The Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Seth Panwum, has assured the public that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi will be ready for Ghana’s crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Angola.
The match is scheduled to take place in just 13 days, but the stadium’s current condition has raised concerns.
The playing surface at the stadium deteriorated significantly after hosting a large church event, putting the Black Stars’ opening qualifier for next year’s tournament at risk.
However, Panwum is confident that the necessary repairs will be completed in time.
“The place was given out for a program. I had to review their recovery plan, you know, and I think they are right on track.” he told GTV Sports Plus.”
He continued, “I had an update yesterday and this morning from Kumasi, and I think all hands are on deck to meet the deadline. I think in a few days’ time, the pitch should be in 200% perfect condition for the game.”
Panwum also mentioned that the contractor responsible for the stadium’s upkeep was present to address additional issues, including final touches on the media and press centers. “It’s one point that CAF doesn’t compromise on,” he added, emphasising the importance of meeting the Confederation of African Football’s standards.
Ghanaian football fans can now breathe a sigh of relief as efforts intensify to ensure that the Baba Yara Sports Stadium will be ready to host the Black Stars’ crucial qualifier against Angola.
ordan Ayew has shared his enthusiasm and determination to play an important role in Leicester City’s return to the Premier League.
After initial discussions with manager Steve Cooper, Ayew is ready to embrace the challenge and contribute to the Foxes’ success in the 2024/25 season.
In his first interview after joining the club, Ayew revealed that Cooper had outlined his vision for the team and how he plans to utilise Ayew’s experience and skills.
The Ghanaian forward was impressed by the manager’s plans and is eager to work under his guidance.
“He just explained to me how he wants to use me and as a player you don’t really demand much. But when you hear that the Manager wants you, you just want to work under him and improve as well,” Ayew said.
Despite being 32 years old, Ayew remains focused on self-improvement and is determined to enhance both his game and his contributions to the team.
According to him, he is not just joining the club to coast through the season but is committed to working hard and helping Leicester City achieve their targets.
“I’m not just coming to hang around, I’m here to work hard and make sure that I help the team to reach the targets. Hopefully, we have a great season all together with the fans and I’m really confident that this will be a good year,” he added.
He could make his Leicester City debut on Saturday afternoon against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Antoine Semenyo’s late goal snatched a point for Bournemouth as they came from behind to hold Nottingham Forest on the opening day.
Chris Wood swept home the Forest opener in the 23rd minute after Cherries goalkeeper Neto parried a Ryan Yates shot to his feet.
It followed a broken ankle to their Brazilian midfielder Danilo, who was taken off on a stretcher after a clash with Semenyo.
Bournemouth – who had a goal disallowed in the first half – were much improved in the second half and levelled as Semenyo bundled home from close range when Forest failed to properly clear a cross.
The Black Stars forward pounced after Forest defender Harry Toffolo’s clearance struck team-mate Murillo and fell invitingly for the him.
Forest had controlled the first half and almost doubled their lead when defender Willy Boly sent a powerful header goalwards from a Callum Hudson-Odoi corner, but Neto flung himself to the left for an important save.
Without last season’s star striker Dominic Solanke, who joined Tottenham for £65m, Semenyo hopes to continuing scoring after opening his account for the season.
The dates for Ghana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and venues against Angola and Niger have been confirmed.
The Baba Yara Sports Stadium will host Ghana’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Angola in September.
The Black Stars will host the Sable Antelopes on Thursday, September 5, 2024, before traveling to Niger for their second Group F game on Monday, September 9, 2024.
Otto Addo’s men are unbeaten in their last two competitive games following impressive wins over Mali and Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The game against Angola is scheduled for 16:00Hrs Kick Off at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. Ghana are in Group F alongside Sudan, Angola and Niger.
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco next year.
Otto Addo’s men are in search of a ticket to the biggest football tournament on African soil having previously won the title in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982.
Ghana defender Alexander Djiku believes Fenerbahce’s dream of reaching the group stage of the UEFA Champions League under Jose Mourinho remains on course.
The Turkish giants travel to France for the third round of qualifiers against LOSC Lille with hopes of progressing to the next stage.
“Last year, we thought we could face Lille in the Conference League semi-finals, but we were eliminated by Olympiacos on penalties in the quarter-finals (Lille were also eliminated by Aston Villa). It could have happened earlier,” Djiku told L’Equipe.
Lille could have Canadian striker Jonathan David back for the tie following his participation in the Copa America.
However, Djiku is unbothered by the presence of Lille’s keyman.
“Jonathan David is a very talented player and a great mover on the pitch. He is also very effective in deep runs. Lille with Jonathan David and Lille without him are two different teams. However, we did not have a special preference for the opponent, whether it was Lille or another team. The road will be difficult but we are confident,” he added.
