International Football
FOR LACK OF RECORDS, NIGERIA FORFIETS ALGERIA’S MATCH
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Improper record-keeping has again taken its toll on Nigerian football as FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee imposed sanction on Super Eagles.
Consequently, the Super Eagles have forfeited the point it had in its last World Cup 2018 qualifying match with Algeria.
FIFA’s decision was due to Nigeria’s fielding of Shehu Abdulahi in the last match with Algeria.
Abdulahi was ineligible for the match having received a caution in the preceding match with Zambia.
The 63rd minute yellow card Abdulahi obtained was the second having also been cautioned in Nigeria’s first match of the World Cup qualifier on November 13, 2015 in the goalless encounter with Swaziland.
In addition to forfeiting the match, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF is also fined 6,000 Swiss Francs which is $6,047.70. Sadly and technically, the unbeaten run by Nigeria in the World Cup has been cut short owing to Nigeria not keeping records.
It was in similar vein that Shooting Stars of Ibadan was rendered impotent after learning on final match day that the highly dependable left winger, Felix Owolabi was ineligible for the crucial return leg match with Zamalek of Egypt in the final match of 1984 Africa Cup of Champions Clubs match.
The 1989 two year ban on Nigeria in age-regulated competitions was as a result of being unable to reconcile the dates of births of three players – Samson Siasia, Andrew Uwe and Dahiru Sadi – who had featured in U-20 tournaments before playing for the Nigerian Olympic team at the Seoul 1988 Olympics.
The forfeiting of the match with Algeria was not the only sanction that FIFA Disciplinary Committee imposed on Nigeria.
The NFF is also sanctioned and fined CHF 30,000 ($30238.50) for the invasion of the pitch at the September 1 match with Cameroon which Nigeria won 4-0.
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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