The Black Stars are hoping to win the second game of the group in order to stand a chance of qualifying to the next stage of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Black Stars lost 1-0 on opening day against Morocco thanks to Soufiane Boufal’s late strike after a mistake from Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey
The Serbian tactician has made one change in the Black Stars starting team that will face the Panthers in the make or break on Friday evening
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has changed his starting line up that played against Morocco as the Black Stars face Gabon in second game of Group C on Friday, just like AshesGyamera.com reported earlier.
Swindon Town goalkeeper Jojo Wollacot has been kept in post due to his good performance against Morocco while the four defenders -Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku and Daniel Amartey- that started against Morocco will also play in today’s game.
However, Joseph Paintsil will start from the bench despite his fine performance against Morocco as Milovan seek to make some tactical changes.
Jordan Ayew who started as the lone striker against Morocco will now switch to the right wing to take over Paintsil’s place while Andre Ayew lead the attack as a false number nine.
Kamaldeen Sulemana will play from left wing like he did against Morocco while Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey and Baba Iddrisu take charge of the defensive midfield role.
St. Pauli midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyereh is expected to start his first game of the tournament by playing behind Andre Ayew.
Ghana are in dire need of three points in order to stand a realistic chance of qualifying to the next stage of the competition.
Black Stars XI vs Gabon:
Jojo Wollacot, Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey, Baba Iddrisu, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Daniel Kofi Kyereh, Andre Ayew
The Inshallah Boys suffered their second defeat in a row as Karela punished them in front of their home fans
King Faisal’s home dominance came to an end on Friday following a 2-0 defeat against Karela United at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday.
After losing 2-0 last weekend against Eleven Wonders in Techiman, Amadu Nurudeen was hoping to guide his men back to winning ways but it proved fruitless.
After an opening quarter hour mark where both sides struggled to create decent chances, Atta Kusi nearly shot Fiasal ahead by the 19th minute after his powerful was cleared off the line.
Three minutes later, Karela took the lead through Umar Bashiru against the run of play. The former Asante Kotoko striker connected a back heel pass from Samuel Atta Kumi and calmly slotted in his last ditch effort beyond the reach of goalkeeper Frank Boateng.
Six minutes later, Ebenezer Ocran also came close to add another goal but his effort was saved.
After the break, Karela added another goal after they were able to soak the pressure from Faisal.
Samuel Atta Kumi was brought down in King Faisal box and Bashiru stepped up to slot home the resulting kick by the 61st minute.
The defeat has left Faisal in third position with 23 points while Karela have moved seventh with 17 points.
The Serbian has opted to make some changes in his starting team that will face the Panthers in the make or break
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has opted to make some few changes in his squad that will face Gabon in Group C fixture of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
The Serbian is under pressure to grind results this time around after a poor start to the tournament.
Swindon Town goalkeeper Jojo Wollacot will maintain his place in post while the four defenders -Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku and Daniel Amartey- that started against Morocco will also play part of today’s game.
However, Joseph Paintsil is expected to start from the bench despite his fine performance against Morocco as Milovan seek to make some tactical changes.
Jordan Ayew who started as the lone striker against Morocco will now switch to the right wing to take over Paintsil’s place while Andre Ayew lead the attack as a false number nine.
Kamaldeen Sulemana will play from left wing like he did against Morocco while Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey and Baba Iddrisu take charge of the defensive midfield role.
St. Pauli midfielder Daniel Kofi Kyereh is expected to start his first game of the tournament by playing behind Andre Ayew.
Ghana are in dire need of three points in order to stand a realistic chance of qualifying to the next stage of the competition.
The kick off is 7pm.
Black Stars probable XI:
Jojo Wollacot, Andy Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Alexander Djiku, Daniel Amartey, Baba Iddrisu, Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Daniel Kofi Kyereh, Andre Ayew
The former Ghana international was at the team’s final training session ahead of the clash with the Panthers and has advised the Arsenal man to be at his best
Former Ghana international Anthony Baffoe has advised Arsenal midfielder Thomas Teye Partey to play above himself in the second game of Group C in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations against Gabon on Friday.
