Home Blog Page 91

Revealed: Why Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe ‘CONTROVERSIALLY’ ended Afcon game on 85th & 89th minute

The Knight of the whistle seized the headlines globally this afternoon for a wrong reason

Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe’s watch failed him in the game between Mali and Tunisia in the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.

Although, the referee has been slammed by almost everyone who watched the game worldwide, his actions seemed not deliberate but rather a state of confusion.

Initial checks are pointing to the fact that his watch was probably not stopped during half-time and it was even running while both teams and the referees were having their rest in the dressing rooms.

Therefore, he was far ahead of time when he restarted the game, something which still surprises a lot of people.

On 79th minute, he thought it was 90th minute & signalled to the fourth referee to add five minutes – reason why he ended the game on 85th minute. He continued the game with a drop ball when prompted by the fourth referee.

However, that wasn’t enough because in his mind, they were now about to play the additional five minutes he earlier prompted the fourth referee to show.

So, clearly, from 85th minute to 89 + 51 seconds was full time plus additional time for him which was obviously not the case in reality.

The VAR officials could’ve helped by constantly telling him through the communication device that the game was stopped by the 85th minute and that the additional time he signalled was not valid.

Sikazwe may have failed himself but his assistants were also poor at a point.

The fourth even could’ve called him to the touch line and clear out things with him before restarting the game.

Although, after ending the game, CA officials wanted the two teams to play the remaining five minutes, Tunisia kicked against it and insisted that their players were not psychologically stable to continue.

Caf is yet to release an official statement about the incident but reports suggest that referee Sikazwe may not officiate any of the remaining games as his punishment.

Watch how Vincent Atinga punished Hearts of Oak in Tarkwa

The defender, who was at a point deemed surplus to requirements, reminded the Phobians what they were missing as his goal ended their five-game unbeaten run

Former Hearts of Oak defender Vincent Atinga helped Medeama to defeat his former club 1-0 in Ghana Premier League matchday six outstanding fixture at the Akoon’s Park in Tarkwa on Wednesday.

The Phobians, who suffered a poor start to the season, went into the game on the back of a victory over Gold Stars last weekend and wanted to add Medeama to their victims.

Kwame Obeng Junior was played through by Afriyie Barnieh by the ninth minute but the striker couldn’t guide his effort on target for Hearts.

Two minutes later, Medeama were presented with their first chance of the game after Prince Opoku Agyemang connected a pass from his teammate but his last ditch effort was saved by goalkeeper Richmond Ayi.

After the break, Burkina Faso striker Amed ‘Simba’ Toure forced a wonderful save from goalkeeper Ayi before Barnieh also threatened Medeama’s goal area moments later.

Medeama finally found a breach in Hearts defence after You’re connected a through pass from his teammate only to be brought down by Mohammed Alhassan in the box.

Former Hearts defender Vincent Atinga stepped forward and perfectly slotted the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ayi.

Hearts pressed harder for the equaliser but Medeama were resolute at the back and held on to record another memorable victory over the Phobians.

Hearts, who will host Techiman Eleven Wonders on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium, remain seventh on the log with 17 points while Medeama have moved one place up to fourth position with 22 points.

Medeama 1-0 Hearts of Oak: Atinga’s late strike breaks Phobians’ hearts in Tarkwa

The defender stepped up to slot home a late penalty and ends his former club’s five-game unbeaten run in the all competitions

Medeama defeated Hearts of Oak 1-0 in Ghana Premier League matchday six outstanding fixture at the Akoon’s Park in Tarkwa on Wednesday.

Hearts maintained the starting squad that pipped Gold Stars over the weekend in Bibiani as they looked forward to make it two wins in a row.

Kwame Obeng Junior was played through by Afriyie Barnieh by the ninth minute but the striker couldn’t guide his effort on target for Hearts.

Two minutes later, Medeama were presented with their first chance of the game after Prince Opoku Agyemang connected a pass from his teammate but his last ditch effort was saved by goalkeeper Richmond Ayi.

After the break, Burkina Faso striker Amed ‘Simba’ Toure forced a wonderful save from goalkeeper Ayi before Barnieh also threatened Medeama’s goal area moments later.

Medeama finally found a breach in Hearts defence after You’re connected a through pass from his teammate only to be brought down by Mohammed Alhassan in the box.

Former Hearts defender Vincent Atinga stepped forward and perfectly slotted the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ayi.

Hearts pressed harder for the equaliser but Medeama were resolute at the back and held on to record another memorable victory over the Phobians.

Hearts, who will host Techiman Eleven Wonders on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium, remain seventh on the log with 17 points while Medeama have moved one place up to fourth position with 22 points.

Comedy of errors: Africans react to shambolic officiating by Zambia referee Janny Sikazwe at 2021 Afcon

The Knight of the whistle had the worse nightmare as he failed to stamp his authority on the game between Mali and Tunisia

Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe has been described as the worse referee in the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations at Cameroon after a poor showing in the game between Mali and Tunisia

Sikazwe’s decisions, especially in the second half, were poor to the extent that he ended the twice before 90 minutes.

The red card he showed to the Mali player was too harsh.What further marred his performance was even ending the game on 89th minute.

In 2018, Sikazwe was banned by Caf for allegedly taking bribe in a Caf Champions League game involving Esperance and Agosto.

Sikazwe, who refereed at the 2018 Fifa World Cup, awarded a controversial penalty which led to Esperance’s first goal.

A.S Roma’s Darboe to play for Gambia at Afcon after journey through Libya to Italy

Gambia had never qualified for the Afcon in their history but they play their first ever Afcon match today

They have 20-year-old Embraima Darboe of AS Roma.

In 2016, Darboe as a 14 year old boy and without the consent of his family, joined a bus full of other Gambians going to the Libyan desert. He was escaping the hardship in the country. They walked to Libya and then joined a boat to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.

