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Ghana dispatch Nigeria to clinch maiden WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup

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Ghana defeated Nigeria 3-1 on penalties to win the first edition of the WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup in Kumasi.

The Black Princesses took a first half lead through captain Stella Nyamekye in the 38th minute as she converted a spot.

The Falconets started the game pressing high in search of the opener but failed to convert their chances.

Nigeria came close to scoring in the 16th minute but were denied by Afi Amenyaku who pushed the ball over the bar.

Comfort Owusu was fouled in the penalty box in the 38th minute and Stella Nyamekye converted to give Ghana the lead.

Nigeria kept pressing for the equaliser whilst Ghana pushed to double their lead but the first half ended 1:0 in favour of Ghana.

After recess, Nigeria kept mounting pressure with Esther Opeyemi twisting and turning in the box before firing but Afi Amenyaku saved her effort.

Faiza Seidu weaved her way through the Nigerian defence but her effort was blocked for a corner kick.

Afi Amenyaku caused a howler in the 86th minute and Flourish Sabastien equalised for Nigeria.

The game ended 1:1 in regulation time and headed to a penalty shootout.

Afi Amenyaku saved the day in a nervy penalty shootout as she saved the first two spot kicks from Nigeria.

Mary Amponsah scored the winning goal to hand Ghana the WAFU B U20 Girls trophy.

“He is not at that level yet” – Prince Tagoe defends Chris Hughton’s decision to exclude Abednego Tetteh from latest Black Stars squad

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According to former Black Stars striker Prince Tagoe, Abednego Tetteh, the leading goal scorer for Bibiani GoldStars in the Ghana Premier League (GPL), is not yet at the level required to be considered for the Black Stars squad.

For the second time in a row, coach Chris Hughton chose not to include any local players in the squad for the Madagascar 2023 AFCON qualifier, despite closely monitoring their performances in the domestic league.

Tagoe emphasized that Tetteh has not yet reached the necessary standard to represent the Black Stars and highlighted the significance of the Bibiani GoldStars striker consistently showcasing his form to justify a call-up.

During an interview on Angel TV, Tagoe expressed, “If we evaluate the performances in the local league, we acknowledge that they are doing very well. However, it is honest to say that they haven’t reached the level of the Black Stars yet.”

“Typically, when you win the goal king title in the GPL, you should be part of the national team selection. However, I’m not surprised that Abednego Tetteh was not included because he still has a lot to learn.”

“He is currently not at that level… He has performed admirably, but he needs another season to prove his consistency. It ultimately depends on him, but I don’t believe it was a mistake to exclude local players from the call-up.”

Tariq Lamptey opens up on World Cup experience with Ghana

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Tariq Lamptey, the Ghanaian defender, acknowledges that the Black Stars gave their all during the 2022 FIFA World Cup but fell short of their aspirations.

Despite their four-time African championship status, the team was unable to advance past the group stage, suffering two defeats and securing one victory.

However, Lamptey, who formerly represented England at the youth level, remains optimistic about the team’s future.

“We always gave our best effort. We worked tirelessly and stepped onto the pitch with the intention of winning. Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve that goal this time around. Nevertheless, we are committed to working hard and improving in the future,” Lamptey expressed to Joy Sports.

“We have confidence in ourselves and must continue to face challenges because football is never a smooth path. There are always ups and downs, and we must be resilient. Having belief in ourselves and in our team is crucial, and that’s something we possess.”

Lamptey will be absent from Ghana’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar due to an injury sustained while playing for Brighton against West Ham in March.

‘Internal conflicts within Asante Kotoko affecting players’ performance’ – Yusif Chibsah

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Yusif Alhassan Chibsah has attributed the struggles of Asante Kotoko in the ongoing 2022/23 Ghana Premier League to selfishness and greediness.

Despite being the defending champions, the Porcupine Warriors have had a poor season, currently sitting in 4th place with 48 points and only two games remaining.

Chibsah, a club legend, believes that it is crucial for the fanbase, management, and board to unite for the best interests of the club.

“The internal conflicts within Asante Kotoko are affecting the players’ performance. There are various factors at play, both internal and external. However, the main issue at Asante Kotoko is the lack of clarity, and this has been happening every year,” Chibsah stated in an interview with Adom TV.

