Football

Paris 2024Q: Barbra Banda’s late strike ends Black Queens Olympics dream

Ghana’s Black Queens suffered heartbreak in Ndola despite a draw on Wednesday, February 28, ending their hopes of Olympic Games qualification.

Barbra Banda scored a brace in the game to ensure Zambia sealed a 3-3 draw and ensured they qualified on aggregate against Ghana.

The Black Queens came into the game on the back of a 1-0 loss at the Accra Sports Stadium last Friday but were confident of turning the tie around.

Banda opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game before Gifty Assifuah, who was brought into the starting lineup at the expense of Freda Ayisi, scored the equaliser for Nora Hauptle’s side.

Both teams headed into the break with nothing to separate them the home team leading 2-1 on aggregate.

However, Doris Boaduwaa put Ghana ahead in the 55th minute with a brilliant goal before Kabange Mupopo netted the leveller six minutes later.

Azumah Bugri’s goal looked all set to force the game into extra time after coming off the bench to score.

A foul late in the game by Jennifer Cudjoe saw her sent off for a second yellow card with Banda stepping up to beat Vivian Antwi Adjei in the Ghana goal from the resulting free kick.

Her second goal ensured a 3-3 result on the day with the Copper Queens claiming a 4-3 aggregate win.

The defeat ends Ghana’s chances of being at the 2024 Olympic Games after going past challenges from Guinea and Benin.

The team will now turn their attention to preparations for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Morocco

Black Stars head coach search committee submits report to GFA ExCO

The Black Stars head coach search committee has submitted their report and recommendations to the Executive Council (ExCO) of the Ghana Football Association for further action.

The committee has been mandated by the GFA to find a replacement for Chris Hughton and his staff who were sacked after Ghana’s abysmal performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where the Black Stars crashed out at the group stage.

The President of the GFA, Kurt Okraku, personally received the report on Tuesday.

The Ghana FA on Wednesday morning said the Executive Council will review the recommendations from the search committee and decide on the next Black Stars coach.

Once the coaching decision is resolved, the GFA will engage the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as other key stakeholders for their support.

The GFA Executive Council tasked a five-member Committee headed by Vice President Mark Addo to find a replacement for Hughton on January 25.

The Committee was also mandated to target suitable and competent coaches for consideration even if they don’t apply for the post.

Databank CEO Kojo Addae Mensah, GFA Technical Director Professor Joseph Kwame Mintah, Ghana legend Opoku Nti and William Kartey, Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, are the other four members of the committee.

Hearts appoint Togbui Afede XIV and new MD as directors

Accra Hearts of Oak has announced the appointment of two new directors, less than 24 hours after dissolving the previous board.

In a statement of Wednesday, Hearts said its majority shareholders, Strategic African Securities Limited and Strategic Initiatives Limited, had nominated Togbui Afede XIV and Delali Anku-Adiamah, its Managing Director, as the board members.

Togbui Afede XIV, chaired the previous board that served from 2012 to 2014.

Delali Anku-Adiamah who was hired as Managing Director on February 10, holds a PhD in Computational Systems Biology from the University of Manchester, Bsc Computer Science from the University of Birmingham, UK.

He previously worked in the Finance Department of Manchester United, Accenture as the Technology Consultant Manager, and at Markit as VP.

On Tuesday, Hearts of Oak announced it had dissolved its board of directors, in a club statement.

Tuesday’s decision ended Alhaji Alhassan Andani, Thomas Kwesi Esso, Professor Kofi Kumado, Ivy Heward Mills, Alhaji Moro Adamu, Vincent Sowah-Odotei, Dr. Nyaho-Nyaho Tamakloe, and Frank Nelson Nwokolo’s run as board members.

Wednesday’s announcement however means Togbui Afede, the majority shareholder of the club, will continue steering the affairs of the club.

Hearts are scheduled to hold this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 27.

I’m not perturbed about criticism – Asamoah Gyan on joining Bawumia’s campaign team

Former Ghana Captain, Asamoah Gyan says he is not worried about what people have been saying about him, following his appointment to serve on Dr Mahamadu Bawumia’s 2024 campaign team.

Gyan, earlier this month, was named on the Manifesto Committee of the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer for the 2024 elections to serve as the lead for the “Youth and Sports” manifesto sub-committee.

