International Football
Demand for Argentina soar…$1,000 for an Argentina jersey?
Newly crowned World Cup champions Argentina have not only scored big at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, but also in retail stores here as well.
La Albiceleste’s blue-and-white home jersey, worn by the players when they beat France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 draw in the final on Sunday night, is sold out in a number of online and physical stores here.
Some resellers are offering the jerseys at inflated prices ranging from the mid-hundreds to close to $5,000 at online marketplaces such as Carousell.
For example, a listing on Carousell, posted around 2am on Monday, offers a set comprising an Argentina home jersey, underwear, a pair of socks and pants for $4,989. Another listing, posted around 3pm on Monday, has a $1,000 price tag for a home jersey.
Checks by The Straits Times showed the Argentina replica home World Cup jersey sells for at least $95 while the authentic version worn by the players costs at least $190.
Adidas Singapore’s country manager Ruiyuan Chen said both jerseys, as well as the kids’ home jersey, have sold out in its web and physical stores.
As of Monday afternoon, there was still limited stock for its purple away jerseys at the Adidas Brand Centre Orchard store, online and selected sporting good retailers.
“With the Argentina team’s strong performances week-on-week and it being the final Fifa World Cup match in Lionel Messi’s footballing career, we’ve seen sustained high demand for Argentina jerseys throughout the tournament,” Chen added.
Sporting goods stores that ST spoke to at Peninsula Shopping Centre – a favourite haunt for sports memorabilia – on Monday said the home jerseys have been sold out since last week and they expect demand to increase in the next few months.
Kuljeev Johal, general manager at Crown Sports, said about 30 fans had inquired about the availability of the jerseys on Sunday.
“It’s normal after every World Cup to see demand for the jerseys of the two teams in the final. Jerseys for the team that win will be in demand for a good six months to a year,” he said.
Over at Champion Sports, its director Anil Kumar said at least five people had inquired about the home jerseys on Monday morning. While the store still has six to seven pieces of the away jersey, he expects them to sell out soon.
To meet the growing demand, the stores are restocking the jerseys, which are expected to arrive in early January.
Rajbir Chopra, sales director at Weston Corp, which has seven stores islandwide, said its new stocks will arrive in March.
Chopra said “consumers want a piece of history” as this was Messi’s last World Cup, adding that the new jerseys will have an additional star printed on them – to signify their third World Cup triumph on Sunday.
While France were the losing finalists in Doha, sales of their jersey have been strong.
A Nike spokesman said the item is currently sold out online and in stores.
-Straitstimes
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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