The trio have safely touched down in the Gulf region to team up with their colleagues for the pre-season tour ahead of the start of 2021/22 campaign
Asante Kotoko deputy captain and goalkeeper Razak Abalora has safely touched down in Dubai to join his teammates for the pre-season tour.
The 26-year-old together with new signings Richmond Lamptey and Joseph Amoako who joined from Inter Allies and Young Red Bulls Academy respectively could not join the club’s first contingent that left the country on Thursday due to some issues of paperwork.
However, they left the Kotoka International airport on Friday and safely arrived in Dubai early hours of Saturday to join their teammates.
However, there are still five players left behind who are expected to also travel on Saturday evening.
They include former Berekum Chelsea captain Stephen Amankonah who signed a three-year deal with the club few days ago. The club is expected to officially announce his acquisition before he joins his new teammates in Dubai.
The others include strikers Solomon Sarfo Taylor and Andy Kumi Francis as well as Samuel Boateng and Augustine Agyapong.
Kotoko are expected to spend two weeks in the Gulf region to fine tune before they return for the commencement of 2021/22 Ghana Premier League season.
Their first game of the season will be an away trip to Dawu where they will lock horns with Dreams FC before they host Bechem United at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium a week later.
The game against Bechem will be Kotoko’s first ever game at the venue for almost two years since the facility was closed down temporarily for renovations and was only opened a fortnight ago by the minister of Youth and Sports Ussif Mustapha.
The Serbian coach has jumped to the defence of the underfire striker who is yet to score a goal in his last fifty games for club and country
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has insisted that Jordan Ayew is an important player to his setup despite his recent poor form.
The 30-year-old is yet to find the back of the net after almost 50 games for both his club Crystal Palace and Ghana. As a result, he has come under an intense pressure and former Arsenal captain Thierry Henry even added his voice on his poor form a fortnight ago.
However, Milovan believes that despite Ayew struggling to score goals, he is an important figure in the Black Stars setup since his work rate is high.
“I think it’s about how to help the team succeed and he’s more of a team player,” Milovan said at post match conference ahead of Ghana’s World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe on Saturday in Cape Coast.
“His work rate for the team is so high and he’s an important player for the Black Stars. Ayew is not scoring goals recently but he is always fighting for the country with his work output.” Coach Milo said as quoted by GTV Sports plus.
Ayew is likely to start against Zimbabwe but he will be deployed in a different role. Per the training sessions held ahead of the game, he is expected to start on the right wing of Ghana’s attack and not as the main striker.
Ghana sit second in Group G of the qualifiers and a win over Zimbabwe would see them going top of the log.
The return fixture has been scheduled to take place on October 12 in Harare and Ghana will have the chance to parade all their players following UK government’s decision to remove Zimbabwe from the 17 countries on their red list of COVID-19.
The Warriors top hierarchy insists they have not been treated fairly by their opponents ahead of the first leg of the World Cup qualifiers
Zimbabwe team manager Wellington Mpandare has alleged that Ghana Football Association has tried several diabolic tactics to frustrate them ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier to be played at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Saturday.
According to Mpandare, since Zimbabwe arrived in Ghana, they have been unfairly treated. He alleged that they were given a terrible training ground with poor pitch to train on.
He believes these kind of outmoded tactics should not be entertained in order to improve the game.
Zimbabwe rejected the Nduom Sports Stadium in Elmina because they believe the pitch was very terrible and would lead to injuries to their players.
“It’s so sad that we still have such things happening in our football,” Mpandare told Newsday.
“The team has lost quite a lot in terms of preparation time because we could not train this morning as we had planned since the pitch we got was very bad.
“It was uneven and very hard so we couldn’t risk the players getting injuries. It was unsuitable for use by professional footballers.”
“We asked for another facility but we got something almost the same. The grass on the pitch was at knee level. They promised to trim the grass but we doubt they will do that, so we are already looking for an alternative venue. Imagine Ghana going through such ordeals in another country, obviously they won’t be happy,” he added.
Zimbabwe are looking for their first victory in the qualifiers after sharing the spoils goalless with South Africa on opening day and losing 1-0 to Ethiopia last month which eventually led to the sacking of their coach Zdravko Lugarosic.
