International Football
Mozambique U20 coach wants charges to change mindset against Nigeria
Mozambique coach Dario Monteiro has urged his Young Os Mambas to believe they can beat Nigeria in their decisive U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash in Ismailia this Saturday.
The Cosafa runners-up will travel to the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia to battle against Ladan Bosso’s Flying Eagles.
Mozambique sit bottom of Group A alongside Egypt with a solitary point while Nigeria are in second place with 3 points and Senegal top the standing with 6 points.
“We need a win and we will try our best to get it,” Monteiro told journalists.
“We know that it’s a complicated match and it’s not easy to play against Nigeria they’re strong but we will try our best. We had two strong matches and two strong teams.
“We know that this group will not be easy but I believe my boys will get better game by game. The previous two matches gave them experience and playing time so if we recover well they can compete with Nigeria.”
The Mozambican trainer insisted his team must focus on the match and they should not lose against Nigeria.
“We will try not to lose the game because we don’t have that chance to lose again. We must be ambitious if we want to get a good result and go to the next stage, we must give our best so we know that we will talk to the boys,” Dario said.
They must believe that they can win if they believe we’re close to winning. We need to think about Nigeria first before worrying about qualifying. In our mind is the Nigerian team because they’re in high morale after winning their last match.”
Kimiss Rebelina Zavala echoed his coach’s statement and said the Os Mambas are prepared to face the West Africans in Ismailia.
“We’re prepared for the match against Nigeria to get a good result. The team is concentrated, and we will give our best on the pitch to get a good result,” Kimiss said.
“It doesn’t matter where we play, what matters is we are in Ismaili ready to face Nigeria and we will fight for everything to achieve our objective of winning.”
-Cafonline
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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