Real Tamale United will play their Ghana Premier League (GPL) Matchweek 23 home game against Berekum Chelsea on Monday, April 4, 2022 at the Baba Yara Stadium.
This is as a result of the temporary ban on the Club from playing their home matches at the Aliu Mahama Stadium in Tamale pending the decision of the GFA Disciplinary Committee on their misconduct case.
In effect, King Faisal FC’s outstanding Matchday 21 game against Berekum Chelsea has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 7, 2022 at the Baba Yara Stadium.
Some people still say they wouldn’t credit the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for anything regarding the Black Stars’ qualification for the Qatar 2022 World Cup because they were forced to take certain decisions that secured our place at the tourney.
Fans’ outcry, they argue, moved the GFA’s hands to dismiss Coach Milovan Rajevac who supervised our unprecedented 2021 AFCON failure. And but for his sacking and the reconstitution of the Black Stars management committee, all triggered by public agitation, our Qatar dream would’ve crashed.
Whether or not the GFA were compelled by public pressure against the coach and the Management committee, I believe we all accept that, a change of technical direction and management of affairs were necessary ingredients for a revived Black Stars.
The resuscitated Black Stars have thus given us a fourth World Cup appearance. The media have been reporting in detail the draw in Doha, which was watched nationwide on various television channels. Indeed, public conversations have been dominated by the draw with dramatic shot in confidence in the Black Stars and their managers.
That’s why after Friday’s draw, which saw Ghana in group H alongside Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea; we’ve all been enthusiastic, expecting a showdown with Uruguay’s Luis Suarez – recalling events of South Africa 2010 – where the Uruguayan star stopped a goal bound shot with his hand resulting in his red card and a Black Stars penalty which Asamoah Gyan painfully wasted in the quarterfinal game.
Ghana could’ve been the first African nation to be a World Cup semifinalist had Gyan scored. Can the Black Stars make it out of group H and make big impact? At this point, good preparation should be our preoccupation. Taking firm decisions on the future of our technical team, casting the net wide in terms player scouting players and finally selecting the best of players should be key in our readiness for the competition.
Black Stars beat top ranked teams in past World Cups and that was no fluke. It was as a result fantastic preparation. Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea are tough World Cup campaigners. South Korea for instance are technically gifted. Besides, teams in our group have notable players in various leagues but this is not the time to flaunt stars.
Stars to make juicy imaginative talk. We’re seven months away. The need for excellent preparation can’t be overstated. The focus should be properly managing our campaign from here, learning from experiences of past appearances to reduce if not eliminate petty gaffes; assemble a formidable side ready to take on group H and the world combining fine play with proper team ethics that Ghanaians would appreciate.
Uruguay national team head coach Diego Alonso has indicated that all four countries in Group H for the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar have an equal chance of qualifying from the group.
Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea were drawn into the same group yesterday at a ceremony held in Qatar.
According to Alonso, Uruguay, Portugal, Ghana and South Korea are all on even terms and there are no clear favourites from the Group as they have equal strength.
“It’s an even group in which I think all four teams have chances and are strong. We’re very excited about what might happen. We’ll be aiming to win all of our matches but it’s difficult to anticipate what might happen,” Alonso told Uruguayan journalists.
“We’ve been drawn alongside South Korea, Portugal and Ghana. We’ll go into those games with an optimistic mindset and with great respect for our opponents, while also trusting what we have.”
“I never looked at [the Uruguay managerial post] as taking a hot potato. I always saw it as a great opportunity. I’m an optimist by nature, everything I’d hoped for is what eventuated.”
“The group has received [me] in the best way possible and that is because the Uruguayan players have a great identification with the national team and there is nothing more important than that, the Celeste is a priority and they make you feel it at all times. That makes everything easier.”
“I feel that this is going to be an atypical World Cup. The players will be less tired but also in good condition because of matches under their belts with their teams.” He added.
The biggest match in the group will be Ghana vs Uruguay as the African seek revenge over the South Americans.
Portuguese head coach, Fernando Santos has tipped Uruguay to top the Group H in the upcoming Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
According to Santos, the South Americans are very strong and play good football.
He believes the two-time World Cup winners can win the Group though Ghana and South Korea are also good teams.
“It’s like the [saying of] the glass half full and half empty. If we looked at the previous World Cup [they eliminated Portugal], Uruguay would be the favourite. If we look at the world rankings, Portugal will also be the favourite.
“Ghana and South Korea have done a very strong course. Paulo [Bento] has made a very strong course”, said the national coach.
Portugal will face Ghana on November 24, then lock horns with Uruguay, on the 28th, before the final Group game with South Korea on December 2.
Asante Kotoko Sporting Club is the only Ghanaian side still ranked in the top 50 clubs in Africa as North African giants remain firmly and literally at the pinnacle of the continent once again.
According to FootballDataBase’s quarterly ranking report after the latest update being March 27, 2022, record eight-time champions Al Ahly top the standings ahead of South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns who sit second.
Zamalek have dropped two places from the third position to fifth with Tunisian giants Esperance overtaking five-time champions league and two-time Confederation Cup Congolese winners, TP Mazembe on the third and fourth positions respectively.
With the exception of Sundowns, TP Mazembe and AS Vita Club and 1º de Agosto, the top 10 features six clubs from North Africa once again.
Asante Kotoko is the highest-ranked Ghanaian side, who are 31st on the rankings after maintaining its place.
The Porcupines are followed by Hearts of Oak who have climbed up four places up from 81st to 76th on the continent.
