International Football
NIGERIA TAKES CENTRE STAGE AS FIFA UNDER-20 WORLD CUP KICKS-OFF IN POLAND
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
It is 30 years since Nigeria’s Flying Eagles achieved their all-time best as runners-up in the now renamed FIFA U-20 World Cup which enters it 22nd edition in Poland. The team also placed second at the 2005 edition in The Netherlands.
As the tournament kicks off this Thursday, it will be the first time Poland will be hosting a FIFA event, a privilege Nigeria has enjoyed in 1999 and 2009 with the U-20 and U-17 respectively.
But for Poland, it is a milestone.The Polish Football Association will be staging the competition in their centenary year, with their president Zbigniew Boniek stating that the nation is prepared for the start of the tournament.
Boniek made 80 international appearances during his own career, with the former Juventus and Roma player finding the net on 24 occasions for Poland.
He expressed his view the upcoming tournament could see the emergence of potential stars of the future.
“I think world football has produced so many excellent players in recent years that we don’t need another Boniek, we can leave him out,” he told FIFA.com
“Having said that, we could see a player emerge in the same mould as Messi, Ronaldo, Lewandowski or Kane.
“I firmly believe that’ll happen at this tournament.”
Nigeria, playing in Group D, will face Qatar for the first time eve on Friday. The match comes up in Tychy. While it is Nigeria’s 12th appearance at the championship, this is just Qatar’s fourth. Both however have a common denominator – their best outing so far has been runners-up positions.
Nigeria placed second at Saudi Arabia in 1989 while Qatar were also runners up in 1981. Qatar replaced Nigeria as the hosts of the 1995 edition when Nigeria’s hosting rights were withdrawn in a thinly veiled political decision hinged on health concerns.
The opening games
Group A
Tahiti-Senegal (Lublin, 18:00 local time)
Poland-Colombia (Lodz, 20:30)
Group B
Mexico-Italy (Gdynia, 18:00)
Japan-Ecuador (Bydgoszcz, 20:30)
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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