International Football
Flying Eagles, seven other teams are 90 minutes away from FIFA U20 World Cup
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The U-20 Africa Cup of Nations has now reached the crucial and knockout stage as teams seek to fulfil their first objectives.
This is the qualification for the U-20 World Cup. The quarter finals begin on Thursday as both Tuesday and Wednesday are rest days.
The four semi-finalists qualify for the World Cup holding in Indonesia in May and June.
Thus each of the eight teams is a match away from getting to the World Cup, making the Thursday and Friday matches very crucial.
On Thursday, Senegal, the Group A winners will take on Nigeria’s western neighbours, Benin Republic at the Cairo International Stadium.
The Senegalese, apart from seeking the first objective of qualifying for the World Cup, are also hoping to continue their emerging dominance of national team football in Africa.
They are currently both AFCON and CHAN winners. They are the African Beach soccer champions. A win of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations will make them the first country in Africa to hold four continental titles at the same time.
The Teranga Cubs have been a dominant force in the tournament so far, winning all three matches in Group A with striker Pape Diop leading the scorers’ chart with four goals. They are also yet to concede any goal.
The second quarter-final game, also on Thursday, will see Uganda taking on Nigeria at Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
It will be the first ever encounter of Nigeria and Uganda at the u20 level.
The Hippos of Uganda topped Group B with one win and two draws, while Nigeria finished second in Group A with two wins and a loss. Both teams will be eager to secure their spot in the semi-finals.,
On Friday, The Gambia and South Sudan will clash at Haras El Hodoud Stadium in Alexandria.
The Gambia finished first in their group with three wins, while South Sudan qualified for the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams.
The final fixture of the quarterfinals will see Congo take on Tunisia at Cairo International Stadium in Cairo.
Congo finished second in Group B with one win and two draws, while Tunisia finished in Group C with one win and a draw.
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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