International Football
Points of interest ahead of Nigeria-Ghana World Cup play-off
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
To be or not to be? To qualify or to drop out. These are the posers hanging over the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Black Stars of Ghana as they go head-on collision to decide which of the two goes to the World Cup finals in November.
Both countries have 71 years of intense rivalry. Yet, none of the past 59 matches holds greater importance than this Tuesday’s match. It decides which team goes to the World Cup.
Yet, this is not the only World Cup fixture that ever pitched the two. But this is the only one in which both sides have almost equal chances of picking the ticket. A goalless draw will see the match going into penalties.
A score draw gives the advantage to Ghana. It is a win that Nigeria need to be at Qatar 2022. As usual, Sports Village Square takes an in-depth look at the match and comes out with the following points of interest.
- This is Super Eagles’ 112th match in the history of FIFA World Cup series. Only Morocco who go for their 120th game when they host DR Congo on Tuesday have more qualifying matches than Nigeria in the African series of the World Cup qualification. Like Nigeria, Tunisia who host Mali will also be going for their 112th match. As for Ghana Black Stars, the Abuja match marks their 90th World Cup qualifying duel.
- This match is Super Eagles’ first competitive appearance at the Abuja stadium in 11 years. The last time the Super Eagles played there was on 8 October 2011 when they drew 2-2 with Guinea in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
- Nigeria has never lost a World Cup match at the Abuja stadium after beating Rwanda 2-0 and Algeria 1-0 in 2004; Zimbabwe 5-1 in 2005; South Africa 2-0. Equatorial Guinea 2-0, Sierra Leone 4-1 all in 2008; Kenya 3-0, Tunisia 2-2 and Mozambique 1-0 all in 2009.
- The last time the Black Stars played a World Cup qualifying match in Nigeria, they lost 3-0 and the Super Eagles qualified. That was in the edition of 20 years ago. Will history repeat itself?
- The first goal of an international match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja was scored by a Ghanaian. He is Patrick Agyemany who opened scoring in an eventual 3-1 defeat of Ghana by Nigeria on 30 May 2003.
- Nigeria had picked qualifying tickets at home on four occasions. Those were for the editions of France ‘98, Korea/Japan 2002, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018. The other two instances – USA’94 and South Africa 2010 were achieved away from home. Ghana on the other hand had picked qualifying ticket away from home twice when they beat Cape Verde 4-0 in Praia to qualify for the first time in 2006 and Cairo when they lost 1-2 to Egypt but qualified on 7-3 aggregate for Brazil 2014. The qualification for South Africa 2010 was achieved at their ‘sacred’ Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi after a 2-2 draw with Mali.
- Both Nigeria and Ghana had their debut World Cup qualifying ties facing each other on 28 August 1960.
- They last crossed each other’s path in the 2002 World Cup qualification.
- Nigeria’s legendary goalkeeper, Emmanuel Okala had his baptism in World Cup qualifying series when Nigeria faced Ghana on 10 February 1973.
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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