Ghana’s Black Satellites head coach Desmond Ofei says the team is progressing steadily with their preparations as they gear towards kick-starting the African games tournament in March.
The team pitched a three weeks camp at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram where the large majority of training coupled with other technical instructions have been imparted before they headed to Cape Coast for their final preparations.
The coach believes there is much at stake for the Black Satellites going into the tournament. However, he assures the boys can make Ghana proud if they stay focused.
“We’re in the final stages of preparation, everything is going smoothly,” said Ofei.
“Working in football is a lot of challenge but we must stay focused, because, we know what is at stake, this African game means a lot to us.”
The Black Satellites are drawn in group A alongside Benin, Congo and The Gambia for the 13th African Games Male Football competition. Ghana’s first game is on March 9 at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Transfer fees have become a topic of great interest in football these days with the men’s game already hitting insane figures.
The women’s game continues to grow and the development in the last few years has led to changes in the fees being paid for some of these players.
The wealthiest women’s football clubs in the world are found in Liga F (Spanish Women’s division) and Division 1 Feminine ( France Women’s league). However, the Women’s Super League has provided equal purchasing power in terms of revenue, with Mayra Ramirez only a few days after her announcement as the most expensive female footballer moving from Levante Feminine to Chelsea’s women’s team, this only lasted a few days as Zambian footballer Racheal Kundananji took over the wheel as the most expensive female player in women’s football history.
Here are the top five most expensive women’s football transfers:
5. Jill Roord – £300,000 Manchester City managed to persuade highly-rated midfielder Jill Roord to swap Germany for England last summer, the Dutch international joining the WSL side from Champions League finalists Wolfsburg.
Despite a lack of European football for Man City this season, Roord chose to join Gareth Taylor’s side – a decision that looks justified given they currently sit second in the WSL and only three points off champions Chelsea. The £300,000 spent by Man City has proved a bargain, Roord having netted ten goals in 16 appearances in all competitions, but she will miss the rest of the season with an ACL rupture.
4. Lena Eberdorf – £450,000 The 22-year-old midfielder joined Bayern Munich from Wolfsburg making her the most expensive German female footballer.
The deal worth £450,000 ($483,000) came as no surprise as Eberdorf after joining Wolfsburg in 2020 made 99 Frauen-Bundesliga appearances and was part of Wolfsburg’s 2021-22 title-winning squad.
Eberdorf has since gone on to capp 44 times for the national team and won the best young player for the Euro 2022 where Germany succumbed to a painful defeat to England in the final.
3. Keira Walsh – £470,000 In 2022, Keira Walsh left the familiarity of England for the unknown of Spain following an eight-year tenure at Man City. The Lioness joined Barcelona for a then-record £400,000, and since then, the Liga F team has won four championships, including the Champions League. Walsh’s successful run at the 2022 European Championship, which England won, will have also attracted Barcelona’s attention. In the final, the midfielder was named player of the match.
2. Mayra Ramirez – £500,000 Mayra Ramirez, Chelsea’s most recent high-profile acquisition, cost the Blues £500,000, assuming add-ons are successful. The forward, who formerly played for Liga F team Levante, is brought in as a replacement for Sam Kerr, who suffered a permanent ACL injury.
The Colombian was a standout performer at the World Cup and contributed 25 goals to Levante’s league total in 27 games last season. Throughout the second part of the season, WSL defenders will have a difficult time stopping the 24-year-old striker, who is strong and persistent.
1. Racheal Kundananji – £805,000 With Racheal Kundananji’s transfer from Madrid CFF to newly established Bay FC in the United States, Ramirez’s short reign as the most expensive signing in women’s football has been eclipsed.
With 33 goals in 44 Liga F games for Madrid, it comes as no surprise that the 23-year-old made the transfer for an initial payment of £625,000.
When it comes to men’s or women’s football, Kundananji is the first player from Africa to break a record for transfers.
The Black Queens may have suffered elimination from the 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers but they did that with their heads held high.
Ghana played out a dramatic 3-3 draw against Zambia in Ndola in the second leg of their third-round qualifiers for the games to be staged in Paris, France.
The result meant the Copper Queens advanced to the last round of qualifying with a 4-3 aggregate score having won 1-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium in the earlier meeting.
