International Football
Walid Regragui, Morocco’s coach targets podium finish
“The Atlas Lions’ World Cup journey is still far from over, as Morocco’s head coach Walid Regragui emphasized during the pre-game press conference alongside Moroccan winger Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Morocco will face Croatia for the third place of the Qatar 2022 World Cup this Saturday at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
This is the highest profiled football match involving an African team.
The Moroccan coach noted that they still have four years to think about winning the next World Cup, but in the meantime, they must compete for third-place and they hope to go out on a high.
A win of the match will jerk up Morocco’s earning from the World Cup to $27 million from the current $25m- the highest football earning by any African team.
“Every match is important, even friendly matches; we want to win for our fans, and the goal is to finish third; the higher we rise in the rankings, the more we break records and make history,” Regragui remarked at the pre match press conference.
After expressing disappointment at not advancing to the finals following the team’s loss to France, Regragui stated that finishing on the podium is still important, despite the team’s fatigue and injuries.
The coach believes his players are still hungry for a good ending. They are aware that there is still a match to be played and that finishing fourth is not the same as finishing third and taking home a medal.
Playing against familiar opponents, Morocco had met Croatia on November 20 and ended their match in a draw (0-0.)
Highlighting that the game would be challenging, Regragui noted the pressure is on as it might be the final World Cup game for Croatian footballer Luka Modric.
Regragui described him as a “great player” who also wants to finish on the podium, so they must “be careful.”
He went on to say that Croatia had one more day to recover physically and that they knew it would not be an easy game, so they will have prepared themselves by putting their best team forward to try and win the third-place title.
Speaking about the Morocco- France game, Aboukhlal said, “I think the last game was a good game for us, but it was difficult. The second half, in my opinion, was better. Unfortunately, we were not able to score despite being close.”
“However, I believe we can be proud of how we performed against France and are now concentrating on finishing in third-place,” he added.
The Moroccan winger expressed good feelings about tomorrow’s game, saying that “it’s a good match to play. We can finish third in the World Cup, which has never happened to a Moroccan team or an African team.”
In addition, Morocco’s coach commented on the complaint made by Morocco’s Royal Federation of Football (FRMF) to FIFA about “unjust” refereeing during Morocco’s World Cup semi-final match against reigning champions France.
Regargui stated regretfully that the FRMF did its job, adding that when there is a refereeing error, they must report it as all federations do. That’s football; you have to accept it, he concluded.
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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