International Football
PARLIAMENTARIAN DENIES COMPLICITY IN KILLING OF JOURNALIST WHO BLEW OPEN CORRUPTION IN GHANA FOOTBALL
A Ghanaian parliamentarian, Kennedy Agyapong, accused of complicity in the last week’s killing of an undercover journalist, Ahmed Hussein-Suale.
According to a Ghana radio channel, Neat FM, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has denied any complicity in the murder of Tiger Eye PI’s undercover journalist and investigator, Ahmed Hussein-Suale on Wednesday, 16 January 2019.
The police have been called by a section of Ghanaians on social media to invite Kennedy Agyapong for questioning in connection with the killing of investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ teammate after the lawmaker exposed his identity on his TV station and also incited violence against him.
Also, speaking on Class91.3FM on Thursday , Mr Kissi Adjabeng, the lawyer of Tiger Eye PI, said that that: “A sitting Member of Parliament who owns media houses went on his media houses and invited the entire world to beat him up for payment, and that he was going to pay. We complained bitterly about it that this conduct is reckless. You’re a sitting Member of Parliament, you don’t behave like that and that he the sitting Member of Parliament, whose name I refuse to mention, dragged Anas Aremeyaw Anas to the General Legal Council…”
Mr Adjabeng further said: “If you go on air and put a young man’s picture out there and you invite the general public to vehemently beat him up and whatever happens you are going to pay for it, that sitting Member of Parliament should be asked questions now in respect of that reckless conduct he engaged in, and we were amazed that apart from us, nobody was complaining about that conduct and now the young man has been shot dead.
“You put it out there that he should be beaten and you’ll pay for it, certainly, the authorities should ask him some questions. He claims that nobody is above the law, he is definitely also not above the law but he definitely has some questions to answer. You publicly called for his beating up and he’s been killed”.
However, Kennedy Agyapong, reacting to the development on Accra-based Neat FM on Thursday, 17 January 2018, said his hands are clean.
Kennedy Agyapong said: “I had a call that something was trending on social media; that I have engineered the murder of someone called Ahmed. The guy has not offended me in any way. When I was premiering ‘Who watches the watchman’, somebody told me I knew the guy because I had once given him money for his school fees, so, I told my staff not to allow him into my building again because he is a bad boy and that If he comes around, they should beat him up because he will come and secretly set cameras in the building.
“This is what I said. This boy is not relevant to my life. I’m so blessed, so, why will I go and do something stupid like that? First of all, he has not offended me in any way. They should look for those he has offended. This is cheap propaganda, I’m not afraid of anybody. People say the police should invite me, for what?
“The evil that men do lives after them; that is why I don’t want to offend anybody. Once I speak my mind, it is finished; but to plan a murder, I don’t have time for stupid things like this.”
Mr Agyapong continued: “He and Anas stepped on a lot of toes, so, they have their own enemies that they’ve created not Kennedy Agyapong. I only wanted to expose him to people to know that he is equally corrupt and that is exactly what I did.
“From my investigations, they have offended so many people, so, they should focus and investigate the death well or else the very people who have committed that crime will go scot free.”
Hussein-Suale was killed by unidentified men who were riding on a motorbike on Wednesday night.
He was shot in the chest and neck at Madina in Accra while driving home.
According to his colleagues, nothing was stolen from him.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles were held to a 2-2 draw by FIFA World Cup-bound Jordan in an eventful international friendly in Antalya on Tuesday night, with the contest overshadowed by a late red card to Alex Iwobi.
Iwobi, making his 98th appearance for the national team, was sent off in the closing stages, capping a dramatic encounter in which Nigeria surrendered a first-half lead and finished the game with ten men.
The match, played at the Mardan Sports Complex, brought Nigeria’s March international window to a close, but it proved anything but routine as both sides delivered a fiercely contested and entertaining clash.
Jordan, ranked 64th in the world and enjoying strong recent form, struck first in the 17th minute through Mousa Tamari. A well-worked free-kick routine caught the Nigerian defence napping, allowing the forward to fire home the opener.
Nigeria responded quickly and thought they had equalised six minutes later when Raphael Onyedika finished from a Moses Simon cut-back, but the goal was controversially ruled out.
The Super Eagles eventually drew level in the 30th minute. Stand-in captain Moses Simon, earning his 97th cap, reacted fastest after Ademola Lookman’s effort was blocked, slotting home with a composed left-footed finish for his second goal in as many matches.
Nigeria went ahead four minutes before halftime when Bright Osayi-Samuel’s pinpoint cross found debutant Emmanuel Fernandez, who showed great composure to control and finish, giving the three-time African champions a 2-1 lead at the interval.
The second half took on a more physical tone, with goalkeeper Francis Uzoho forced off in the 57th minute after sustaining an injury while clearing the ball. Adebayo Adeleye replaced him between the posts.
Head coach Eric Chelle introduced Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi to shore up the midfield, but Jordan continued to press and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 77th minute.
Nigeria pushed for a winner late on, handing a senior debut to Philip Otele, while Samuel Chukwueze came on for Moses Simon. However, the closing moments were marred by Iwobi’s dismissal, leaving the Super Eagles to see out the match with ten men.
Despite the draw, the encounter offered valuable insights for the coaching crew as Nigeria continues preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
By Kunle Solaja
Match Context
- Fixture: Jordan vs Nigeria
- Venue: Antalya, Turkey
- Occasion: Four-Nation Invitational Tournament
- Kick-off: Tuesday (evening)
They would have loved facing Jamaica in Mexico today for a place at the World Cup, but fate has other plans, and Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be taking on World Cup debutants Jordan in a friendly match instead in Turkey.