The Black Stars lost their opening game to Morocco and would need to win at all cost against Gabon to stand a realistic chance of progressing to the next round of the tournament.
Partey was a pale shadow of himself against Morocco and his mistake led to the only goal which resulted in Ghana’s defeat.
“Everyone must do his best against Gabon because we need a win no matter what,” Baffoe said.
“Partey, Amartey, Jordan, Jonathan Mensah must improve also. I’m mentioning your names because you guys have been in the team for long.
“And Partey in particular, You can’t allow yourself to have a bad day. It is not possible to have a bad day. Sweat for the nation, sweat for the flag of Ghana, sweat for your families,” he added.
Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been tested negative of Covid test result and will likely start the game against Ghana in Group C of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon on Friday, AshesGyamera can confirm.
The Arsenal striker missed Gabon’s opening game against Comoros after testing positive for coronavirus upon his arrival at Yaounde airport having spent time in Dubai.
Gabon, who were short of several key players including Lemina, Aubameyang, Axel Meye and Kevin Mayi, in the first game pipped tournament debutants Comoros to pip their first win thanks to Aaron Boupendza’s 16th-minute goal.
The continent’s football governing body has confirmed the appointment of the Algerian referee to officiate the Black Stars second group game
Caf has confirmed that South African referee Victor Gomes will not officiate the Black Stars game against Gabon in second Group C game of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.
Earlier on Thursday, reports were rife that Gomes will be in the centre of action which raised a lot of concerns particularly from Ghanaians as a result of recent legal tussle between Ghana FA and South Africa Football Association.
CAF has now confirmed that Algerian referee Lahlou Benbraham will officiate the clash in Yaounde.
The 36-year-old, who became a FIFA referee in 2017, has been ever present in Caf inter-club competitions.
He is not new to Ghana national teams but whenever he officiated a game involving Ghana, the West Africans fails to win.
He was in charge when Ghana shared the spoils 1-1 against Cameroon in 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations in 2019.
Also, Benbraham was in the centre of affairs when Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 3-2 to progress to the next stage of the competition.
With Ghana in dire need of three points against Gabon, the Black Stars would be hoping the jinx will break against Gabon.
Another defeat to Ghana will mean that the Black Stars will likely exit the competition earlier than expected.
Kick off is 7pm
The new academic calendar for the Basic School has been released by Ghana Education Service
Ghana Education Service has announced that basic school education has moved from three terms to two semesters ahead of the start of 2022/23 academic year and each semester will last for 20 weeks.
Following the New Common Core Programme Curriculum started to be enrolled into the system, teachers have been taken through an in-service training to be abreast with the new methods of teaching.
The first semester of the new academic calendar begins on January 18 for KG, Primary and JHS and ends on June 9. However, there will be a mid-semester break between April 12 and April 18. Meanwhile, there will be a vacation from June 10 to July 25.
The second semester is expected to begin on July 26 to December 16 with vacation starting from December 17 to early January of 2023.
Meanwhile, there will be a one week mid-semester break between September 30 to October 9.
The 38-year old, who has been a FIFA/CAF Elite Referee for the last ten years, will be in the centre when the Black Stars face Gabon in the cliffhanger encounter on Friday
South Africa’s best referee Victor Gomes has been appointed by Caf to officiate Ghana’s make or break encounter against Gabon in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday, AshesGyamera.com understands.
The 38-year-old, who was in the centre of action when Ghana were eliminated from 2019 Afcon by Tunisia in the round of 16, after he disallowed Andre Ayew’s goal which could’ve sent the Black Stars through to the next stage of the competition.
With Ghana in dire need of three points now, Gomes is expected to fairly handle the game, although a lot of Ghanaians are harbouring fear that he may be blinded with revenge since the Black Stars were controversially qualified ahead of South Africa in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers after Senegalese referee Ndiaye Maguitta awarded them a penalty.
A defeat for Ghana against Gabon will likely end the Black Stars’ journey at the tournament earlier than expected.
Gomes has always believed that refereeing is a passion for him because he has been officiating since he was 14 years.
“For me, this is not a job but it’s a passion and I am very passionate about it. I love refereeing and it makes it very easy for me. It is a life time commitment,” Gomes says, speaking to CAFOnline.
