International Football
Which African team will scale the heights at Qatar 2022?
“ Ke Nako” was the official slogan for the only World Cup edition held in Africa. It was apt, being a South African Sotho language expression for ‘it is time’.
At the time, it may have just conveyed the literary expression that it was time for Africa to host the World Cup.
The expression may as well be apt again this year at Qatar 2022 to convey the desire for African teams to scale the heights.
Over the years, the best efforts of African teams had seen some of them getting to the quarterfinals.
Cameroon did that at Italia’90, Senegal as debutants, upstaged defending champions, France, to repeat the feat of Cameroon 12 years later and went on to get to the quarter finals.
Ghana’s Black Stars had a near fairy tale at the 2010 World Cup and were unlucky not to reach the semi finals stage which is the stage most Nigerians now look forward to as target for the Super Eagles if they qualify for the ‘United’ edition, as the 2026 edition will be the first to be co-hosted by three countries..
The three African countries that had reached the quarter finals in the past are back on familiar terrain.
Getting to the semi-finals will be an enviable feat. It may buoy the arguments that Africa deserves more slots in the World Cup that will be enlarged to 48 teams.
Besides, the financial rewards for the African teams will rise. The on-going World Cup is figuratively described as the most expensive ever.
It also has the largest purse ever. The total prize pool for the 2022 World Cup is $440 million, up from $400 million in 2018.
Winners will get $42m. The runners-up will be awarded a sum of $30 million for making it to the final. Teams finishing third and fourth will take home a sum of $ 27 million and $ 25 million, respectively
A semi-final placement will not only buoy the ratings of that successful African team and open up the possibility of Africa getting more slots at the future World Cup finals; the financial reward for the football associations will be earth shaking.
The semi-final slot for a team fetches a minimum of $25 million for the football federation following the increase in prize money announced by FIFA . In essence, an African team that ends its run in the semi-final and wins the losers’ final match will get $20 million which undoubtedly will be the biggest take home by any African team in a football competition.
Should the team win the third place match, the prize money rises to $22 million. This is an incentive that could and should drive the five African teams beyond their natural limit.
The final draw has thrown up the possibilities of achieving the feat. Squabbles over financial incentives had been a major problem afflicting African teams at global events.
African teams are often noted for their self – destructive antics as exhibited by the Togo team at the Germany 2006 as well as Nigeria and Ghana at the 2014 World Cup.
Thus, African teams often make more news off the pitch over disputes on bonuses.
In 2006, Togo’s coach, Otto Pfister who was a replacement for Nigeria’s Stephen Keshi , had to walk out just before their first match with Korea.
FIFA officials had to step in to stop players threatening to boycott their second match with Switzerland.
All these may have accounted for FIFA’s decision to grant each World Cup finalist, $2.5 million as preparation cost.
With the recurring financial dispute apparently taken care of, African teams should be in the right frame to scale the heights.
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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International Football
Players’ union, FIFPRO, wants 20-minute halftimes, more cooling breaks amid extreme heat
Global players’ union FIFPRO is exploring whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better protect players from extreme heat.
Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup face conditions considered “extreme risk” for heat-related illness.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey and Philadelphia are expected to face dangerous levels of heat and humidity, posing player safety concerns and fuelling calls for mandatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), a measure combining temperature, humidity, solar radiation and wind speed to estimate how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
Under FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions in which matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health.
By comparison, world soccer governing body FIFA’s own guidelines set the extreme risk threshold higher, at 32 degrees Celsius WBGT – but even by that standard, six of the nine cities are still projected to exceed safe limits.
Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minutes are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
LONGER HALFTIMES
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but stressed that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
-Reuters
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Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Ince has been charged with drink-driving, police said on Monday.
Ince, who earned 53 caps for England and won two Premier League titles during his six years at United, has been released on bail and will appear in court on July 18.
“The incident involved a black Range Rover which had collided with the central reservation barrier. Officers attended the scene and arrested a 57-year-old man,” the Cheshire police said in a statement.
“Paul Ince, of Quarry Road, Neston, has since been charged with drink-driving.”
Reuters has contacted Ince’s representative for comment.
After retiring as a player, Ince led Milton Keynes Dons to a League Two title in 2007-08. He most recently managed Reading during 2022-23.
-Reuters
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