Despite the elimination, Zambian fans have found a positive to the performance of their opponent over the two games played in the last week.
They are particularly impressed with the management of Ghana coach Nora Hauptle who gave Bruce Mwape’s side a run for their money until Barbra Banda’s late strike.
Zambia fans have started calling on the Football Association to move quickly to appoint the Swiss trainer as a new coach for the Copper Queens.
Ghana’s national boxing team, the Black Bombers will fly to Italy tonight for a Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier.
President of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation, Bernard Quartey and a representative from the Sports Ministry will lead a delegation of six boxers for the tournament.
Samuel Takyi, who won bronze in the featherweight division at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, is expected to lead the Black Bombers. Takyi will be fighting in the light welterweight division.
The other members of the Black Bombers are Theophilius Kpakpo Allotey (flyweight division), Alfred Kotei (light middleweight), Jonathan Tetteh (light heavyweight) and Leicester born Mark Kojovi Ahondao (heavyweight).
Black Hitters pair of, Janet Ackah and Warrant Officer Anatu Mohammed will be competing in the flyweight and lightweight divisions respectively.
The boxers will be led by Coach Ofori Asare and his assistant Vincent Ackah Nettey assistant are also on the trip.
Meanwhile, a bantamweight boxer Dauda Fuseini, will not be making the trip after the Italian Embassy rejected his VISA application.
Mohammed was due to compete in the featherweight division but will not travel with the team after failing to provide his birth certificate.
The designated doctor of the team, A.S.P Edward Asante, has also been denied the VISA.
Ghana is still waiting for its first boxing slot for the Paris Olympic after 12 boxers failed to secure any at the qualifying tournament in Senegal last year.
The tournament in Italy, the first of boxing’s Olympic Qualifiers in 2024, will run from March 3 to March 11, 2024, in Bursto Arsizio, northern Italy.
The Black Bombers will be competing for six of the 49 slots on offer during the event, including 28 for men and 21 for women.
The next qualifying tournament for boxing will take place in Thailand from 26 May to 2 June.
Athletes and officials of participating countries have begun arriving in Ghana for the 13th African Games set to kick off in Accra this weekend.
On Wednesday, contingent from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco touched down in Ghana with their first party of athletes and officials, mostly badminton players.
The badminton event starts on March 3, five clear days before the opening ceremony of the event on March 8.
Apart from the North Africans, Joy Sports has also confirmed that several other teams, mostly with their badminton players, arrived in the country in the late hours of Wednesday.
All of them have been checked into hotels as the Games’ Village has yet to open to the athletes.
The University of Ghana stadium venue manager for the African Games, Dr Bella Bello Bitugu says about two or three per cent of work is required before the facility will be fully operational.
Speaking to GSN24 Live, Dr Bitugu, who is also the sports director for the University stated that the facility is one of the best and the school is proud to host the rest of the continent.
“Almost every part of this facility is ready. The VIP, the Rugby pitch, and the lanes have been marked and certification is ongoing, maybe some two-three per cent of the work here to be done.
“We are ready as far as the sporting infrastructure is concerned and we are sure we will have every fully completed by the time the games start,” he said.
Ghana adopted a hybrid approach to the organisation of the games, building sporting facilities in Borteyman and completing the University of Ghana stadium as well as settling on the halls in the school to serve as the games village.
Dr Bello described the decision to use the country’s premier university as a special one.
“As the venue manager for the Legon Stadium, I will call it my baby. It started around 2003, and I remember stating that I would complete the stadium before I leave, lo and behold, I am completing it.
“That makes it special, that makes it really great. Look at the warm-up track, look at the stadium itself, what do we want again?
“Again, we have seen the light of day. People thought it wouldn’t happen, we were sceptical, where is the money, but we bulldozed through to have this facility.
“We started bit by bit, but we are finally here. It is also special, too, because this is the first time Ghana is hosting the African Games and we are going to have it on the campus of a University, special because it doesn’t usually happen.
“Mega events don’t usually happen on University campuses and special again because it’s the premier university, and special because this is a very determining stage in Ghana so it is special on many counts and we look forward to a very fantastic games,” he stated.
The University of Ghana will host about seven of the 29 sporting disciplines that would be happening during the African Games.
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.