In 2016, Gomes hogged the headlines in South Africa when he sent off a ball boy for unintentionally throwing a ball on the pitch in a game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City FC at in the Premier Soccer League.
Although, Gomes has been very successful, he insists that he wouldn’t have reached this far without the support of his family and friends.
“It is definitely not easy but I am happy because I am blessed with a very good support structure. I have family, friends and workmates who play an important role in supporting me. If you are to succeed you must have a very good foundation,” he explains.
“In my business, I have a partner who does things when I am not around and also thanks to technology, you can always make things move when you are not around. With refereeing comes a lot of travelling and you are away for so much time, but having people to support you is important,” further adds Gomes.
“It has been a very interesting journey and I am really happy with how things have gone for me. I am grateful for the people who have supported me to be here today,” Gomes says.
In spite of the controversies surrounding Gomes, he has also attracted good headlines. In 2018, Gomes seized the headlines worldwide after he rejected a $30,000 bribe to manipulate a CAF Confederation Cup match.
Gomes was reportedly approached to fix the first leg play-off encounter between Nigeria’s Plateau United and Algeria’s USM Alger which Plateau went on to win the encounter 2-1.
The lower-tier side’s problems have been compounded with yet another ban following unpaid fees from transfers they have made in the past
Former Ghana Division One League side Phar Rangers have been banned by Fifa from transferring or registering new players in the new season, AshesGyamera.com can confirm.
The club, which was recently demoted by Ghana FA due to their decision to opt out of Ghana Division One League, have been slapped with another punishment by Fifa after they failed to pay an unnamed foreign club which they owed.
“FIFA has banned Ghanaian lower league club Phar Rangers FC for failing to comply with a decision of FIFA’s Player Status Committee,” a Ghana FA statement read.
“In the decision, the now Eastern Regional Third Division side was ordered by FIFA to made payment of Thousands of Dollars to a foreign club that the Ghanaian club owes or face sanctions from the world football governing body.
“The Ghanaian lower tier side has however failed to comply with FIFA’s decision. Phar Rangers FC initially made an appeal to the CAS but has since club withdraw their appeal and has also failed to obey the decision.
“Following a request by lawyers for the foreign club for harsher sanctions to be imposed on Phar Rangers FC, FIFA has announced that Phar Rangers FC shall initially be ban from participating in the next Transfer Window which starts on February 1, 2022.
“Should Phar Rangers FC still fail to made good their indebtedness, FIFA may impose further sanctions.
“In light of the foregoing, the said Transfer Window ban shall remain up until the due amount is paid, FIFA reiterated in a letter to both parties and to the GFA.
“The GFA is tasked to ensure that Phar Rangers FC does not trade any player during the ban period.
“The GFA consequently wishes to inform all clubs and stakeholders in order to ensure strict adherence to the FIFA ban. The GFA will update members and stakeholders if the current status changes,” the statement added.
Asante Kotoko chief executive officer Nana Yaw Amponsah is a director of the club as he vied for the Ghana Football Association presidential elections in 2019 on the ticket of the club.
The Serbian manager has refused to shed light on whether the Black Stars captain will play a part in the game against Gabon on Friday
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has refused to shed light on captain Andre Ayew ahead of the Black Stars game against Gabon in Group C of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Ayew picked up a head injury on Monday after colliding with Morocco defender Saiss and sat out when the Black Stars trained on Wednesday ahead of the game on Friday.
Ayew was not present when Ghana held their pre-match conference as the Black Stars were represented by Milovan and striker Richmond Boakye Yiadom.
“Andre Ayew is in stitches after the injury he picked up against Morocco,” Milovan said.
“But he is doing okay. He will definitely be ready, but I never talk about my selection before the match. We believe that every player can make a difference in the game and we are optimistic to win
“Gabon are a good side but winning this game is our main priority so we are seriously preparing. I will not tell you if Ayew will start or not. I will not talk about whether he will start the game or not because it is not what I do before games,” he added.
Ghan sit bottom of Group C with zero point and a defeat against Gabon could mean the Black Stars will be eliminated from the competition earlier than expected.