Ghana, on the other hand, sit second with three points, one point behind South Africa after defeating Ethiopia and losing to Bafana Bafana in Johannesburg last month.
Baring any unforeseen circumstances, these are the players the Serbian coach will use for his first game after his second coming as Ghana coach
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac is expected to name a strong squad as he prepares to play his first game after returning to the Black Stars against Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Saturday.
After series of training, AshesGyamera.com understands that Milovan is expected to play a 4-2-3-1 formation with a variation of 4-3-3 against the Warriors of Zimbabwe since Ghana need a win at all cost.
Since Ghana’s first choice goalkeeper Richard Ofori has been ruled out of the game due to injury relay, Switzerland based goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi is expected to be in post ahead of Hearts of Oak goalkeeper Richard Attah, Danlad Ibrahim and new boy Joe Wollacot. However, Milovan may pull a surprise and start Wollacot in post.
The defensive set up is expected to be Daniel Amartey on the right wing back although Dreams FC youngster Philimon Baffour has been impressive at training, while Baba Rahman takes over the left wing back position.
Strasbourg defender Alexander Djiku and Columbus Crew captain Jonathan Mensah are expected to be the two central defenders as the latter was a member of the coach’s setup during his first stint with the Black Stars over a decade ago.
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is expected to partner Real Mallorca’s Baba Iddrisu as the two defensive midfielders while in-form Stade Rennes youngster Kamaldeen Sulemana combines with Kudus Mohammed and Jordan Ayew in the offensive role.
Captain Andre Ayew is expected to play the role of a false nine as the Al Sadd forward leads the attack.
Following the constant criticisms on Jordan Ayew, he is likely to start on the right wing and probably switch positions at times with his senior brother Andre.
The kick off of the game has been scheduled for 16h00 GMT (4PM) local time and the game will be televised live by GTV Sports + as well as their YouTube channel.
Ghana’s probable line up:
Lawrence Ati Zigi- GK Daniel Amartey Baba Rahman Jonathan Mensah Alexander Djiku Baba Iddrisu Thomas Partey Kudus Mohammed Kamaldeen Sulemanna Jordan Ayew Dede Ayew
Ghana Premier League side Legon Cities have unveiled their new home jersey to be used for 2021/22 Ghana Premier League season.
After sealing a deal with kit manufacturing company Mafro on Thursday, the Royals have unleashed the first of the three jerseys to be used by the players during league and cup games.
In a Claret and Blue colours, the jersey has the club’s crest on the right side with Mafro on the left.
Also, the logo of the club’s headline sponsor Gulf Energy is bold written in the middle of the front side of the jersey.
Legon Cities avoid relegation narrowly last season and the club has put measures in place to avoid a repetition this time around.
Head coach Maxwell Konadu has offloaded a lot of players including Baba Mahama and new faces have arrived also.
Legon Cities will open the season with an away fixture against champions Hearts of Oak before they host returnees Real Tamale United on matchday two at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The former Black Stars midfielder has insisted that he disagrees with the assertion that the country currently lacks quality players to win trophies
Former Ghana and Udinese midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang Badu has rejected suggestions that the Black Stars lack quality players.
Following the retirement of the golden generation which included Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan, Ghana have struggled to win games as well as outplayed their opponents.
And a section of Ghanaians have argued that the Black Stars lack quality players since the current crop of players are not up to the standard.
However, Agyemang Badu believes that is not the case since Ghana still has players like Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennes), Kudus Mohammed (Ajax), Emmanuel Gyasi (Spezia), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City).
“I don’t side with those claiming Ghana does not have quality players. We have the players but the key point is that there isn’t teamwork,” Agyemang Badu said.
“If you have players in the Serie A, Bundesliga, French Ligue 1 and Premier League and still claim the Black Stars lack quality, then, I don’t understand
“All that the Black Stars is lacking is teamwork and it is up to the coaches to solve that issue. If there is cohesion among the players, people will be surprised with the kind of game Ghana will be playing going forward,” he added.
Ghana will host Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe on Saturday at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the return fixture has been scheduled for October 12 in Harare.
The Black Stars sit second in Group G of the qualifiers with three points after defeating Ethiopia at home and suffering a narrow defeat against South Africa last month.