“I believe there should be unity among the fanbase, management, and the board. As a single club, selfishness should not hinder the progress of the team. Any individual joining the club should not bring personal agendas but rather work together, united, to help the club progress. If there is unity among the fanbase, management, and the board, Asante Kotoko will thrive,” he emphasized.

Asante Kotoko’s remaining fixtures include an away game against Accra Lions at the Accra Sports Stadium, followed by a home game against Dreams FC at the Baba Yara Stadium to conclude their campaign.

WATCH LIVE: Manchester City vs Manchester United – FA Cup Final

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Click on any of the links below to watch the game. Kickoff is 2 pm.

https://hesgoal-tv.io/live/11121/1023277/manchester-city-vs-manchester-utd/

https://cutt.ly/56BC29L

Lineups:

Manchester United XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Lindelöf, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred, Eriksen; Bruno Fernandes(c), Sancho, Rashford

Manchester City XI: Ortega Moreno; Walker, Stones, Dias, Akanji; Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan(c); Bernardo, Grealish, Haaland

GPL Preview: Accra Lions host Asante Kotoko on Saturday

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Accra Lions will battle Asante Kotoko in their betPawa Premier League Matchday 33 fixture at the Accra Sports stadium Saturday evening. The hosts who lost 1-0 to Great Olympics aim to return to winning ways as battle for a top four place heightens.

Accra Lions have lost two of their last three league games against Asante Kotoko with one ending in a draw and will be chasing their first win against the Porcupine Warriors on Saturday.

Asante Kotoko have won only once in their last five fixtures and with three draws and one defeat, the Porcupines sit in 4th place with 48 points.

Accra Lions have lost four and won one in their last five matches and sit in 10th place with 44 points. Steven Mukwala, George Mfugue, Richmond Lamptey, John Tedeku and Serge Eric Zeze are all available to start for Asante Kotoko.

Accra Lions have the likes of David Oduro, Dominic Nsobila, Shawkan Mohammed, Issa Ibrahim, Baba Salifu Apiiga and Bassit seidu.

The game will be broadcast live on StarTimes Adepa channel 247

Ghana and Nigeria face off in WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup final

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Ghana and Nigeria will battle it out in the final of the maiden edition of the WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup in kumasi.

Head Coach of the Black Princesses, Yussif Basigi has been speaking about preparations, toughest opponent and support for the team ahead of the final of the WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup against Nigeria.

On performance

The performance of the teams in the competition has been good and impressive so far. Every team kept improving match after match. Niger for instance, started conceding less as the tournament progressed and it tells you that everyone is learning. Women football is growing in Africa and WAFU ZONE B are doing very well

on Black performance of Princesses

For my team, they have been amazing so far, from the Group stage to the finals. This is an entirely new team with players who have not tasted international football before but they put up splendid performance to match the level we are all craving for. The girls have been wonderful and it gives signs of hope that the future is very bright for us. The fact that all these girls play in our local league shows how competitive our game is. They have marketed themselves and the league well and I hope Malta Guinness will continue to do the good work they are doing for the women’s game and we hope other sponsors will come to support these amazing talents we have.

On toughest opponents

Looking at the matches we have played so far, Cote D’Ivoire would’ve been the toughest side but I think we immediately got their rhythm so we were able to punish them. But the Burkinabes gave us a tough match because they went ahead in less than five minutes and we had to fight to come back and win the game even though we didn’t have it easy in the second half considering the fact that they had a penalty and missed.

On Nigeria

We are meeting a side that hasn’t conceded any goal and have scored more goals but at times Football logic doesn’t work. The permutations might not give you the right results. We couldn’t convert many chances in our previous games but we have worked on that and hopefully we can convert them against Nigeria.

Update on Abena Anoma

Abena Anoma is back from injury and it is a welcoming news because she featured in the first two games and did well. The medical teams did a wonderful job to join us and it is good news. We have no other injury concern and everybody is ready for tomorrow.

On host and win

If we will host and win, the fans will help us to achieve that because their massive support can also be intimidating enough for us to win. We hope they come in their numbers to support and cheer us to victory.

Ghana will renew rivalry against an old foe, Nigeria in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup on Saturday, June 3, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

EPL side Nothingham Forest release Ghana captain Andre Ayew

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Nottingham Forest has decided not to extend the contract of Black Stars captain Andre Ayew, leading to his release from the club.

