Sports
2022 WC Qualifiers: Ghana Advised To Strengthen Team For Nigeria
Former Ghana international Stephen Frimpong-Manso has advised the Black Stars’ technical team to look beyond Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria.
Ayew has been Ghana’s lead striker since 2015 but his struggle to consistently find the back of the net for both club and country has brought his position in the Black Stars under scrutiny.
The four-time African champions, who had a disappointing time at the recent Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, are set to host familiar rivals Nigeria over two legs on March 25 and 29 in a battle for a ticket to Qatar 2022.
“Our biggest headache is the attack, where Jordan Ayew has proved that he cannot be relied upon to handle it, hence the need for the Black Stars coach to look for other options as we meet Nigeria in our last World Cup qualifier,” Frimpong-Manso, famous for his exploits with Asante Kotoko during his playing career, told the Media.
“Our left-back position is also a cause of worry, and against Nigeria who have sharp wingers, there is the need for the coach to address that area holistically.
“We need reliable defenders at our laterals to hold the wings of Nigeria based on the output of the Black Stars at AFCON.
“We need another look at our left-back and right-backs, so we need to do everything to convince Southampton centre-back Mohammed Salisu, and Brentford’s Tarique Fosu to play against Nigeria.
“Another weakness with the Black Stars is the goalkeeping department where Joseph Wollacott performed below average in the Afcon.
“His output in Cameroun showed that he has to give way to other goalkeepers, and it is Richard Attah of Hearts of Oak who readily comes to mind. If Razak Abalora is in form, he should also be invited to join Attah.”
Interim Ghana’s head coach Otto Addo is yet to announce his squad for the upcoming double header but Ayew is expected to make the roster.
The attacker, who made his Black Stars debut in 2010, featured at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil and at multiple AFCON finals.
Meanwhile, Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member, Tony Aubyn, has explained why the Black Stars squad which will face Nigeria later this month is yet to be released.
Ghanaians have no idea which players have been invited to take on the Super Eagles with 10 days left before the first-leg encounter which will be played at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in Ghana on March 24.
By contrast, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has already released their squad on March 4, with the Super Eagles set to host the Black Stars Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Nigeria on March 27 in the second-leg clash.
“The reason why the squad has not been released is a technical decision backed by management,” Dr Aubyn said.
“We recently formed the technical team and the management team and I’m sure they have a reason why and they have their own time lines. It is for a good reason.
“I cannot explain even though I’m in the EXCO. We have given them the responsibility to the technical team,” he continued.
“I believe that the squad will be announced soon and I can’t tell how soon because I don’t know the timeline.”
Ghana have a new head coach in Otto Addo, who is a former Black Stars player, having been appointed last month.
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.