International Football
World Cup 2022: ‘Jollof derby’ sees West African rivals battle for Qatar
BY OLUWASHINA OKELEJI, FOOTBALL WRITER, BBC
Mention Nigeria v Ghana and two things spring to mind for many – a rivalry that centres on football and jollof rice.
While the debate over which nation makes the best version of the red, spicy rice dish may never be resolved, the argument over football will be decided, at least for the time-being, on the pitch on 25 and 29 March.
The two nations will meet in Kumasi on 25 March with a place at the World Cup at stake – a fitting event to mark the 50th instalment of West Africa’s fiercest footballing rivalry.
It’s their first meeting in 11 years and their first in a World Cup qualifier since 2001.
Four days later, Nigeria host the Black Stars in Abuja with the victors qualifying for Qatar 2022.
The Super Eagles are bidding to reach a fourth consecutive World Cup, and sixth in total, while Ghana – three-time qualifiers – are looking to return to the tournament after failing to reach the 2018 finals in Russia.
Big brother, little success
There are very few matches that have the cultural and emotional impact that defines a Nigeria-Ghana clash.
The two nations stood side-by-side on the frontlines in the battle for independence from colonial rule in the 1950s, while Ghana had a large migrant community in Nigeria up until the 1980s.
As far as size and population go, Nigeria – with Africa’s largest population of nearly 200 million – is clearly the bigger of the two.
However, in terms of football, Ghana has the edge: 4-3 in Africa Cup of Nations trophies, a World Cup quarter-final appearance (albeit in fewer tournaments) and a 21-10 advantage in head-to-head meetings.
Most of those victories came in the period of Ghana’s continental dominance in the 70s and 80s, but the tide has turned decisively since 1992 when the Black Stars inflicted a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Super Eagles in the Nations Cup semi-final.
Nigeria have since gone on to claim continental success in 1994 and 2013, to add to their 1980 title while Ghana – four-time African champions – have not won the trophy since 1982, instead gaining a reputation for coming up just short all too often over the last four decades.
Mind games
Ahead of the crunch play-off, Ghana delayed the public announcement of their squad until as late as possible, in a “strategy” designed to muddle the Nigerian camp’s preparations.
“And they are very confused,” Ghana FA (GFA) executive council member Sammy Anim Addo claimed to BBC Sport Africa prior to the squad’s announcement earlier this week.
“We can’t always do the same thing all the time and for the first time this is the strategy and we believe in it. We will beat Nigeria and qualify to Qatar 2022.”
Under a new technical team with Otto Addo as coach and former Tottenham player Chris Hughton as technical director, Ghana will be without suspended captain Andre Ayew as they file out in front of the highly-demanding Kumasi crowd.
Nigeria are also missing players, with Alex Iwobi suspected, influential Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi injured while another Leicester player, Ademola Lookman, is available after changing allegiances from England.
Super Eagles fans have, however, gone from enthusiastic optimism to mild pessimism about the fixture since the draw took place in late January.
On the day, the sense was that Ghana represented one of the more favourable match-ups because the four-time African champions had just suffered a humiliating exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana finished bottom of Group C – behind tournament debutants Comoros – and lost two of their three matches, including to the island minnows.
In contrast, Nigeria’s three wins from three group matches had secured them a place in the round of 16, and also the favourites tag, but the team led by Augustine Eguavoen suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Tunisia in the last 16.
“I take responsibility for everything that happened in Cameroon, but things will be different against Ghana,” Eguavoen told BBC Sport Africa.
“What we have at stake is a place at the World Cup, and nothing comes bigger than that. I prefer we talk less and take care of business on the pitch.”
Long-standing rivalry
The Ghana-Nigeria rivalry has been around for as long as both countries have existed.
Ghana became the first black African nation to gain its independence from colonial rule in 1957 and Nigeria only got theirs in 1960, with Nigerians feeling slighted as they believed their more sizeable nation should have gained its independence before ‘tiny’ Ghana.
The countries do not share borders and are separated by Togo and Benin but both rivalries and friendships have seemingly developed as a result of both being English-speaking British colonies surrounded by French-speaking neighbours.
The football rivalry started while they both fought for independence, with Ghana winning the first friendly meetings in the 1950s, including an incredible 7-0 thrashing of the Red Devils, as the Nigerian team was then called, in June 1955.
Political tension between the West African cousins started with the Ghanaian government’s Aliens Compliance Order of 1969, which ordered all undocumented aliens to leave Ghana.
Although Togolese, Burkinabes, Ivorians, Nigeriens and other West Africans were in the country, Nigerians – mostly ethnic Yorubas – formed the majority of the foreign population in Ghana then.
Some of them had been living in Ghana for years and were into their second and third generations, and Nigerians – whose journeys home were not pleasant – felt as though the exercise was aimed at them.
Things changed when oil came to Nigeria and Ghana’s economy collapsed, meaning that from around 1974 the Ghanaian exodus to Nigeria in search of jobs was on.
Almost a decade later, the oil boom excitement slumped with the world petroleum glut and the Nigerian economy suffered a downturn, prompting the government to order over a million West African migrants, most of them Ghanaian, to leave Nigeria at short notice in 1983.
Undocumented West African immigrants were taking jobs from Nigerians and causing high crime rates, the government said.
