Ghana’s most celebrated footballer, Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew is expected to be on the grandstand of the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday when Ghana’s Black Galaxies take on Nigeria in the first leg match of the qualifying duel for the African Cup of Nations (CHAN).

According to Ghana’s publication, Ghanaweb, Abedi pledged to show up at the Accra Sports Stadium.

He indicated that he has received numerous invitations from various teams that want him to show up at their games, but he has refused to do so.

Pele noted that due to the love he has for the Galaxies and the nation, he will be present at the game to boost the players’ morale and encourage them to give their best to beat Nigeria.

“I will make sure that I am with you at the Accra Sports Stadium first to support you. I have never done that. The invitations are too many, but I always try to avoid them. But this time,

“I’ll be there, be behind you, and see you go through the process,” Abedi Pele was quoted by Ghanaweb as saying.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

When the Nigeria Super Eagles-B team meets Ghana’s Black Galaxies on Sunday in the first leg of the final qualifying duel for the 2025 African Nations Championship, it will be the sixth-time head-to-head confrontation of both sides.

In all the previous encounters, the Ghanaian side came out smiling.  There is therefore an apparent jinx for the Nigerian side.

The African Nations Championship (CHAN) is for selected nationals of the domestic leagues of various countries and thus also provides relative strength to each national league.

Nigeria qualified only thrice in the preceding seven editions. The Ghana Black Galaxies have been the most dreaded opposition for the Nigerian sides.

They had met in the 2009 and the 2022 series. The aggregate results were in Ghana’s favour.

First, in the 2009 qualifiers, Nigeria squandered a 2-0 first-half lead in Accra and lost 3-2. But going into the return leg played in Calabar, they could not score a goal that could have seen them through on the away goal rule as they ended the match 0-0.

In the last edition, Nigeria for the 2023 edition, Nigeria lost 2-0 in Accra but levelled up in Abuja after a late 2-0 win. But in the eventual penalty shoot-out, the Nigerian team lost 5-4.

Will they overcome Ghana this time? Ghana’s dominance over Nigeria in CHAN is not limited to the qualifying series. Both teams met in the finals of the 2014 edition in South Africa.

The semi-final duel ended goalless after extra time. But Ghana prevailed 4-1 in the eventual penalty shootout.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The Nigerian Super Eagles B, comprising of home-based players will leave their Ikenne camp for Accra, Ghana on Friday for Sunday’s first-leg qualifying match for the African Nations Championship.

The team is confident of achieving a positive result from the encounter ahead of the return leg in Uyo next week. One of the players, Rabiu Ali, skipper of Kano Pillers is optimistic of the Nigerian team qualifying ahead of regional rivals, Ghana Black Galaxies.

If fielded, Rabiu Ali will possibly be the oldest player to compete in African Nations Cup qualifiers.

He clocked 44 last September and he is not just the oldest player in the Nigeria Premier Football League, he is the longest-serving player having been on the scene for 21 years since the 2003 season.

He is not just the captain of Kano Pillars, Rabiu Ali is regarded as the club’s greatest-ever player.

Though he has been with Kano Pillars since 2009, he was previously with Nasarawa United.

The match with Ghana will not be his first African Nations Championship duel, he was in Stephen Keshi’s squad that placed third in South Africa in 2014.

He scored a brace in a Group A match in Nigeria’s 4-2 demolition of Mozambique a the 2014 edition. He was also remarkable in Nigeria’s comeback defeat of Morocco at the 2014 edition.

At the time, the Atlas Lions of Morocco stunned Nigeria in the 36th, 39th and 41st minutes of a match making the Super Eagles B 3-0 down at halftime.

Nigeria rallied back in the second half to stalemate scores at 3-3 and eventually won 4-3 after extra time. Rabiu Ali scored one of the second-half goals.

Speaking with Sports Village Square in Ikenne on Thursday, the mercurial striker remarked that his age will not inhibit him from hitting the right form when Nigeria takes on Ghana on Sunday.

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