Black Stars defender Joseph Aidoo was visibly touched by the heartfelt support from his Celta Vigo teammates upon making his return to football after a nine-month injury layoff. The 28-year-old made a notable comeback during Celta Vigo’s 1-0 victory over Portuguese side Gil Vicente in a preseason match. Aidoo, who entered the game in the 74th minute as a substitute for Carl Starfelt, played 16 minutes, marking his first appearance since suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon early in the 2023-2024 season. Following his return, Aidoo was greeted with warm embraces and congratulatory gestures from his teammates. Overwhelmed by the support, he was seen wiping away tears as he absorbed the moment, receiving applause from fans as he walked off the pitch. Aidoo’s injury had kept him sidelined for a significant portion of the previous season, where he missed the majority of Celta Vigo’s matches. Before his injury, Aidoo was a crucial player for the team, having featured in 32 and 35 La Liga games in consecutive seasons. The defender was also part of Ghana’s squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, highlighting his importance to both his club and national team. Aidoo’s return significantly boosts Celta Vigo as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus insists he is battle-ready for the upcoming season in the English Premier League after magnificently announcing himself with superlative performances in his maiden campaign.
The Black Stars attacking midfielder was outstanding for the Hammers last season, ending the season as Europe’s best dribbler. He also scored 14 goals, including sensational strikes against Freiburg and Manchester City, and added six assists to his goals contributions.
His efforts has seen him attract interest from various clubs with Saudi giants Al Ittihad and Liverpool the sides heavily linked to the player.
However, Kudus is focused on his time with West Ham as preparations for the new season continue in the United States.
According to the 23-year-old, he is aware of the expectations and he is ready to give his best in the upcoming campaign.
“Definitely, the preparations has been smooth so far. We have a couple of games to get to the level we want to get to. Looking forward to tomorrow’s game but same thing like last season. Last season was good, first season to announce myself,” he told West Ham TV.
“I think now the expectation is even higher. The opponents are going to come stronger but so am I.
“So, just double my effort and the do my best to help the team finish in the best position as possible.”
A member of Ghana’s 1982 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winning team, Opoku Nti, says the benefit the squad had for winning the tournament was boarding the presidential jet.
Speaking on Prime Take with Muftawu Nabila Abdulai which will broad the on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30 pm on JoyNews, the former Black Stars forwarded recalled a stirring message from the late CK Gyamfi, the team’s coach, delivered on behalf of then-head of state Jerry John Rawlings, it was never fulfilled.
“Before the [AFCON 1982] final, we were there when the late CK Gyamfi came and said, ‘This is a message from our head of state [Jerry John Rawlings] and it reads like this: ‘If you win this Cup, we are going to honour you and this honour will benefit you and your children.’
Every step, whether eating, training, after lunch or supper, he would read this message to us,” Nti recounted.
It is believe that the message was meant to inspire the team to go all out and win when rumours in Ghana alleged that then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi wanted Ghana to throw the match.
“We didn’t even know that in Ghana, there were rumours that [Muammar] Gaddafi wanted us to sell the match to him [for Libya to win the AFCON]. Lo and behold, we won the Cup.”
The team waited in Tripoli for several days before the presidential jet arrived to bring them home. Boarding the jet, Nti says, was the only honour they had. “Maybe, the benefit we had was being on the presidential jet,” he stated.
He added, “It took us from Tripoli, Libya and we were happy. We had to refuel when we got to Tamale, and when we got to Tema, we saw two jet planes.” The flight back to Ghana turned into a terrifying experience as the pilot performed risky manoeuvres. “While in the plane, something happened, and we were all crying in the plane.
“The pilot was flying dangerously: he would take high up and come down again… he did that a couple of times and we were all scared to death because we hadn’t seen anything like that before. We all thought we were going to die. Even those who were outside waiting for us to land were all shouting.
“If you want, go and look at the picture of our arrival carefully, no one was laughing. We couldn’t laugh because our hearts were gone.”
There was enough history for these players not to be so expectant: 1963, 1965, and 1978. Promises made to these winning teams were never fulfilled, but this group thought theirs was a different era despite a warning from some members of the 1978 group who were promised houses, but never got them.
“Some of the 1978 squad members told us there was a promise for them if they won the AFCON during Kutu Acheampong’s era. They were promised houses, but it never happened. So they told us we must ask for even cars because the state had seized so many cars at the port,” Nti explained.
They made no demands at the instruction of their technical team members, and their hopes were dashed when they finally met with Rawlings.
“The coaches, CK Gyamfi, Osam Duodu were like, ‘These boys, you are too troublesome, he [Rawlings] said he will honour us. When you’re given a car, is that honour?’ It was back and forth.
