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International Football

Osimhen’s manager named new coach of Italy

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Luciano Spalletti under whose tenure as manager of Napoli Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen achieved his best ever season in Europe, has been named the new Italian manager in succession to Roberto Mancini who resigned earlier in the week.

 

He guided the Osimhen-inspired Napoli to their first ever Serie A title in over 30 years.

 

Factbox on Luciano Spalletti, who was appointed Italy manager on Friday.

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Born: March 7, 1959 in Certaldo, Italy.

PLAYING CAREER

* Played as a semi-professional midfielder for third-tier Serie C teams.

* Ended his playing career in 1993 at Empoli.

MANAGERIAL CAREER

* Began his managerial career with Empoli shortly after retirement and guided the team to consecutive promotions from Serie C1 to the top-flight Serie A.

* Moved to Sampdoria in 1998 but left after one year to take over Venezia for another short spell.

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* Was replaced as manager by David Platt in mid-season but recalled when the former England midfielder resigned after only six matches in charge.

* Had two spells as head coach of Udinese in 2001 and 2002-2005 with a short period as Ancona manager in between.

* Took Udinese to the Champions League after finishing fourth in Serie A during the 2004-05 season.

* Named AS Roma manager in 2005 and won the Italian Cup twice and Italian Super Cup before resigning in September 2009.

* Appointed Zenit St Petersburg manager in December 2009. Stayed in Russia five years and won the Premier League twice.

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* Sacked in March 2014 after two seasons without a trophy.

* Took over Roma again in January 2016 before leaving by mutual consent at the end of the 2016-17 season.

* Took over as Inter Milan manager from 2017-19 before getting sacked at the end of the season.

* Named Napoli manager in 2021, leading them to third place in Serie A before making them champions in 2022-23.

* Left Napoli at the end of last season after asking for a sabbatical.

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* Appointed Italy manager on Friday.

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.

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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International Football

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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International Football

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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