International Football
We are in Kumasi to make history, says Ahmed Musa
Ardent football followers in Ghana strongly believe that the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi is a slaughter ground for opposition teams.
Though it is surprising that the stadium was not their first choice for the crunchy encounter with the Super Eagles but were only forced by circumstances to leave their initial choice, the Cape Coast stadium.
They glowingly recall the 6-1 demolition of Egypt at the ground in 2013 as well as another 7-0 demolition of hapless Lesotho in 2012.
They easily forget that it was on that same ground that South Africa beat Ghana 1-0 to eliminate the Black Stars at the quarter-finals of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations. The same South African team was beaten by the Super Eagles in the semi-finals of the competition.
The Super Eagles are not even swayed in their determination as they promised to banish the so-called myth of Ghana’s invincibility in Kumasi.
Ahmed Musah has said that his men are confident of breaking the jinx at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi by beating Ghana in the first leg of the 2022 World Cup playoff.
Ghanasoccernet quoted the over a century capped player as saying that his players have in recent past beat home sides and that Ghana will not be an exemption.
Speaking ahead of the game, the Fatih Karagümrük forward stated the Super Eagles can repeat the victory against Benin in the AFCON qualifiers when they face Ghana at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
“We have been hearing a lot of things. How they have not lost in that stadium (Babayara).
“If you remember the 2021 AFCON qualifiers when we played in Benin Republic, they told us they have not lost there. We went there and won.
“I believe we will go there and make history by winning in Kumasi,” Musa said during Wednesday’s press conference in Abuja.
Nigeria have in the past beaten Ghana at home. First was in 1975 Ghana-Nigeria Sports Festival when goals from Ogidi Ibeabuchi and Emeka Onyeadika enabled Nigeria shock Ghana 2-1 at home.
At another time, Adegboye Onigbinde led the Nigerian side to beat Ghana 1-0 at home after a goalless outing in Kaduna in the qualifying series for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
It was in that 30 October 1983 match that the legendary Rashidi Yekini debuted for Nigeria. Chibuzor Ehilegbu and John Omughele scored Nigeria’s two goals in a famous 2-1 win.
RELATED STORY: https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2022/03/17/kumasi-feat-debunked-juju-not-black-stars-skills-beat-egypt-6-1%ef%bf%bc/
The famous 6-1 defeat of Egypt at the Baba Yara Stadium had been attributed to the employment of voodoo (Juju) by the Ghanaians.
Sports Village Square reliably had it that “behind the display of great football and tactical ingenuity by Kwesi Appiah, lies the untold story of a state-sponsored juju operation that aided the victory.”
It was gathered that a spokesperson of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) revealed that a Sport Minister at the time exhumed the body of a dead goat to help Ghana beat Egypt. The said Minister is Joseph Yamin who served as a deputy to Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
Yamin, in an interview with www.ghanaweb.com denied exhuming the goat himself but confirmed that the state, upon the advice of some spiritualists had to perform some rituals to help the Black Stars secure victory over the Egyptians.
The former Deputy Sports Minister confirmed to being part of delegation that visited two places in Kumasi to dig out some items which had been planted with the aim of causing the Black Stars to lose the game.
Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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In a compelling twist of football destiny, Davide Ancelotti is stepping into his own spotlight as he begins his first head coaching role at Brazilian club Botafogo—just months after parting ways with his legendary father, Carlo Ancelotti, at Real Madrid.
The 35-year-old has been appointed as Botafogo’s new manager, the club announced on Tuesday, following the sacking of Renato Paiva. Davide, who has spent the last decade working alongside his father at some of Europe’s top clubs—including Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, and Real Madrid—has signed a one-year deal with the Rio-based team.
This marks a significant milestone for the younger Ancelotti, whose career has long been shaped by his father’s influence, but who now faces the challenge of carving his own identity on the touchline.
The move comes shortly after both father and son departed Real Madrid at the end of last season, with Carlo taking over the Brazilian national team. Now, in a poetic alignment, father and son find themselves on different paths within Brazilian football—one leading the Seleção, the other steering the fortunes of a storied domestic club.
Botafogo’s decision to appoint Davide follows a controversial parting with Paiva, who was dismissed just days after their exit from the Club World Cup. Though he oversaw a stunning win over Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Palmeiras in the round of 16 proved to be his final act after just four months in charge.
As Davide Ancelotti begins this new chapter, all eyes will be on whether the son of one of football’s most decorated managers can step out from his father’s shadow—and perhaps, in time, build a legacy of his own.
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