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Confusion in Ghana over appointment of coach 

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Otto Addo and Chris Hughton

Barely five weeks to the ‘Big Match’ the World Cup play-off of Ghana and Nigeria, the Ghana football Association football (GFA) is yet to appoint a new manager for the team after the sacking of Serbian trainer, Milovan Rajevac.

At the moment, there are two coaches on the radar and are reportedly to be in a neck-to-neck race for the role.

Borussia Dortmund’s technical team member,and former Brighton and Hove Albion manager, Otto Addo and Chris Hughton are believed to be racing for the post 

According to news reports from Accra, a  GFA delegation led by its president Kurt Okraku has officially met Addo in Germany

Similarly, the FA president as well as his vice, Mark Addo has also unofficially met with Hughton, anothe report claim.

Chris Hughton is reported to have convinced Kurt with his vision and what he would want to change at the Black Stars during the meeting. 

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According to a Ghana radio station, Kessben FM, the FA’s Executive Council(ExCo) is upset with Kurt’s meeting with Hughton.

The report has it that  the meeting means the body and its president are not on the same page with regards to who between the the two becomes the next Black Stars coach.

Kessben FM explains that the ExCo had already thrown their weight behind Addo and thus sent the delegation that was headed by Kurt to hold talks with Addo in Germany.

But Kurt, without the knowledge of the ExCo, held talks with Hughton before travelling to meet Otto Addo  on January, 28, 2022, the report further indicated.  

Kessben FM reveals that, although Kurt’s trip to Germany was on the request of the ExCo, he failed to give daily update of the meeting, leaving the body hanging.

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The GFA boss after his six-days stay in Germany has already arrived in Ghana and is set to officially brief the ExCo in a meeting on Wednesday, February 9, 2022.

The ExCo in the aforementioned meeting will decide on the next Black Stars coach.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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AFCON

Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria

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Milutin Sredojević

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.

This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.

Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.

His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.

Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.

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The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while  the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.

According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach,  Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.

 He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience. 

According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.

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CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

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CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,

After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.

Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti,  Chad,  Niger,  Eritrea,  Gabon,  Sudan,  Zimbabwe,  Madagascar,  São Tomé and Burundi.

Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.

“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.

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He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”

Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.

“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.

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AFCON

Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen

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The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.

Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.

Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.

Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations

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