Sports
Ghana’s World Cup dreams in danger after one all draw with Ethiopia
The Black Stars of Ghana have made their road to Qatar 2022 World Cup a more difficult one after being held one all by the Wallias of Ethiopia at the Orlando Sports Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday.
The Stars who needed the three maximum points to ease their chances in the final game at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium on Sunday, scored first in the 20th minute through a perfectly taken free-kick by Andre Ayew.
This was after the Stars had missed some clear-cut scoring opportunities through returnee Richmond Boakye-Yidom, as well as Kudus Mohamed and Kamaldeen Sulleyman.
Ghana kept the lead till the first half.
After recess, the Ethiopians took over the game outplayed the Stars by pinning them to their own half, winning all the 50-50 balls to keep them under pressure throughout the half.
Ethiopia, created several goal scoring opportunities, hit the cross bar once and forced Joojo Wallacot to make some goal bound chances, to deny them the equaliser.
However, it was obvious that, the equaliser was coming as the Ethiopians continue to mount pressure for it, which eventually came in the 72nd minute through Gataneh Kedebe.
Kedebe fired past Wallacot from a cross to return his side back into the game.
Head Coach Milovan Rajevac exhausted all his substitution by introducing Mubarak Wakaso for Boakye-Yiadom, Edmund Addo for Baba Iddrisu, Caleb Ekuban for Jordan Ayew and Fatawu Ishahaku for Andre Ayew.
But it was not enough to salvage the situation for the Black Stars as they have to be content with one point.
Ghana would have to beat South Africa by at least two unanswered goals to salvage their dreams of advancing to the play off zone.
Line-Up: Jojo Wallacot, Andrew Yiadom, Baba Rahman, Joseph Aidoo, