues.
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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