The former Ghana international is expected to actively communicate the sports aspect of Dr Bawumia’s manifesto when completed.

His acceptance to serve on Bawumia’s team has been received with mixed reactions from Ghanaians with some criticising the former Sunderland man.
However, Gyan says he has no concerns with what has been said about his affiliation with the New Patriotic Party.

“They have their own opinions,” said Gyan at the inauguration of the NPP’s Campaign Team for the 2024 general elections, at Alisa Hotel, when quizzed about the thoughts of his critics. “I have been there [before]. I have been to stadia, been booed in front of 80,000 people, I am used to it.”

“At the end of the day, the work shows. Sometimes, you go to the enemy’s territory and you come out with applause. I have confidence in myself and I know what I can do to help. I am here to help because of my 20 years of experience. I can’t just sit at home and keep it. I have to share with the new generation to benefit from it.

“At the end of the day when everything is said and done, we see what we did or what we couldn’t do. The criticisms will come. It is also good for me personally and for my team to push harder…”

The committee has been tasked to carry out a thorough review of the party’s previous manifestos from the 2016 and 2020 elections.

‘He needs to be a bit more mature’ – Gary Neville on Mohammed Kudus decision-making

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has urged Mohammed Kudus to do better in his decision-making despite his enormous talent.

Kudus returned to being decisive for West Ham United on Monday night as he set up an assist in the Hammers 4-2 win over Brentford in the Premier League.

The Ghanaian was a constant threat in Brentford’s half anytime West Ham attacked and gave the Bees’ defence a run for their money.

Despite his goal involvement, Neville, who now works as a pundit with Sky Sports, assessing the performance of Kudus, said the 23-year-old needs to step up his decisions when he gets to the final third.

“Kudus has got something, but he just needs to be a bit more mature in his final choices,” Neville said on his podcast.

“Sometimes wingers can be unpredictable, but they need to be unpredictable not just to the opposition but also to their own teammates. In the first half, he took one or two wild shots instead of making a final pass.”

“And I did say in that first half that the one thing David Moyes could say at halftime was for him to be a little bit more precise in what he was doing and that third goal came from him being more direct and putting in that lovely cross for Jarrod Bowen which was a big moment in the game.”

The assist against Brentford was Kudus’ first goal involvement since returning from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

Story by sky Sports

It’s time to take a long-term approach to correct the wrongs in our football – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo says it’s high time Ghana deployed a long-term strategy to help solve the country’s football problems.

According to him, the recent performances of the Black Stars have raised questions about the future of the sport in Ghana as the search for success still continues.

Ghana suffered yet another group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire after picking just two points from a possible six. The Black Stars, then under the tutelage of Chris Hughton, failed to progress from Group B which also had Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique.

Akufo-Addo talked about the disappointment of the team’s performance in Abidjan which he believes was contrary to what the players expected.

“The recent AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire was probably the nadir of the performance of the Black Stars, and has left the nation saddened. However, I am quite certain that the young men and the technical handlers would, themselves, have wanted to make our nation proud, and I believe that the captain, Andre Dede Ayew, meant every word when he rendered heartfelt apologies on behalf of his team-mates to all Ghanaians for the team’s early exit,” he said in his penultimate State of the Nation Address delivered in Parliament on Tuesday, February 27.

In the wake of the retrogression of Ghana’s football, the President intends to unveil a ‘Presidential Policy on Football’ which will address the challenges of these problems.

“I believe it is time for us to take a long-term, far-sighted approach to correct what has gone wrong. It is time to return to scouting, grooming and developing talent at the district grassroots level under a Presidential Policy on Football that I intend to unveil,” he continued.

“The school sports department of the Ministry of Education will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration and synergy with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), to build district, regional and national juvenile teams for both boys and girls.

“The more than one hundred and fifty (150) astro turf pitches constructed throughout the country, under this administration, provide the foundational facilities to make a start, as we strive to provide more of them. We should see a steady progression of talent up the ladder from the junior juvenile teams to the senior sides based on merit, and nothing else.”

Black Stars miss out on inaugural FIFA Series

Ghana’s Black Stars have been excluded from the list of African teams chosen by FIFA for the inaugural FIFA Series international friendlies.

On Monday, FIFA announced its decision to trial the FIFA Series; a set of FIFA-backed international friendlies, in the next international window in March 2024.

