International Football
Aubameyang wants Gabon return a year after international retirement
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has announced a return to the Gabon national team a year after he retired from international football, citing the influence of the country’s president Ali Bongo Ondimba in his decision to make a comeback.
The Chelsea forward, who as a youngster was also eligible to play for France or Spain, has long had a testy relationship with the Gabonese Football Association since making his national team debut in 2009, and called it quits in May last year after netting 30 goals in 72 appearances.
But the 33-year-old, by far the most accomplished player Gabon has produced, announced on Tuesday he has made himself available again for the national side and spoken to coach Patrice Neveu.
“A few days ago I had the immense honor to be received by the President of the Republic (of Gabon) Ali Bongo Ondimba and at the same time listened to the wise words he said to me as a father talking to his son,” Aubameyang posted on his official Instagram account.
“Following this, I therefore put myself at the disposal of my country and of the coach Patrice Neveu.”
Gabon currently top their qualification pool for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next January with two rounds to play and can book their place at the finals when they host Democratic Republic of Congo next month.
The striker has seen his club fortunes dip in recent times having made five Premier League starts for Chelsea this season, netting once against Crystal Palace in October.
He looks set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the campaign having been strongly linked with a return to Barcelona, where he started the 2022-23 season.
The Catalan club confirmed Aubameyang will get a LaLiga winners medal from their title win this season despite playing only eight minutes before his move to Chelsea.
-Reuters
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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