Aduana Stars are 77th on the continent after making one progress with AshantiGold dropping to 91st position with Medeama climbing up from 98th to 96th position. Berekum Chelsea have also moved from 119th position to 113th.
Division club Hearts of Lions have moved from 157th to 153rd position on the rankings with Premier League side Legon Cities occupying 206th position after moving 211th in the previous rankings.
Another lower-tier side New Edubiase are on the 213th position after moving one place up whilst Bechem United are ranked 218th position.
The Spanish-born of Ghanaian descents has caused stir on social media after liking a twitter post about the West African nation’s draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Athletic Bilbao prolific striker Inaki Williams has hinted a possible allegiance switch with his brother Nico Williams to represent Ghana at the 2022 FIFA World Cup slated for November to December.
Williams liked a tweet from the official twitter handle of the senior national team of Ghana after a post was made about the draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ghana has been paired alongside Portugal Uruguay and South Korea in Group H of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be staged in Qatar.
Inaki Williams in an interview confirmed that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) contacted him to switch nationality to represent the four-time Africa Cup of Nations champions but he felt it could be disrespect to those who were born in Ghana.
Born to Ghanaian parents in Spain, the Williams has been a long-term target for the West Africans who have been keen to lure him away from Spain.
Ghana’s efforts over the years have so far been futile, with the forward turning down every approach from the Football Association.
Ghana’s qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup has become a major factor to convince the 27-year-old centre-forward to announce his decision to represent Ghana with his younger brother, Nico Williams.
Inaki Williams is one of the highly-rated strikers in Spanish La Liga after scoring 74 goals and providing 44 assists in his 331 appearances for Athletic Bilbao in all competitions.
He is eligible to represent Ghana at the senior level despite playing 30 minutes for Spain in an international friendly against Bosnia Herzegovina in 2016.
His younger brother, Nico Williams who is a winger has also scores three goals with an assist in his 34 game outings for Athletic Bilbao since his promotion to the senior side in 2021.
It is believed that Chelsea FC star Callum Hudson-Odoi has also agreed to switch his allegiance to feature for the Black Stars at the World Cup after being snubbed by England coach Gareth Southgate since 2019.
Brighton and Hove Albion full-back Tariq Lamptey is another Ghanaian-born footballers who has been contacted to switch his nationality from England to Ghana.
The Black Stars of Ghana have discovered their fate after the 2022 World Cup draw came off today. Ghana have been pitted alongside Portugal, Uruguay and Korea Republic after a ceremony held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).
The Black Stars who have played in three World Cup tournaments will be hoping to fare better in Qatar after their abysmal performance in Brazil 2014.
The team failed to book a place at the last edition in Russia 2018.
This will be Ghana’s fourth appearance at the FIFA World Cup. (2006, 2010, 2014, and 2022)
Key dates
Qatar is set to host the curtain-raiser on November 21, with the final round of group games concluding on December 2.
The knockout stages begin the following day, running until December 18 when the Lusail Stadium will play host to the World Cup final.
Journey to Qatar
Group Stage:
The Black Stars sealed a ticket to the play-off round on the final day, with a win over South Africa at home as the two sides finished with 13 points each. With similar goal difference, Ghana edged out Bafana Bafana on account of scoring more goals.
Ghana won four matches, drew one and lost one, against the South Africans in Johannesburg. They scored seven goals in six matches and conceded three, skipper Andre Ayew being their top scorer with three.
Play-off:
In the play-off round, Otto Addo’s boys progressed on the away goal rule after drawing 1-1 with Nigeria in the return leg in Abuja. They had drawn 0-0 at home in Kumasi but Thomas Partey’s goal at the Moshood Abiola Stadium proved vital.
The five African representatives to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar were decided on Tuesday following the second-leg fixtures.
As expected, it was dramatic, with unforgettable twists, and a number of key stars are set to miss out.
In the end, it was Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Senegal that punched their tickets, and will fly the African flag at the tournament, set for November/December in the Arab country.
Here are five key stars who will miss the tournament.
Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool forward will not be at the World Cup after Egypt was dramatically knocked out by Senegal on Tuesday night.
Salah missed Egypt’s first penalty in the shootout, and in the end, it was his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane who scored the winning penalty to send the African champions through to the finals.
This was the second time in less than two months the two teams were meeting in a crunch match, having contested the AFCON 2021 finals in Cameroon in February.
Riyad Mahrez
Algeria had a poor AFCON campaign when they were knocked out in the group stage, with the play-off against Cameroon their only chance to make things right.
It was not to happen though as they lost 2-1 on Tuesday night at home to the Indomitable Lions, who went through on away goals as they had lost the first leg 1-0 in Douala last week.
This means the Manchester City winger will watch the 2022 World Cup from home.
Victor Osimhen
Nigeria played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at home to Ghana on Tuesday night, with the Black Stars qualifying on the away goal rule.
Osimhen, who missed the AFCON action, led the line for the Super Eagles, but could not help his side despite playing before thousands of home fans.
Sebastien Haller
The Ajax forward has made a name for himself in the Eredivisie this season, scoring left, right, and centre.
He represented France in his youth career but chose the West African nation for the senior team.
The 27-year-old will however miss the Qatar showpiece as the Ivory Coast could not make it to the play-offs.
Naby Keita
The Liverpool midfielder could not help his Guinea team past the group stages, and just like his club teammate Mohamed Salah, will not be lining up in Qatar.
Guinea had a terrible outing in the second round of CAF qualification as they failed to register a single win in the six matches played.
