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Argentina World Cup parade ends in tragedy!

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Argentina’s World Cup celebrations have been marred by the death of a 24-year-old fan, after he fell through a roof ‘jumping up and down’ celebrating during Tuesday’s victory parade.

Argentina’s victory last Sunday ended a 36-year wait since their Diego Maradona inspired victory.

This time, it is Lionel Messi that propelled Argentina’s victory and it caused  millions in Argentina to throw parties.

But after Tuesday’s bus parade was cut short due to safety concerns of fans jumping onto the top of the bus with the players, the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health detailed how another fan died in hospital on Monday due to a head injury picked up while celebrating.

Details from police in Buenos Aires, published by Argentine outlet, La Nacion reported that the man ‘was jumping on the roof, celebrating the triumph of the National Team, until (the roof) broke and he fell,’ leading to fatal injury. 

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He died from his injuries at the Fernández Hospital in Buenos Aires.

There are also fears over a five-year-old boy that is in a coma after sustaining a serious head injury following an incident in Plaza San Martin, where he was celebrating Argentina’s World Cup triumph with his parents. 

La Nacion have also detailed how a piece of marble fell from a monument during the celebrations, striking the child, who is now in intensive care. 

More stories of deaths and serious injuries are emerging on a day where Argentina’s World Cup-winning heroes saw their bus parade through Buenos Aires – which brought more than four million people to the streets to celebrate 0 cut short.  

Messi and Co had to be evacuated to the sky in helicopters after fans threw projectiles and tried to jump on the team’s bus.

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The helicopters carrying the footballers circled low above the skies of the capital including the area around the iconic Obelisk monument as crazed fans chanted and applauded before taking them back to the Argentine Football Association’s (AFA) training facilities HQ near Ezeiza Airport where the victory parade had begun around midday.

The streets of the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires had been mobbed with jubilant fans for the open-top bus parade, which was expected to last around eight hours.

It was set to take in landmarks including the iconic Obelisk, where the majority of expectant Argentinian supporters had congregated.

AFA president Chiqui Tapia confirmed in a tweet just before 4pm local time, however, that the bus parade needed to be abandoned.

‘They won’t allow us to greet everyone who was at the Obelisk,’ the tweet read.

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‘The security organisations that were escorting us won’t let us continue.

‘I apologise in the name of all the players. A real shame.’

Gabriela Cerruti, an Argentine presidential spokeswoman, tweeted as TV stations broadcast the breath-taking images of the crowds looking upwards towards the players above them in the sky: ‘The world champions are flying along the route they were taking because it was impossible to continue by road with the explosion of happiness.

‘Let’s continue celebrating in peace and showing them our love and admiration.’

The Argentine players had intended to travel on the bus from the AFA training facilities to the Obelisk, where an estimated three million fans congregated after their nation’s thrilling penalty shootout win over France on Sunday.

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AFA confirmed a last-minute change of plan on the advice of government safety advisors on Tuesday afternoon before the later decision to switch to the helicopters.

The party mood briefly turned ugly as news the players were instead going to greet fans from the 25 de Mayo motorway seeped out.

There were reports of missiles being thrown at police and footage emerged of crazed fans hijacking a police car and partying on top of it near the Obelisk in the aftermath of the announcement.

Messi and Argentina had earlier returned as heroes as they were greeted by thousands of fans at Ezeiza International Airport after touching down in Buenos Aires.

The national team and the World Cup trophy, which they lifted for a third time Sunday, landed back in Argentina after a roughly 21-hour flight at around 2.2oam local time Tuesday morning

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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International Football

Guinea names Portugal’s Duarte as new national coach

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African Cup of Nations - Semi Finals - Burkina Faso v Egypt- Stade de l'Amitie - Libreville, Gabon - 1/2/17 Burkina Faso coach Paulo Jorge Duarte Reuters / Amr Abdallah Dalsh Livepic/File Photo

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.

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-Reuters

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Veteran coach Van Gaal says he is cured of cancer

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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.

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He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.

-Reuters

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Like father like son, Davide Ancelotti becomes Brazil’s Botafogo manager

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Davide Ancelotti, son of Brazil's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, has been appointed coach of Botafogo, the Rio de Janeiro club announced on Tuesday.

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.

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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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