The Moroccan giants will arrive in Ghana without their influential player after he sealed a deal outside the country
Wydad Athletic Club captain Walid El Karti has signed a three-year deal with Egyptian Premier League side Pyramids FC, the two clubs have confirmed.
The 27-year-old, who had risen through the ranks of the club to become the captain, left them on few days ahead of their first game in the Caf Champions League.
WAC, unlike Hearts of Oak who played Guinean side CI Kamsar, were drawn bye in the preliminary round.
According to reports in Morocco, Karti’s move to Pyramids cost the Egyptian club around $1.6 million.
Hearts will host WAC at the Accra Sports Stadium on October 22 and the return fixture has been scheduled to take place a week later in Casablanca.
Karti helped Wydad Athletic Club to win four Moroccan Batola League titles, one Caf Champions League trophy and a Caf Super Cup after in eight years with the club.
He was also part of the Morocco national team that won the 2018 and 2020 African Nations Championships (CHAN) titles.
He is now ranked one of the top highest African players plying their trade on the continent.
Karti’s unavailability means that WAC have now seen two of their top players missing the game since youngster Salaheddine Benyachou has also been ruled out after he underwent a surgery this week.
The former Black Stars striker has advised the beleaguered forward on what to do to return to his fine scoring form after going almost 50 games without a goal
Former Ghana striker Prince Tagoe has advised Jordan Ayew on his movements during games in order to start scoring for Ghana and Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Ayew, 30, has failed to score for both club and country after almost 50 games and has come under severe criticisms. He scored only a goal last season for Palace and has been fluffing opportunities in the Premier League.
Last week, the spokesperson for the Ayew brothers, Fiifi Tackie, defended the Crystal Palace forward that although he has not been scoring goals, his general contributions to the club and country have been immense and critics should also factor that in their assessments.
“Jordan Ayew is more of a team player than an individual player”, he told Happy FM.
“He doesn’t see anything wrong if he tries to assist than to score. Assess Jordan Ayew by his contribution on the pitch it is why Patrick Vieira will continue to use him,” he added.
However, Tagoe believes if Jordan doesn’t score in games, he should bear in mind that it amounts to not performing well.
“I spoke to Jordan Ayew some years back and he took my advice and everybody knew what he did. He should have it in mind that if he doesn’t score in a game then he didn’t perform,” Tagoe told Happy FM.
“He should focus on scoring and not holding onto the ball for long. He shouldn’t drop deep but stay at the attacking areas and concentrate on scoring,” he added.
Ayew is expected to start against Zimbabwe on Saturday at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers despite his troubles.
Reports from Cape Coast have revealed that Ayew will be used on the wings by new Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac unlike the position he was deployed by former coach Charles Kwablah Akonnor.
The Black Stars will now have the luxury to have a full house for the return leg of the Fifa World Cup next week in Harare following a decision by the United Kingdom’s top hierarchy
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has been handed a major boost to defeat Zimbabwe both home and away in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers following a decision by the United Kingdom’s top hierarchy.
The UK government in February issued a new travel measures to visitors from 17 African nations including Zimbabwe and South Africa who are intending to travel to the country that they will be quarantined for 10 days in one of the government-approved hotels and will have to pay for themselves during their stay. Travelers will also foot a bill not less than $100 per night.
This as a result, led to several Ghanaian players including Jordan Ayew, Baba Rahman, Daniel Amartey and Jeffrey Schlupp ruled out of the game against South Africa in Johannesburg last month since their clubs didn’t want them to be quarantined after the international break. Their absence hugely affected Ghana the Black Stars narrowly lost to the Bafana Bafana.
Similar situation was likely to happen as Zimbabwe were preparing to host Ghana on October 12 in Harare after they play the first leg of the qualifiers in Cape Coast this weekend.
However, the UK government has confirmed that Zimbabwe will be out of the red list on Monday, October 11 just a day before the game with the Black Stars.
This means that if Ghana arrives in Harare on Monday, Key players like Daniel Amartey, Abdul Baba Rahman, Andy Yiadom and Jordan Ayew and Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey are expected not to miss the game and will not be quarantined upon arrival in UK
Also, other players like Daniel Kofi Kyereh and Kamaldeen Sulemana who plays in Germany and with Stade Rennes in France respectively are also safe to be part of the game.