Ayew joined Forest in January on a six-month deal following his departure from Al Sadd in late 2021.

During his time at Forest, the 33-year-old made 13 appearances under the management of Steve Cooper.

Forest brought in Ayew to bolster their squad with his experience as they aimed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

However, Ayew was unable to find the back of the net in his 306 minutes of playing time and even missed a penalty during his stint with the club.

Now a free agent, the forward is focusing on finding a new club ahead of the upcoming season.

Samuel Inkoom reveals how he helped Liverpool star Mohammed Salah to move to FC Basel from Egypt

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Samuel Inkoom, a former defender of the Black Stars, has revealed that he played a significant role in helping Mohamed Salah secure his first professional opportunity in Europe with Swiss club FC Basel.

During his time at FC Basel from 2012 to 2014, Salah, who currently plays for Liverpool in the Premier League, made a total of 47 appearances and scored 9 goals before moving on to Chelsea.

Inkoom explained that he had the chance to observe Salah’s performance during training sessions against the Black Stars while on a trip to Egypt for a game. As Inkoom and Salah trained together alongside former Ghanaian striker Eric Bekoe, Inkoom’s club FC Basel had a crucial Champions League match against Bayern Munich. Impressed by Salah’s exceptional speed, FC Basel’s Sporting Director approached Inkoom and requested him to speak to Salah on the club’s behalf. Inkoom gladly accepted the task, thus becoming instrumental in Salah’s desire to play in Europe.

“I recommended Mo Salah to FC Basel,” Inkoom, who currently plays for Hearts of Oak, shared during an interview with Accra-based Peace FM.

He further elaborated, “During a game when the Black Stars traveled to Egypt, I wore the number 22 jersey and trained with the team that included Mo Salah and former Ghanaian striker Eric Bekoe. After that, my club FC Basel had a Champions League match against Bayern Munich. So, I came with my Sporting Director who noticed Mo Salah’s impressive speed during our training sessions against them. He asked me to speak to Salah on his behalf, and I did. That was it! Salah expressed his desire to play in Europe.”

When asked if he remains in contact with Salah, Inkoom mentioned that they haven’t been in touch. However, he revealed that he maintains communication with Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri, who was part of the Under-17 team during Inkoom’s time at FC Basel. Shaqiri, who also played alongside Salah at Liverpool from 2018 to 2021, occasionally serves as a reminder to Salah of the role Inkoom played in helping him secure the opportunity to play in Europe.

“I used to speak to Shaqiri when he was with Liverpool and occasionally asked him to remind Mohammed of how he got the chance to play in Europe,” Inkoom added.

With 44 caps for the Black Stars and 1 goal to his name, Inkoom played a significant role in Salah’s early journey in European football.

”I left because I wanted to change the weather” – Fabio Gama explains why he left Asante Kotoko

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Former Asante Kotoko SC midfielder, Fabio Gama dos Santos, has provided clarity on his decision to leave the club.

There were reports suggesting that the Brazilian departed the Porcupine Warriors due to financial disagreements over a contract extension. However, the 30-year-old has explained that his departure was driven by a desire for a new challenge after spending several years in Kumasi. He emphasized that the salary he received at Asante Kotoko was satisfactory for him and his family.

Gama debunked the notion of financial issues as the reason for his departure, stating, “No, that’s not true. The salary at Asante Kotoko was not bad, I can tell you it was not so fantastic but also not so bad. For me, it was good, the salary was good for me and my family,” as clarified in an interview with Ghanasportspage.com.

He further elaborated on his decision, stating that he wanted to experience a change in weather. After playing in Ghana for two seasons, Gama discussed with his family and they collectively decided to seek a new club and a different league in another country. His departure from Asante Kotoko was motivated by the desire to explore a fresh footballing environment.

”I left Kotoko because I wanted to change the weather. Because I had played in Ghana for two seasons, so I talked to my family and we decided to change club. We wanted to change to another league in another country, we wanted to try another league in another that was why I left Asante Kotoko”, Gama stated.

In July 2022, Fabio Gama officially joined Bahraini side Muharraq Club on a reported two-year deal, embarking on a new chapter in his football career.

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