International Football
FIFA’S AXE DANGLES OVER CAMEROON
BY DAN PALMER
FIFA has revealed that it is investigating the behaviour of Cameroon’s players after they staged an on-pitch protest during their Women’s World Cup last-16 exit to England.
The African sides were beaten 3-0 in a highly controversial clash in Valenciennes on Sunday (June 23) with the team’s actions receiving widespread criticism.
Cameroon refused to kick-off and instead formed a huddle when the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled that Ellen White’s second goal was onside.
Their anger intensified when VAR disallowed Ajara Nchout’s goal for offside, which would have brought the score back to 2-1.
Chinese referee Liang Qin has been accused of losing control of the game with Cameroon unfortunate to escape with no red cards as scenes became increasingly ugly.
Yvonne Leuko received just a yellow for an elbow on Nikita Parris and Augustine Ejangue appeared to spit on Toni Duggan.
In stoppage time at the end of the game, Alexandra Takounda only received a yellow card for a nasty challenge on England captain Steph Houghton.
Cameroon coach Alain Djeumfa has claimed the match was a “miscarriage of justice” but his team have also been criticised by African’s leading women’s football official Isha Johansen.
She said the game “reflected badly not only on African women’s football but African football on the whole”.
The Sierra Leone official, who sits on the Confederation of African Football Board, said: “It is an issue which will be addressed and dealt with at the appropriate levels of governance.”
FIFA told BBC Sport they were “looking into” the match and added: “Further updates will be provided in due course.”
Djeumfa accused the officials of “making a lot of mistakes” but denied his team had deliberately stopped playing.
England’s coach Phil Neville said he was “ashamed” by Cameroon’s behaviour.
The match was viewed by a record audience of 6.9 million people in the United Kingdom.
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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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