Events of 1983 often set the tone and tend to dominate pre-match discussions among both sets of fans when the countries clash on the football field, with this week’s coming games likely to be little different.
-BBC
The ‘Finalissima’ match between Spain and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East, while the South American side rejected multiple alternatives, UEFA said on Sunday.
The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel in some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and forcing several sporting events to be cancelled due to safety concerns.
The contest between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.
UEFA said they held discussions with the organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.
“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement.
Qatar’s Local Organising Committee said airspace disruption and travel restrictions led to the cancellation of its Qatar Football Festival, where the host country, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Serbia were also set to play friendly games this month.
The Football Association of Serbia later announced they would play away in Spain on March 27 and host Saudi Arabia four days later.
OTHER ALTERNATIVES REJECTED BY ARGENTINA
The Finalissima’s cancellation was not just about Qatar’s security concerns, however, with UEFA saying they explored other feasible alternatives, but they proved to be ‘unacceptable’ to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).
UEFA first offered to stage the match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid with a 50:50 split of supporters in the stadium.
A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs — at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America in 2028.
However, the AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.
“Ultimately, UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March… or on the alternative date of 30 March. This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.
SPAIN WERE READY TO PLAY
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said they had offered Argentina “all possible options” in collaboration with UEFA to ensure the match went ahead, adding that they had the organisational capacity to stage the clash on short notice.
“From the very outset, the Federation has expressed its absolute commitment to ensuring this match goes ahead, as it believes it brings prestige and international reputation at a crucial time in a World Cup year,” the RFEF said.
“Furthermore, it has worked tirelessly to achieve this. Spain was prepared to play, as has always been stated.”
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada kicks off on June 11.
The 2022 edition of the Finalissima was held at Wembley Stadium in London where Argentina beat Italy 3-0.
-Reuters
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Soccer chiefs from Europe and South America will hold a final meeting before a Thursday deadline to decide whether and where this month’s “Finalissima” between Spain and Argentina will be played, with London emerging as the leading candidate after doubts over Doha, multiple sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The match between European champions Spain and Copa America holders Argentina had been scheduled for March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha.
However, it has become increasingly unlikely that Qatar will host the fixture after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The Spanish FA (RFEF) has been pushing for a swift resolution, mindful that the March international break is viewed as vital preparation ahead of the June-July World Cup in North America.
“I know that negotiations are underway,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told Spanish Public Radio (RNE) on Monday. “The first thing, as a society, is to stop the conflict, but once you are immersed in it and you don’t know how long it will last, the solution would be, as long as you can’t play there, to find another venue as soon as possible.
Wembley Stadium staged the previous edition in 2022, when Argentina beat Italy, but it is set to host England v Uruguay on March 27. London, however, has other stadiums capable of staging the showpiece, leaving the English capital as the most likely alternative should Doha be ruled out, sources confirmed.
ALTERNATIVE OPPONENTS CONSIDERED
While keen to face Argentina and high-profile players such as Lionel Messi, sources told Reuters that Spain had made clear their priority was not to waste the last window of international fixtures before the World Cup and they were already contemplating alternative opponents.
With Spain also due to face Egypt three days later, any change would require agreement between the RFEF and European soccer body UEFA, South American confederation CONMEBOL, global governing body FIFA and the Argentine FA (AFA).
The RFEF, AFA and UEFA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
A spokesperson for South American confederation CONMEBOL told Reuters that several meetings between the parties had taken place in recent days but did not confirm Thursday’s deadline or London as the preferred venue.
Madrid was initially proposed by the RFEF but rejected by the AFA, who preferred a neutral venue rather than giving Spain home advantage.
Morocco offered to stage the game, but the RFEF was unwilling to back their Mediterranean neighbours amid tensions behind the scenes over the 2030 World Cup, which Spain, Morocco and Portugal will co-host. Both Spain and Morocco are campaigning to stage the final.
Miami was also considered, with Messi based there at Inter Miami, but Hard Rock Stadium is hosting the Miami Open tennis tournament at the same time.
-Reuters
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International Football
Spain-Argentina ‘Finalissima’ in Qatar at risk amid US, Israel attacks on Iran
The match between Spain and Argentina, tagged “Finalissima” in Doha, is in doubt after the Qatar Football Association suspended soccer tournaments indefinitely following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and retaliatory missiles fired at the Arabian Peninsula.
The contest between European Championship winners Spain and Copa America champions Argentina was scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, with potential big-name draws including Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi.
“Qatar Football Association announces the postponement of all tournaments, competitions and matches, effective from today and until further notice,” the association said in a statement on Sunday.
“The new dates for the resumption of competitions will be announced in due course through the Association’s official channels.”
The final call on whether to postpone the game rests with event organisers UEFA and CONMEBOL.
The Bahrain Football Association postponed all its matches until further notice, while the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday announced it was delaying Champions League Elite fixtures in the region.
The Asian Champions League Two, currently at the quarter-final stage, has also been impacted, along with games in the Challenge League.
Countries across the Middle East have been on high alert since Saturday, when the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, aimed at diminishing Iran’s military capability.
Iran retaliated by attacking U.S. targets around the region, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
On Sunday, Qatar’s interior ministry reported a fire in an industrial zone after debris fell from an intercepted missile.
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