He used to play football in his neighbourhood like many young Gambians but had never played for a club in Gambia by then.

He got to the Island of Sicily and put in a refugee camp. In one of the matches at the camp, a football fanatic saw his skills and invited his friend agent to see him.

By 2021, he had made his debut for giants AS Roma in Seria A.

Today, he will make history representing his country as they make their Afcon debut.

A risky journey through the desert, to becoming a refugee and now a National star.

  • Saddick Adams

Exclusive: Kotoko goalkeeper Abalora close to sign for Uefa Champions League side FC Sherif

The shot-stopper would become Moldovan club’s first signing this January as the manager looks to bolster his options in goalkeeping

Moldovan giants FC Sherrif are close to agreeing a deal worth around $300,000 to sign Asante Kotoko goalkeeper Razak Abalora, AshesGyamera.com understands.

According to our sources, talks between the two clubs are ongoing, but it is understood that the particulars of the deal are very close to being finalised ahead of the player agreeing personal terms.

Abalora has been in fine form this season after keeping five clean sheets in nine Ghana Premier League games.

Should the deal go through as expected, AshesGyamera understands that Abalora would leave the shores of Ghana early February.

Abalora would become the second Ghanaian to join FC Sherif alongside Black Stars midfielder Edmund Addo who helped them to reach the group face of the Uefa Champions League this season.

Andre Ayew to sit out of Black Stars’ Wednesday training; could miss Gabon clash

The Al Sadd midfielder will not train with the Black Stars on Wednesday following an injury he sustained on Monday

Ghana captain Andre Ayew is expected to miss the Black Stars training on Wednesday morning as part of the team’s precautionary measures to keep him fit.

The 32-year-old suffered a head injury after colliding with Morocco defender Saiss during the Black Stars’ 1-0 defeat on opening day of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.

Ayew, after the game revealed that he has not been well but opted to play through pain as his teammates even wanted him on the pitch.

“I have not been feeling well for the past two days, I wanted to play, my colleagues wanted me on the pitch and I did everything because I have been waiting for this for three years now, we lost and I was unlucky to add a cut on my eye to it,” Ayew disclosed after the game.

“We are very disappointed to have conceded in the last minute, we faced a solid team, one of the favourites, we went head to head with them but it wasn’t meant to be,” he added.

However, the medical team has advised the technical team to allow Ayew to sit out in order to fully assess him.

Ayew may likely miss the game against Gabon or start from the bench.

Ghana sit last on the Group C log with zero point while Gabon are second with three points after pipping Comoros 1-0 on opening day.

Ghanaian journalists sacked from filming Black Stars training ahead of Gabon clash

The journalists who followed the Black Stars to Cameroon were prevented from filming or taking pictures of the team’s training session

There was a tight security at Ghana’s training ground on Tuesday evening as the Black Stars held their recovery training following the 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the opening game of the 2021 Afcon Group C.

As a result, Ghanaian journalists were prevented from taking pictures and videos of the recovery training of the Black Stars by local security employed by Local Organising Committee.

The journalists were later told to leave as Ghana prepare ahead of Friday’s make or break encounter against Gabon.

Another defeat to Ghana against Gabon means the Black Stars will likely exit the competition earlier this year than expected.

A win against Gabon is non-negotiable since the defeat to Morocco has pilled a lot of pressure on the team.

Hearts of Oak handed easy opponents in FA Cup; Faisal vs Karela

The oldest cup game of the country continues later this month with some interesting pairings

The round of 32 of Ghana FA Cup pairings were done on Tuesday in Accra and defending champions Hearts of Oak were handed a relatively cheaper opponents

However, giant slayers King Faisal who bundled out city rivals Asante Kotoko in the round of 64, will welcome Karela United to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

Meanwhile, Bechem United will have to make another journey to Bibiani to face Gold Stars after they travelled to Obuasi to shock Ashanti Gold.

In Accra, Abedi Pele’s Nania FC have been paired with Dreams FC while Legon Cities host lower division side Real Athletico.

The round of 32 games have been slated to be played between Tuesday, January 18 to Thursday, January 20, 2022.

“The preparation wasn’t the best,” Andre Ayew blames Ghana’s poor preparations for Morocco defeat

The Black Stars captain admits his side had a rough preparation ahead of the Afcon but believes they will recover from the poor start

Ghana captain Andre Ayew has admitted that they did not have one of the best of preparations due to injury concerns and COVID-19 cases.

The Black Stars held a two-week camp in Doha, Qatar where they played one international friendly against Algeria.

However, Ayew insists the preparations did not end well since some players only arrived few days to the start of the competition while others, including himself, have been battling with injuries.

“[We were missing] a lot of things,” Ayew told GOAL. “The preparation wasn’t the best, we’ve been missing players, some of them only joined us here, we’ve had injuries.

“We know it’s not the best way in which to prepare ourselves, but there are no excuses,” he added. “We’ll go home, we’ll relax, and we will make sure we beat Gabon on Friday.”

Despite losing against Morocco, Ayew is optimistic the Black Stars will show good reaction in the next game on Friday when they clash with Gabon who also pipped Comoros 1-0 to go first in Group C.

“When you lose a game, there are always regrets but it was a very tight match.

“We could have scored like they did but there weren’t many chances in the fixture.

“Today, Morocco take all three points and we’re disappointed, but I think the team played well.

“We matched Morocco—one of the favourites—boot to boot, so we need to continue, we need not to lose confidence. I really believe in what we do.”

“We are calm and we believe in ourselves, in what we can do,” he concluded. “It was a disappointing result, and to concede in the last five minutes or something but it’s just the first game.

“We need to look at our mistakes and do much more,” he added.