International Football
Nigeria begin another Ghana challenge today
The hitherto latent football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana have recently be reignited as both countries are set to clash again in the WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana today.
This is looks like a follow-up to the clash at the World Cup play-off and the U20 tournament that recently ended in Niger Republic where Nigeria overthrew Ghana, the defending champions.
While Nigeria excelled by picking a ticket for the India 2022 Women’s U17 World Cup, Ghana were stopped by Morocco.
The battle ground has now shifted to the U17 men’s tournament. According to CAF, the Ghanaian football authorities say they are ready to host the sub-region as the WAFU B U17 Championship which begins in the country this Saturday.
A mouth-watering clash is on the cards as the host nation will play their arch-rivals Nigeria in the opening match of the seven-team competition.
The coastal city of Cape Coast is the venue for the tournament of the West African Football Union WAFU (Zone B) with countries vying for honours.
Matches have been scheduled for the Cape Coast Stadium and Ndoum Stadium and organisers are pleased with the preparation for the two-week event.
“We are delighted over how Ghana has prepared to host our U17 boys in the tournament that is expected to hone their talents for the future,” WAFU B President Kurt Okraku told Cafonline.com on Friday.
“The stadiums, training pitches, medical and accommodation are all at the highest standards to ensure we have a fruitful competition for all the teams playing in the tournament.
“With this we expect the players from all the seven countries to give off their best and to show that the best footballers and football is indeed from our region.”
WAFU B Executive Director Boureima Balima revealed that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has been apt with preparation, giving the regional body the opportunity to deliver a very good tournament.
“Since we arrived, the cooperation with the LOC has been very professional which has given us the chance to mainly focus on delivering the best organisation for the players to excel,” Balima told Cafonline.com
“We have been setting some of the best standards in Africa and we want to continue to by delivering the best organisation for the team to focus on playing football.
“These players are the future of African football and we will give them the platform to demonstrate that.”
Five–time world champions Nigeria will be seeking to establish their credentials when they start their campaign on Saturday with their clash with two-time winners Ghana.
Interestingly, the Golden Eaglets are coached by Nduka Ugbade, who captained the Nigeria squad that won the country’s first of five world titles.
Ugbade is confident they can triumph from Group A where they face the hosts and Togo.
“I am happy with the squad that we have been able to come up with, and I can say confidently that we are in Ghana to make the nation proud,” Ugbade said.
“Our primary objective is to earn a ticket to the Africa Cup of Nations, and then we go full throttle for the trophy.
“Nigeria has a pedigree in U-17 football and we cannot afford to disappoint.”
Cote d’Ivoire will play in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Benin and Niger with the two two sides in each group progressing to the semi-finals.
The two finalists from the competition will feature at the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Algeria early next year.
All four semi finalists in that continental tournament to be played in Algeria will qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Peru.
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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