“They eventually took us from the airport to Konda Barracks and that was the first time we met [Daniel Alolga] Akata Pore . He told us the old man, he called Papa J [Jerry John Rawlings] old man, is sleeping but will join us soon.
“We were there for about 30 minutes before he came. He greeted us and spoke for a long time. It was from politics to many other things.
“He said what we blacks can do if we were given the same opportunities as the whites, we are better.
“In the end, he said Ghana has nothing to offer you, except to say ‘We salute you.’ To be honest with you, it pierced our hearts,” Nti recounted. The lack of promised rewards had a lasting impact on the players. Ghana has not win the AFCON since then and many attributes the country’s near misses to not honouring promises made to past winners.
“If Ghana is suffering… maybe some players cursed Ghana, I don’t know, but this thing got so many players to decide not to play for the nation again because the sacrifice was too much,” Nti reflected.
The disillusionment carried over into the next AFCON where Ghana, despite being defending champions had its worst outing to date. The team exited the group stage without a point.
“It’s all gone now, but you see, it didn’t augur well so from there defending the Cup at Bourke, we were eliminated because no one was willing to sacrifice again. Who wants to die again for the nation? They said a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for,” Nti concluded.
Prime Take airs every Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 11 am.
Scottish powerhouse Aberdeen FC are keeping tabs on talented Ghana and Medeama defender Nurudeen Abdulai, GHANAsoccernet.com can report.
The 19-year-old, who is a subject intense interest from Clubs in Europe, has attracted the lenses of the Scottish giants.
A glowing scouting reports point to a promising footballer who will develop and thrive in Europe over time.
The Scottish side are believed to be prepared to discuss a complete package hinge on a developmental path for the highly-rated Ghanaian centre-back, who has a knack for scoring goals.
However, Aberdeen FC, will not have an easy route to the youngster’s signature with a lots of clubs in England, Denmark and Norway keeping tabs on his progress at 2023-24 CAF Champions League campaigners, Medeama SC.
Abdulai, 19, has captured the attention and imagination of Ghanaians since bursting onto the Premier League scene just two seasons ago- culminating into a call up into the senior national team, the Black Stars.
The fast rising defender, who has been included in Medeama’s pre-season squad, will likely depart the Ghana Premier League before it kicks off on September 6, 2024.
The 19-year-old has consistently been one of the best defensive players in the Ghana Premier League over the last two seasons. He played a pivotal role in Medeama SC winning the Ghana Premier League for the first time in the 2022/23 season.
Interest in the versatile youngster is growing and it is expected he will depart the Tarkwa based club this summer.
According to transfer experts FootballInsider247.com, Abdulai is on the radar of several Premier League and Championship clubs in the ongoing summer transfer window.
Following a stellar 2022/23 season, Nurudeen received his debut call-up to the Black Stars squad that faced Madagascar and Comoros in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November last year.
Former Ghana coach Chris Hughton included him in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations provisional squad but missed out on the final squad with a shoulder injury.
Ghanaian prodigy, Godswill Vadze is set to take the Serbian Super League by storm after completing a 3-year deal with Čukarički.
The white and black were reinforced by the signing of the offensive midfielder Godswill Vadze, a youngster who was one of the best individuals in the Zvijezda 09 team in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina last season.
Vadze was born on September 4, 2001 in Tefle, Ghana, and after a 3-year spell with Accra shooting stars FC, he began his European adventure with Austrian third-tier club, Pinzgau Saalfelden, from where he moved to Zvijezda 09 from Stanišić.
While at Republika Srpska, he was very noticeable, in 49 games he scored eight goals and assisted six times.
“I am very happy that I became a member of Čukaricki. I can’t wait to meet my teammates, to do the first training and I hope to be in competition for games very soon. I am grateful to God and to all the people in Ghana who believed in my talent. I promise to give my best for this club, to which I am very grateful for the fact that they signed me. It is a privilege to play for Čukarički” – said Vadze after being introduced to the club from Banovo brdo.
Vadze was assigned the number 11 jersey. On Monday, he underwent medical examinations and he will begin first training session with the team today.“We followed several guys who were on our radar for a long time, including Vadze. We did a detailed analysis of his qualities, with the help of the club’s scouting service, together we came to the conclusion that this is the ideal profile of a player who fits the system and idea of the game that our head coach Goran Stanić is looking for.”
“We expect the boy from Ghana to quickly adapt to the requirements and to play for the team as soon as possible, and the fact that he has already played in these areas will be of great importance” – said Goran Grkinić, the technical director of Čukarički.
“Our goal is to produce top level players who are capable of competing at the highest level and we are most definitely on that path having produced a couple of youngsters including Vadze in whom I am confident in the next couple of years, will be rubbing shoulders with the best in the world of football” – said Isaac Ansah, Vice president of Accra Shooting Stars FC.
