International Football
Nigeria’s National Grammar School in Enugu gets CAF’s 800 match balls through NFF
National Grammar School, Nike, Enugu State of Nigeria is one of the 44 schools featuring in the second edition of the CAF African Schools Football Championship (ASFC) that will benefit from 800 match balls from CAF President, Dr, Patrice Motsepe.
With the competition in full swing, Member Associations participating have already reaped the rewards of being a part of this season’s competition.
An innovative brainchild of CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe – which is a first in world football, the CAF African Schools Football Championship not only affords school-going learners an opportunity to partake in international football, but brings about unique initiatives geared at nurturing future African leaders.
As part of its innovative approach to youth football development and affording access, CAF distributed 800 PUMA match balls to all 44 participating Member Associations across the CAF Zones.
The distribution of match balls took place ahead of the start of this week’s CAF African Schools Football Championship Zonal Qualifiers which are currently underway in Togo.
With each Member Association having received 800 Match Balls ahead of the tournament, the ASFC strategically feeds into the CAF President, Dr Motsepe’s bold vision of growing African football to be globally competitive and self-sustaining.
Commenting on the initiative, CAF Member Association’s Director Sarah Mukuna said distributing match balls to the Member Associations forms part of the tournament’s objective of providing access and giving support to all CAF Member Associations.
“The distribution of match balls forms a key component of the African Schools Football Championship, as it aids support to our Member Associations’ various youth development programmes. We take pleasure in always finding unique ways of collaborating with our Member Associations and Zones in developing the African game”, said Mukuna.
The CAF African Schools Football Championship is currently in its Zonal Qualifiers where teams are competing for a place in next year’s Continental finals set to take place in April 2024.
Running concurrently to the Zonal Qualifiers are the various capacity building programmes by CAF, which include the Young Reporters Programme, Young Referee Programme, Medical Officer Programme, Coaches Programme as well as the CAF Safeguarding Programme, which are all seamlessly integrated into the Championships.
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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