In a statement on Monday, FIFA said four national teams selected from each confederation will converge in one country for the inaugural FIFA Series next month.

Although FIFA allocated six slots to African countries for the inaugural edition, Ghana’s Black Stars were somehow overlooked for the ‘‘tournament’’.

Algeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea and Central African Republic are the African countries selected for the inaugural edition.

Ghana were not the only big-name absentee for the inaugural event as Africa’s number one-ranked team, Senegal, AFCON 2023 winners, Cote d’Ivoire, and finalists Nigeria were all conspicuously missing.

FIFA says the initiative will ‘‘will provide member associations with a more regular opportunity to face national teams from other continents, which will serve to unlock technical development opportunities previously unavailable to many of them.’’

‘‘The FIFA Series will also provide the participating member associations with their own additional commercial opportunities and exposure.’’

The pilot Series will run from 18 to 26 March 2024.

Paris 2024Q: Black Queens didn’t lose to Zambia because of complacency – Freda Ayisi

Black Queens midfielder Freda Ayisi has set sights on her side overturning the first-leg deficit against Zambia on Wednesday, February 28.

Ghana will face Zambia in the second leg of their 2024 Olympic Games third-round qualifier in Ndola looking to advance at the expense of their hosts.

The Black Queens suffered a second consecutive defeat when they met the Copper Queens at the Accra Sports Stadium last Friday with Racheal Kundananji scoring the game’s only goal.

Ayisi made her debut for Nora Hauptle’s women during the game in Accra and was taken off after the opening 45 minutes.

Speaking ahead of the second leg, the Charlton Athletic player said, “It will be amazing for the team to go for the Olympics because it’s a big opportunity to show the world that Ghana can play football and also put us on the map again.”

“I feel that the team is good, the team is doing well, it wasn’t complacency that made us lose in Accra. We are focused, sometimes football can go either way and that’s what happened in the 1st leg.”

The 29-year-old was also quizzed about how quickly she’s adapted to the team after receiving her maiden call-up.

“I’m adapting and I feel like am doing well especially in training and that is the best way to adapt, just train and work hard with the girls and hope I will be on the same level and we can play football together permanently,” she added.

The return leg of the tie will be played at the Levy Nwanawasa Sports Stadium in Ndola.

Paris 2024Q: Nora Hauptle confident Black Queens can overturn Zambia first leg deficit

lack Queens Nora Hauptle believes the team can cause an upset in Ndola when they face Zambia in the second leg of their Olympic Games qualifier.

The two teams are set to meet again on Wednesday, February 28, in the return leg of their third-round qualifier for the 2024 games to be staged in Paris, France.

The Copper Queens claimed a 1-0 advantage in the earlier meeting at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday, February 23, which puts Ghana on the brink of elimination.

However, Hauptle is backing her side to cause an upset against the 2023 Women’s World Cup participants.

“Unfortunately we couldn’t deliver or succeed against Zambia in the first leg, but we have the second leg against Zambia,” said the Swiss trainer.

“I think when we put one goal in, it will explode down there and then we back in April for the fourth round against Morocco and then I hope that the stadium [Accra Sports Stadium] here is cooking and we can get a sold-out stadium.”

The Ghana team are already in Ndola as preparations begin for the second encounter against Zambia. The team left Ghana right after the defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Queens are hoping for a first appearance at the Olympic Games while chasing a first football appearance for Team Ghana since the Black Meteors in 2004.

African Games: Abdulai Mukarama & Stella Nyamekye receive late Black Princesses call-ups

Hasaacas Ladies striker Abdulai Mukarama will join the Black Princesses camp in a surprise call up for the Accra 2023 African Games.

The former Black Maidens captain, and Dreamz Ladies striker Stella Nyamekye are the two late additions to Princesses camp as they continue preparations towards the tournament.

On Monday, Ghana’s U-20 Women’s football team, the Black Princesses moved to Cape Coast to begin camping ahead of the 13th African Games.

Coach Yussif Basigi’s side will kick off their campaign against Ethiopia on March 9th at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium before playing against Tanzania and Uganda in the other Group A matches.

The Princesses have just returned from a training tour in France, where they trained at the National Football Centre in Clairefontaine.

Basigi’s ladies played out a goalless draw with the Under 19 female team, of Paris Saint Germain in the only friendly match they played in France.

The 13th African Games is scheduled to take place from March 8-23, 2024.