Ronaldo accused of insulting referee, risk of suspension; Why is Coach Philippe Troussier nicknamed 'White Witch'?

Why is Coach Philippe Troussier nicknamed 'White Witch'?

"The White Witch" is the nickname associated with Coach Philippe Troussier for over 20 years. This name has been widely used by the international media, but there is no specific document explaining why the French coach is called that.

The word "witch doctor" in Coach Troussier's nickname is a concept that comes from African culture, where he began his coaching career and achieved his first successes. Witches in this case are understood as people who use magic to save people.

Coach Troussier made a strong impression in Africa with his handsome appearance and neat suit. There is no specific information about when Coach Troussier was called "White Witch". According to ESPN, this nickname appeared from the beginning of his working period in Africa.

Coach Troussier is nicknamed "white witch".

"Very quickly at ASEC Abidjan, he was nicknamed 'the white wizard' after his miraculous escapes and won three national championships with the team," journalist Mark Gleeson wrote on ESPN in 2005.

However, it was not until 1997-1998 that Mr. Troussier's nickname "White Witch" became widely known. That was when he made a big mark with the national teams, starting with Nigeria. He contributed to the team's qualification for the 1998 World Cup before giving way to his colleague Bora Milutinovic.

Not leading the Nigerian team, Coach Troussier still attended the world championship in his home country as the head coach of the South African team. After that, he continued to create a big buzz when he went to work in Japan. From here, the nickname "white witch" was mentioned even more.

When he accepted to work in Qatar, Coach Troussier also left his mark by proposing to naturalize a series of Brazilian players for this Arab country. The 68-year-old strategist understood that Qatari football was too weak at that time to dream of great achievements without a sudden source of strength. But FIFA President Sepp Blatter did not agree with this proposal.

In 2019, Coach Troussier came to Vietnam with many ambitions and a group of young players who hoped to participate in the 2026 or 2030 World Cup. However, for many reasons, he parted ways with PVF in 2021 and decided to return with the invitation of the Vietnam Football Federation in 2023.

Quang Hai was criticized by French press after 10 minutes on the field.

La République des Pyrenees newspaper said thatQuang HaiHe is playing ineffectively and his passes are not very accurate.

Last weekend, Pau FC hosted Laval Club at home. The result was that the yellow and black team lost with a minimum score of 0-1.

In this match, midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai was brought onto the field by Coach Didier Tholot in the last 10 minutes of the match to replace Charles Boli.

In a short period of time, the Vietnamese player could not help Pau FC turn the situation around.

Even according to Sofascore statistics, Quang Hai only touched the ball 8 times, passed the ball accurately 2/7 times, dribbled the ball once but failed and lost control 5 times.

Quang Hai is losing his position at Pau FC

Before that statistic, local newspaper La République des Pyrenees had negative reviews about the star born in 1997.

“Didier Tholot made some big changes to refresh the attack, using two strikers Bassoumina and Begraoui after Quang Hai came on. However, in the number 10 role, this player did not play effectively.

“Vietnamese Messi” lacked precision, Yattara was also very clumsy and this prevented Pau FC from causing any surprise at the end of the match,” commented La République des Pyrenees.

With the above defeat, Pau FC fell to 15th place on the rankings and is only 4 points above the relegation group.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai star injured knee before finalizing Vietnam National Team list

Midfielder Tran Minh Vuong of Hoang Anh Gia Lai suffered a knee injury before the day the Vietnam National Team finalized its first training list under Coach Philippe Troussier.

Minute 41 of the match betweenHoang Anh Gia Laiand Hanoi Police Club, midfielder Tran Minh Vuong of Hoang Anh Gia Lai was injured after a collision with a player of the visiting team. Immediately, player number 8 of Hoang Anh Gia Lai signaled to be substituted and then he had to leave the field on a stretcher.

Minh Vuong injured his knee in the match between HAGL and Hanoi Police Club. Photo: HAGL Club

According to the latest information from Hoang Anh Gia Lai, this morning, February 21, Minh Vuong was taken to the hospital to check for injuries.

Doctor Dong Xuan Lam of Hoang Anh Gia Lai said: "Minh Vuong has a ligament injury in his knee joint. We are treating him with laser and ultrasound therapy combined with medication. The club's medical team will actively provide the best treatment so that Minh Vuong can return soon."

With this injury, Minh Vuong will hardly have the opportunity to join the Vietnam National Team in the first call-up under Coach Philippe Troussier in March 2023.

After Hoang Anh Gia Lai said goodbye to a series of key players in the 2023 V-League season, Minh Vuong became one of the important players of the mountain town team. Coach Kiatisuk shared that he wanted Minh Vuong and Tuan Anh to make more efforts in the early stages of the season to guide the young players of Hoang Anh Gia Lai to compete in this season./.

Ronaldo accused of insulting referee, risk of suspension

After scoring a poker, Ronaldo disappointed again when he failed to score against Al Taawoun Club. Moreover, the Portuguese superstar is also at risk of being investigated for unprofessional behavior.

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo played the whole match against Al Taawoun. At Al Nassr Club's home ground Mrsool Park, the 38-year-old superstar has yet to score a goal. In the context of having just scored a poker in the away match at Al Wehda, of course CR7 is especially eager to score a goal.

However, this was a match where Ronaldo did not complete his ultimate goal. He assisted both goals of Al Nassr in the 17th minute for Abdulrahman Ghareeb as well as the 78th minute for Abdullah Madu. Unfortunately, CR7 himself did not get to celebrate his goals.

Ronaldo was suspended for 5 matches for pushing the referee.

In the first half's injury time, Ronaldo thought Al Nassr deserved a penalty. That was a situation where, in CR7's opinion, the away team's center-back Naldo handled the ball, allowing goalkeeper Mailson to hold the ball. If Al Nassr were awarded a penalty, CR7 would naturally be the one to take it. However, the referee in charge of this match, Mr. Faisal Alblwi, as well as the assistant team, did not think so. They firmly refused to give Al Nassr a penalty. The video referee also said no to Al Nassr and Ronaldo personally.

That made Ronaldo angry, because he saw with his own eyes Al Taawoun's center-back Naldo holding the ball for his teammate. On the way into the tunnel, the owner of 5 Golden Ball titles chased the referees and shouted "Wake up" many times. Ronaldo sarcastically said that the referees were "sleepy" and did not control the match accurately. Right at that moment on the field, Ronaldo reacted violently,

According to Arab News, Ronaldo’s actions were reported to the Saudi League in the post-match report. Not only did he use sarcastic language, but he also acted inappropriately. He clapped his hands together, indicating that the ball had touched his hand, but the referees somehow did not award Al Nassr a penalty.

Therefore, Ronaldo is at risk of facing an investigation and a late penalty after the match. If that worst-case scenario happens, this is bad news for Al Nassr, in the context that they are being chased by their opponents behind in the race for the Saudi Arabian national championship.