International Football
Nigerian-born Dele Alli opens up about pill addiction, sexual abuse as child
Nigerian-born Dele Alli who was severally booed five years ago by Nigerian fans during a Super Eagles friendly match with England has revealed that he was sexually abused as a child and dealt drugs before he was adopted by an “amazing” family who helped him to turn his life around.
Alli, a former England international and Everton midfielder, also said in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap that he recently spent six weeks in rehab as a result of an addiction to sleeping pills.
Alli joined Everton on a two-and-a-half-year deal in February last year in a bid to revive his career after seven years at Tottenham Hotspur. He moved to Turkish side Besiktas on loan for the 2022-23 season and came out of rehab last month.
“It’s been going on for a long time without me realising it, I was doing (sleeping pills) to numb the feelings I had – I didn’t realise I was doing it for that purpose,” the 27-year-old said.
“I’ve definitely abused them too much. It got really bad at some points and I didn’t understand how bad it was but I was never dealing with the root of the problem – when I was growing up the traumas I had, the feelings I had and I tried to deal with it all by myself. I lost myself for a few years.”
Alli, who was part of the England team that reached the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Russia, was born in Milton Keynes in central England to a Nigerian father and an English mother. His father left shortly after his birth.
He spent two years in Nigeria with his father as a child before returning to England. At the age of 13, he was taken in by Alan and Sally Hickford.
In the interview, he spoke emotionally about his troubled childhood. He said he was sexually abused by a friend of his mother when he was six-years-old and was dealing drugs by the age of eight.
“At six, I was molested,” he said. “I was sent to Africa to learn discipline. Then I was sent back. Seven, I started smoking. Eight I started dealing drugs.
“Eleven, I was hung off a bridge by a guy from the next estate.
“At 12, I was adopted. And from then, I was adopted by an amazing family, I couldn’t have asked for better people to do what they’ve done for me.”
Everton said they had offered Alli their full support.
“The club has been supporting Dele in both his return to fitness and overcoming the personal challenges highlighted in his interview,” the club said in a statement.
“Everyone at Everton respects and applauds Dele’s bravery to speak about the difficulties he has faced, as well as seek the help required.”
Alli, who twice won the PFA Young Player of the Year award while at Tottenham, is injured at present but could feature next season for Sean Dyche’s Everton.
“I’m feeling good in that sense, probably another few weeks (away from returning from injury) and then get back playing and enjoying football which is what I want to do,” he said.
“So, I’m ready for a big season and I’m more prepared to deal with any challenge that comes with it.”
-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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