Zimbabwe team manager Wellington Mpandare confirmed that their four UK-based players will play both home and away games with Ghana and will not have any issues with COVID-19 protocols. They include Nakamba, Zemura, Brendan Galloway, and Tendayi Darikwa.
“Zimbabwe will move off the red list at 4 am Monday 11 October. If you arrive in England before then, you need to follow the red list rules,” he said.
Ghana will host Zimbabwe at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Saturday, October 9, 2021 and the kick off has been scheduled at 16h00 GMT.
Below are the 17 Africa countries named in the red zone by UK government and travelers would need to be quarantined for ten days:
• Angola
• Botswana
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• DRC
• Eswatini
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
Ghana currently sit in second place in the Group G table with three points, one point behind South Africa following a win against Ethiopia and a defeat to Bafana Bafana.
The midfielder exchanged words with his coach at training earlier today following a bust up and things could’ve turned sour if he wasn’t restrained by teammates
Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng was involved in a heated argument and exchange of words with the head coach of Hertha Berlin Pal Dardai during training – similar to what the midfielder did to Black Stars trainer Kwesi Appiah at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Top players of the Bundesliga side had to intervene to separate the controversial football superstar from coach Pal Dardai to prevent the heated exchange of words from degenerating into an exchange of blows during the training.
In an unpleasant replay of what happened in the Ghana camp at the 2014 World Cup that severely affected the Black Stars at the tournament seven years ago, the controversial footballer re-enacted the incident in Brazil by verbally questioning the decisions of the coach in front of all the other players during training which led to the stand-off.
Boateng’s action of questioning the authority of the coach elicited a response from coach Dardai, who was keen on stamping his authority over the training session, leading to the prolonged exchange of words.
The reason for the outburst by the Ghanaian player was a goal he scored, which coach Dardai who was also action as the referee for the training session, ruled out back due to the offside position of Boateng.
The verbal back and forth between the two lasted a few seconds, in which striker Davie Selke tried to act as a peacemaker, without success.
The incident came as a shock for all the onlookers of the incident because Dardai personally called for the signing of the midfielder in the summer to boost Hertha despite some doubts by some members and supporters of the struggling Berlin club because of his fitness and questionable disciplinary record.
The verbal exchanges between the two is the sign of nervousness in Hertha Berlin after a shaky start to the season which has left them in the fourteenth position in the Bundesliga with six points in matches.
In incident occurred on Tuesday at 4 p.m. – the first training day of the week at the training ground. With pouring rain, the national team players were missing because they had joined their international team -mates for national team matches.
In the final training game halfway through the field, “referee” Dardai whistles back a Boateng goal for offside. The star doesn’t like that at all! He talks to his coach and doesn’t want to calm down.
Dardai interrupts the game and whistles for a water break. But Boateng doesn’t think about a break and continues with the verbal exchanges with Dardai from several meters away.
Teammate Davie Selke (26) intervenes and tries to calm Boateng down. Without success!Interestingly, Boateng played with Dardai at the same club from 2005 to 2007 and the latter is not the coach of the club.
The incident brings back the incident for the 2014 World Cup incident in the Ghana camp where Boateng clashed with coach Kwesi Appiah that led to the sacking of the midfielder from the Black Stars camp in Brazil.
Boateng was said to have rained unprintable insults on coach Kwesi Appiah right in front of the Black Stars players during their training at the World Cup.
Appiah broke down in teras over the insults he was subjected to and this was said to have led to the indiscipline in the Black Stars camp which subsequently led to the sacking of Boateng from the Black Stars camp together with Sulley Muntari who physically attacked a Black Stars management committee member.
Boateng’s exchange of words with Hertha Berlin coach captured word for word Boateng in the direction of Dardai: “Oh, don’t we discuss bad decisions? No? Do you allow everything?
“Dardai to Boateng: “I am a referee. Why are you arguing with me?
“Boateng: “Then whistle for us!
Dardai: “I don’t whistle for you.
“Boateng: “Yes, yes. If we’re always quiet, don’t whistle for us.
“Dardai: “Yes, but the second time offside, I can’t not whistle. As simple as that!
“Boateng: “It’s not that easy …
“Dardai: “Yes!
“Boateng: “If we are always calm, it is clear that you always whistle against us.
“The hotheads then part ways and the session continues as normal
