International Football
Catastrophic! Qatar are out; eliminated from Qatar 2022 World Cup
The facilities are top-notch. The event itself has been a second to none. The World Cup 2022 has been a dream fulfilled for the host nation.
Qatar as a nation had always dreamt of hosting the entire world in a festival of football, the biggest single sporting event.
At first, Nigeria was upstaged in the hosting of the then World Youth Championship (U-20 World Cup) in 1995.
At short notice, following the covert politically-motivated withdrawal of Nigeria’s hosting rights, the U-20 World Cup was moved to Qatar.
Soon, the country became the ultimate destination for football events – the FIFA Arab Cup, and even an edition of CAF Super Cup.
Like Nigeria did when the Giant of Africa eventually hosted the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1999, hosting appears to be the major goal, forgetting that the country also had a team to prepare.
After just five days of a projected 28-day World Cup and the host nation has crashed out. This is the first time that will happen in the 92-year history of the World Cup.
Qatar has become the second host nation after South Africa not to advance beyond the group stage.
This is the situation after their 3-1 loss to Senegal and the eventual 1-1 draw of Netherlands and Ecuador.
The muffled anger from the fans was evident outside Al Thumama Stadium after Qatar’s loss to Senegal.
With a display of opulence, Qatar has prepared for the hosting, rather than the participation in what has become the most expensive World Cup in history.
High-capacity stadiums have been built from the scatch. Most of them are to be dismantled after the World Cup. Metrolines were purposely built for the World Cup. Well, that would be enduring legacy for the event.
Overall, a reported $200 billion to put on a “gathering for all mankind”, as the title of the opening ceremony said, but it was all over for the team in 180 minutes.
“This whole team should be changed,” a Qatar fan told Reuters outside Al Thumama stadium, without revealing her name.
Qatar’s opening match with Ecuador will go down as the most unappealing World Cup match ever. Even fans were leaving the match before the end of the first half.
It later came to light that team players were merely camped and not allowed to feature for their clubs in the domestic league.
They became match rusty! In the opening minutes of their opening match, it was all evident. Goalkeeper Saad AlSheeb would have cost his team an early goal had it not been for the intervention of VAR.
According to a Reuters report, the World Cup is more of a ‘football project’ for Qatar. On the eve of the crucial Senegal game, Coach Felix Sanchez said the team had prepared psychologically for the possibility of an early exit from the tournament.
“We are a small country, the smallest to host the World Cup, and we are aware of the fact that we may be knocked out early, but that doesn’t mean the end of the football project,” he said.
“I am confident that Qatar will continue their project to maintain a strong team, compete and qualify for the upcoming tournaments,” he added.
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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