Ghana youth international Mathew Anim Cudjoe has left Scottish side, Dundee United, after both parties failed to reach an agreement over a renewal.
The attacking midfielder’s contract with the club expired at the end of the season and there were ongoing talks over a possible renewal.
However, after extended negotiations between the player’s entourage and the club, Dundee United have agreed to part ways with the exciting winger.
The Tangerines confirmed the departure of Anim Cudjoe on the club’s website on Tuesday, June 18.
“We can confirm Mathew Cudjoe has decided to call time on his Tannadice career. The club made an offer which reflected our vision for Mathew in both financial and footballing terms however the Ghanaian has decided to pursue his career elsewhere,” the statement read.
During his time at the club, the Ghanaian scored five goals in 46 games for the club featuring in the Premiership and the Championship.
Serbian champions, Red Star Belgrade, has announced the signing of Ghanaian international Ebenezer Annan.
The left-back joins the club in a permanent deal from Serie A side Bologna, penning a three-year deal. The contract also has an option for him to extend for another year.
The defender spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Novi Pazar in the Serbian Superliga where his performances impressed many clubs including Red Star Belgrade.
“Red Star continues with activities when it comes to the summer transfer window and we are very pleased to announce that Ebenezer Annan has signed a three plus one-year contract with our club,” wrote the club announcing Amman’s arrival ahead of the new season.
Annan, through his impressive displays at Novi Pazar, was called up into the national team in March for the friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda.
He also returned to the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Mali and Central African Republic.
The season is over and, of course, it’s time for drama at Asante Kotoko (wait your turn, rivals Accra Hearts of Oak; yours would probably be more spectacular given the rubbish, near-tragic campaign you just had).
It was only last Sunday that the Porcupine Warriors thrashed Bofoakwa Tano 3-1 to finish sixth — the club’s lowest placement since 2010, when they also ended up in an identical position. Had they played much of the 2023/24 campaign the way they did on its last matchday — with a flourish even the relentless rain couldn’t dampen — Kotoko would likely have done much better on the final standings.
Clearly, change — of a significant kind — would be needed to ensure next season aligns more with the club’s lofty standards and expectations.
But, even so, nobody quite envisaged the scale of that change being as massive as this week’s announcements by the club on its official social media platforms revealed: as many as 18 outgoings from the playing body (and there is no promise there wouldn’t be more between now and the start of the campaign to come).
Asante Kotoko has this afternoon parted ways mutually with the following players.
The profiles of the affected players — from veterans (Danlad Ibrahim) and cult favourites (Georges Mfegue) to ‘starboys’ (Isaac Oppong) and flops (Kalo Ouattara) — varied as widely as the reaction among the fanbase to the development, but there has been little about the collective feedback to suggest any measure of pleasure about the wholesale nature of these exits.
It’s not just about Kotoko losing so many players (all but one of whom arrived only in the last four years) without getting a pesewa in return — even if that is now an admittedly concerning, perennial feature of the club’s transfer business — as it is about losing so many players who’d walk straight into the starting lineups of some of the other teams in the league, potentially even to the benefit of direct rivals.
Those fears aren’t unfounded, given there are very recent examples of such stories.
The division’s freshly-crowned topscorer, Berekum Chelsea’s Stephen Amankona, was let go last year after a couple of admittedly underwhelming seasons. A slightly earlier departee, midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh, played a leading role in helping Samartex become the league’s latest champions.
Granted, not all, if any, among the latest batch of leavers would have that sort of success. But it is the feeling that Kotoko, with only a bit more patience, could have extracted more from these players — such as exciting attacker Oppong and promising full-back Nicholas Osei Bonsu, for whom the loudest ohs and ahs were reserved by stunned fans online — which grates on those who’d want to see the club make good returns on its investment.
For an institution that struggles to generate enough funds to merely sustain itself, the turnover rate at Kotoko is ridiculously high; certainly, an outfit so cash-strapped cannot afford to be this wasteful.
The excuse this time (as always) may be that it clears the slate considerably for the head coach, Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum, to rebuild, but if anyone should leave so Kotoko finds their way again, it is probably Ogum himself — especially after his unforced, post-season mea culpa.
Don’t hold your breath, though; with him doubling as a member of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) that has only one other member on the ground (and even he is a traditional chief with little football knowledge), Ogum is going nowhere anytime soon.
Barring any unforeseeable occurrence, he’ll have another chance at success next season — but there would be no such shot at redemption, at least not in Kotoko colours, for the players he has now flushed out of the club.
Founder of the Right to Dream football academy, Tom Vernon, has hailed the talent of Ghanaian children as the country’s biggest asset.
The Englishman, who has been operating the famous academy in Ghana for over 20 years, believes this is not just limited to football but across all fields.
Vernon made this disclosure in an all-access interview with Joy Sports at the academy’s campus in Akosombo, Old Akrade while talking about the criteria for admitting kids.
“It’s really tough. The first thing I’ll say is that the kids who don’t get in, let’s say we take the top 20. The kids from number 21 down to, let’s say, number 100 would get into any academy in Europe, any academy in Europe.
“You can take the guy number 100; we don’t have space for him here. If he lives in Madrid, he’ll be in the Real Madrid Academy, that’s my view.
“So it shows how much is still to be done to serve the talent and the youth of Ghana.
“Like we need much more of what we’re doing. I always say Right to Dream; we’re doing our part, but we need much more expansion of talent development.
“My view is, Ghana’s biggest asset is the talent of its children. Not in football but broadly.”
