International Football
Ghana clash with Nigeria in most anticipated match in World Cup playoffs
Fireworks are expected when Ghana host their arch-rivals Nigeria in one of the most anticipated matches of the first-leg of the 2022 World Cup playoffs in Kumasi on Friday.
As the two-legged mammoth clash will decide which side picks up a spot at the global tournament, the tension associated with matches between the West African heavyweights has gone a notch higher as it is not only pride and bragging rights at stake.
Smarting from their recent unimpressive outing at the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in, the two countries are keen on winning back the support of their fans by qualifying for Qatar to banish the disappointment of last month’s tournament in Cameroon.
The Black Stars had the country’s worst ever outing at the AFCON as they were only able to secure just one point at the group stage with their plight exacerbated by the humiliating 3-2 defeat to lowly Comoros.
The Super Eagles had a better showing in the competition as they topped their group before they were surprisingly defeated 1-0 in the Round of 16 by Tunisia, which halted their six-game unbeaten streak.
Since the tournament, Ghana overhauled their technical staff by sacking Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac, who was blamed for the team’s unimpressive showing in Cameroon.
Former international player Otto Addo, one of the second team coaches at German side Borussia Dortmund, was appointed to take charge and he will be aided by former Newcastle manager Chris Hughton who will work as the technical advisor for the two matches.
Nigeria have taken a similar route by boosting their backroom staff with former international winger Emmanuel Amunike to help coach Augustine Eguavoen prepare for the tough encounter.
The Black Stars have also boosted their squad as several players who missed the tournament in Cameroon for various reasons are present for the game against Nigeria.
Ajax Amsterdam playmaker Mohammed Kudus and Germany-based Kwesi Wriedt return for the Black Stars while AS Roma youngster Felix Afena-Gyan, Fulham defender Denis Odoi and Hearts of Oak ace Dennis Korsah have been handed their debut call-ups.
But the Black Stars will miss captain Andre Ayew who is suspended while Rennes talented winger Kamaldeen Sulemana is absent from the squad because of injury.
In the absence of the substantive captain the Black Stars will turn to Arsenal superstar Thomas Partey for inspiration as they seek an emphatic home victory over their arch-rivals and coach Addo believes the Black Stars can defeat the Super Eagles.
“We all expect Ghana to qualify for the FIFA World Cup (Qatar 2022) but that won’t be easy as we need to do our best to make it to this tournament,” the former Ghana international winger Addo said.
“Matches between Ghana and Nigeria are always difficult but we believe in our players, we believe in our strategies, and we believe in the unflinching support of all Ghanaians as we go into these two matches.”
Nigeria, on the other hand, have been boosted by the return of dreaded strikers Victor Osimhen of Napoli and Saudi Arabia-based Odion Ighalo as both of them missed the AFCON.
Former England youth striker Ademola Lookman switched allegiance in time for the game to boost the attacking line up that also includes Kelechi Iheanacho.
Midfielder Wildfred Ndidi and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye have been ruled out of the match because of various health reasons but Nigeria coach Eguavoen admits it would be a difficult match but insists Nigeria has got the player to help them defeat their opponents.
“It’s a very crucial match, a lot is at stake,” the former Super Eagles defender who is now the coach of the side Eguavoen said ahead of the first-leg game in Kumasi
“The most important thing is to qualify for the World Cup. We have a strong squad and a large pool of players to choose from.
“The boys are sharp and ready to go. We have to win well against Ghana to get over the line. We will do the talking on the pitch.”
Even though Ghana has the head-to-head advantage having won 25 of their 56 previous clashes with 19 ending in draws, the Super Eagles are counting on their current form to give them the leverage over the Black Stars.
Nigeria have won three of their past five matches and drawn one with the other ending in a defeat while their opponent on Friday lost three games, drew one and won one.
The match will most likely be won by the most determined team on Friday night as matches between the two West African giants know no form guide.
The return match will be played in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Tuesday with the winner over the two legs picking one of Africa’s five tickets to the World Cup.
-Cafonline
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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