International Football
Ghana can have big impact at World Cup, says coach Addo
Interim Ghama manager Otto Addo believes his team can make a significant impact at the World Cup in Qatar as the Black Stars prepare for their fourth finals at the global tournament.
Addo, with no previous senior coaching experience, took charge of Ghana in February after the sacking of Milovan Rajevac following their early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“We can beat anyone. It’s up to the players, not me. It’s their performances that have brought them this far. They have the quality, with or without me,” Addo told the FIFA website.
“I’m responsible for putting them in the right positions so that they can produce their best performances, with and without the ball. They have to be able to play together.”
Addo, who is combining his role as talent manager at Borussia Dortmund with the national team job, will lead Ghana into their Group H opener against Portugal on Nov. 24 before they face South Korea four days later and Uruguay on Dec. 2.
“We’re going up against three strong opponents and we could lose all three games or win all three. It’s up to us and how we adapt to their playing style, how we stop them, how we work together as a team,” Addo said.
“Every single game is different and the first match will be decisive. The subsequent games depend on the first one. If we lose, we need to be more attacking in the second match, but if not we can set ourselves up differently.”
Ghana will play Uruguay in a rematch of the controversial quarter-final in 2010, which the South Americans won on penalties, stopping them becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final.
“I’m sure that’ll be in the back of the minds of some players because it was a decisive game, not just for Ghana but for Africa as a whole,” Addo said.
-Reuters
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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