The Right to Dream Academy has produced some of the biggest football stars for Ghana’s national teams over the last two decades including Mohammed Kudus, Majeed Waris, David Accam, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ibrahim Osman, who has just signed for Brighton.
Not just that. Ivy League graduates are among the products coming out of the Old Akrade-based academy.
Watch part one of Tom Vernon’s interview with Fentuo Tahiru Fentuo here:
The Vice President and 2024 flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has congratulated newly-crowned Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League champions, Hasaacas Ladies, following their success at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Bawumia’s message comes after the Hasmal Ladies defeated Ampem Darkoa Ladies to reclaim the Womens’ Premier League title for the first time since the 2020/21 campaign.
Veronica Baa Kuma and Mukarama Abdulai scored the goals for Hasaacas Ladies in the final on June 8.
Following their success, they have received a congratulatory message from Bawumia who is hoping the club will go all the way to replicate their success from the 2020/21 season when they reached the final of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Hasaacas Ladies will play in the WAFU B Champions League qualifiers to be staged in Abidjan in August 2024.Yussif Basigi’s side will be hoping to win the competition which will also serve as their ticket to the main CAF Women’s Champions League competition.
Former Chelsea midfielder, Claude Makelele, says there is promising potential in Manchester United’s youngster, Kobbie Mainoo, that reminds him of Michael Essien.
Mainoo was an integral part of the Red Devils team in the just-ended season as he recovered from an injury setback to become a pivotal player for Erik ten Hag.
The 19-year-old made significant contributions, tallying three goals in 24 Premier League matches and adding two more in the FA Cup including a crucial goal in the final against Manchester City in the final of the cup competition.
Not only has he gotten recognition in the Premier League, but Mainoo is also on England’s plane to Euro 2024 in Germany after his blistering performances.
Speaking to Daily Mail, Makele picked the Man United midfielder as part of a preferred midfield three for the Three Lions.
“[To complete England’s midfield], I will go for Rice, Bellingham, and this boy in Manchester [Mainoo]. He is very good, so young, but he demonstrated that he can play. He is young but he has quality. I think he will give some spice in midfield,” said the former Chelsea midfielder.
“Good dribbler, running, fighting—he can be very good for the national team.”
“I will say Michael Essien,” Makelele added when quizzed about comparisons between Mainoo and his former teammate Clarence Seedorf.
“He needs to learn more from Michael Essien. He is young, you know, and he has a great future in front of him.”
Organisers of the Ghana Football Awards have announced the full nominees for the 2024 edition of the award scheme.
The award ceremony will be held for the sixth time since its inception.
Mohammed Kudus, Osman Bukari, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and Inaki Williams headline the 2024 edition of the Ghana Football Awards which is set to be staged at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre on Saturday, June 29.
The event which will be live on Joy Prime TV will see the quartet battle for the prestigious Footballer of the Year Award which is the flagship category of the awards scheme.
The four players made the final shortlist of the category after deliberations over a long list.
While the Football of the Year is the icing on the cake, other exciting categories include the Home-based Footballer of the Year which honours Ghanaians and foreigners who play in the domestic league.
The unveiling of the nominees took place at Big Leagues Sports & Lounge, Osu, on Wednesday, June 12.
Here are the full nominees for this year’s awards:
Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp FC have announced the signing of highly-rated Ghanaian youngster Obed Agyapong.
The 19-year-old pens a deal with the club from Oud-Heverlee Leuven joining Antwerp’s Under-23 side for the upcoming season.
The talented winger played for OH Leuven’s U-23 and will now continue his development with Antwerp’s academy looking to break into the first team
Known for his technical prowess as well as his pace on the flanks, Agyapong is also versatile and has the ability to play on either side of the wings. He is also capable of filling in the void as a right-wingback.
Having played in Belgian for the last few years, Agyapong will be hoping to have a significant impact with the U-23 side and grab opportunities in the first team when they come calling.
The youngster is among a host of young Belgium-based Ghanaians who are looking to make a name for themselves in the coming years.
Badamosi brace powers Gambia’s dominant victory over Seychelles
Gambia unleashed a goal-scoring frenzy as they clinched their first victory of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, defeating Seychelles 5-1 in a dominant display at the Stade Municipal de Berkane on Saturday.
The resounding triumph sees Gambia rise in Group F, while Seychelles remain pointless after three matches.
The hosts wasted no time in asserting their authority, with Muhammed Badamosi opening the scoring in the 10th minute, nodding home from the center of the box after a precise cross from Omar Gaye.
Seychelles briefly threatened a comeback when Ryan Henriette finished clinically from the center of the box in the 14th minute, but the first half ended level at 1-1, with Gambia appearing the more dominant side.
The second half, however, saw Gambia shift into an unstoppable gear. Just three minutes after the restart, Musa Barrow converted a penalty with a powerful shot to the high center of the goal, restoring Gambia’s lead.
Yankuba Minteh extended the advantage in the 55th minute, rifling a right-footed shot from the center of the box, with Barrow providing the assist.
Gambia’s relentless attack continued to bear fruit in the 66th minute when Badamosi headed home his second of the match, this time assisted by Barrow, making it 4-1.
The final nail in Seychelles’ coffin came in the 78th minute, with Adama Sidibeh nodding in from the center of the box after a well-placed cross from Alasana Manneh.
Despite their efforts, Seychelles struggled to contain Gambia’s onslaught, and several substitutions by both teams did little to change the momentum of the match.
Gambia’s comprehensive victory provides a significant morale boost as they prepare to face Gabon on Tuesday, while Seychelles will need to regroup quickly as they host Burundi, seeking to earn their first points of the campaign.
