International Football
World Cup play-off: Ghanaians resort to blasts from the past to psyche up
It is exactly one month today to the first of two World Cup qualifying play-off, Ghanaian publication, Ghanaweb is recalling a 5-0 defeat of Nigeria in a duel played 59 years ago.
On that day, 24 February 1963, in Accra, the Black Stars defeated the then Green Eagles 5-0 to qualify for the final of the Kwame Nkrumah Cup.
The publication went ahead to recall the flowery description of the match by another Ghanaian newspaper. ‘The Black Stars playing like the real emperors led 1-0 at half time.
‘They came back in the second half to overwhelm the Green Eagles (now Super Eagles) who had no answer to their copybook soccer.
‘Scorers for Ghana were inside right Mfum (brace), Aggrey –Fynn, Baba Yara and Edward Acquah.
‘Ghana kicked off and for the first three minutes harassed Nigerian goalmouth.
‘Mfum was put through thrice but was superbly checked by the Nigerian right back, Nwosu.
‘A typical Baba Yara pass found Edward Acquah at inside left who headed a neat ball, goalkeeper Ezekwe had to dive full length to concede a corner kick.
‘Nigeria forced the tide in their favour. Their centre forward, Ekpe, thrilled the crowd with his dribbling but inside left Hamilton always shot over the bar.
‘In the eighth minute, right-winger Kwame Adarkwa with his typical body swerve, beat three Nigerian defenders in a row, passed to Mfum who missed the post by inches.<
‘But barely five minutes later, a beautiful Baba Yara pass went straight to Mfum. He trapped it and with, his usual bulldozing manner, cut through the Nigerian defense and gracefully beat goalkeeper Ezekwe to put Ghana ahead.
‘That goal really inspired the Black Stars. Their characteristic shot passes were in full cry and the Nigerians could not find their feet.
‘Halftime came with Ghana leading with one goal. Ghana resumed the second half with a terrific bang and for sometime kept the Nigerians under heavy pressure, but a number of scoring chances were wasted
‘Aggrey-Fynn increased Ghana’s lead in the 65th minute from a penalty kick.
‘Mfum, the hero of the day weaved his way through a bunch of Nigerian defenders when right back Nwokedi brought him heavily in the penalty box.
‘Senegalese referee Moustafa did not hasten to award a penalty kick and Aggrey- Fynn made no mistake about it. “King of West African wingers”, Baba Yara in a solo effort scored Ghana’s number three goal in the 70th minute.
‘It was a long pass from Ben Simmons which reached Yara.
‘Yara made a quick dash through the Nigerian defenders and after bamboozling goalkeeper, Ezekwe he beautifully placed the ball right in the corner of the net.
‘Nigeria were completely out of the game from that moment. All their passes went the wrong way and the Black Stars treated them with cheeky ease.
‘In the 81st minute left-winger, Tetteh Akrong put Mfum through to score a beautiful goal to give Ghana a comfortable 4 -0 lead
‘With a minute to full-time Edward Acquah sealed Ghana’s victory with a powerful shot.
Line-up
Ghana: Dodoo Ankrah, Anum Okai, E. O. Oblitey, E. J. Aggrey-Fynn, Addo Odametey, Ben Simmons, Kwame Adarkwa, Wilberforce Mfum, Baba Yara, Edward Acquah, Tetteh Akrong
Nigeria: Ezekwe, Nwosu, Shotayo, Nwokedi, Oduah, Remi, Osah, Edguonu, Ekpe, Hamilton, Iyamu
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
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A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
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