The encounter promises to be a revealing contest for both sides as preparations intensify for future global assignments.
The encounter, staged as part of a four-nation tournament in Turkey, will be the third meeting between the two countries, with the head-to-head record finely poised.
History Beckons in Third Meeting
Nigeria claimed a 2-0 victory in their first clash at the National Stadium, Lagos, on 28 April 2004 during the LG Cup.
However, the tables turned in 2013 when a largely experimental Nigerian side under the late Stephen Keshi suffered a 1-0 defeat in Amman, courtesy of a Hatem Aqel penalty.
This latest meeting now serves as the decider in what has quietly become a balanced rivalry.
Jordan arrive in buoyant mood, riding on the crest of a historic achievement, which is their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup (2026).
Jordan’s Al-Nashama
Their recent form underlines a team growing in confidence and tactical discipline. In the past months, Al-Nashama have:
- Held Russia (0-0)
- Defeated Dominican Republic (3-0)
- Drawn with Mali (0-0)
- Narrowly lost to Bolivia (1-0) and Albania (4-2)
- Pushed Tunisia (3-2 loss) in a competitive encounter
They also opened this invitational tournament with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, further evidence of their resilience.
The team’s preparations have been boosted by a morale-lifting visit from Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, President of the Jordan Football Association, during their Antalya training camp.
Coach Jamal Al-Salami has deliberately scheduled matches against Nigeria and Costa Rica, citing their stylistic similarity to World Cup opponents such as Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.
Despite missing several key players, including star forward Mousa Ta’mari, Jordan have continued to show depth, blending senior players with youth prospects as part of a broader developmental strategy.
Nigeria head into the clash with renewed confidence after a 2-1 victory over Iran in their opening game of the tournament, with goals from Moses Simon and Akor Adams.
Unlike previous meetings, the Super Eagles are expected to field a full-strength squad, packed with Europe-based stars, something Jordanian observers have already described as a “heavyweight challenge.”
The squad boasts a blend of experience and attacking flair.
The presence of multiple attacking options gives Nigeria a clear edge going forward, while their physicality and pace could pose serious problems for the Jordanians.
Jordan are expected to adopt a compact, disciplined shape, relying on quick transitions and defensive organisation, qualities that earned them results against stronger opposition in recent friendlies.
Nigeria, by contrast, will likely dominate possession, using width and individual brilliance to break down Jordan’s defensive lines.
The key battle may lie in midfield, where Jordan’s structure will be tested against Nigeria’s blend of strength, technique, and tempo.
For Jordan, this is another step in fine-tuning a squad preparing for its historic World Cup debut—a chance to measure themselves against elite opposition.
For Nigeria, it is an opportunity to assert authority, build cohesion among its star-studded squad, and maintain momentum ahead of more competitive fixtures.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A clash of kit colours caused confusion for players and made it difficult for fans watching on TV to tell the teams apart as World Cup co-hosts, the U.S., were accused of being responsible for a mix-up in a 5-2 friendly defeat by Belgium on Saturday.
Both teams used the match to launch the new kit they will wear at the June 11 to July 19 World Cup, which is also being held in Canada and Mexico.
The U.S. sported a design that pulls directly from the red and white stripes in the American flag, while Belgium wore their away kit, which was light blue with pink accents.
“Sometimes you had to look twice, especially if you wanted to play quickly,” Belgian winger Jeremy Doku told his national television afterwards. “I would have preferred clearer colours.”
American captain Christian Pulisic said it was difficult to deal with.
“A lot of times you get the ball, and you look up, you can’t really lock in on something. You can only base it on the colour of the shirt. That’s how it works,” he told reporters. “And when it’s very similar, it’s difficult.”
Belgian television apologised to viewers after the match, with analyst and former Belgian international Marc Degryse criticising organisers.
“Football is a product that needs to be sold. Everything always has to be better and better, yet they still managed to make the match annoying with the jerseys,” he said.
“This goes completely against the whole commercial aspect. This is really unacceptable.”
US Soccer said pictures of both jerseys were sent to match referees before the match, and at no time did they indicate they felt there was a conflict.
Belgian media said on Sunday the fault lay with the hosts, who insisted on playing in their new red and white jerseys, which clashed with both Belgium’s first-choice red strip and also the lighter away kit.
Both countries wanted to unveil their new jerseys for the first time, but after becoming aware of the situation, Belgium proposed to play in their traditional red, the reports said.
However, that was not an option because the U.S. shirt also contains a lot of red. One solution could have been for the U.S. to play in their dark blue kit, but that did not fit into their commercial plan, the reports added.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- World Cup1 week ago
World Cup Fans, Players And Officials Face $15,000 Visa Bonds to Enter U.S.
- AFCON6 days ago
AFCON to Expand to 28 Teams as CAF Unveils New Competition Calendar
- World Cup3 days ago
Infantino promises FIFA backing for Iran to play at World Cup
- World Cup1 week ago
Jamaica Edge New Caledonia to Set Up Decisive World Cup Showdown with DR Congo
- AFCON6 days ago
CAF May Sanction Senegal Over AFCON Trophy Parade
- Governing Bodies6 days ago
BREAKING! Nigeria’s Samson Adamu Appointed Acting CAF General Secretary
- Table Tennis5 days ago
Aruna Faces Tough Draw as Africa Targets Glory at ITTF World Cup in Macao
- World Cup1 week ago
New Zealand players willing to play World Cup opener against Iran outside the US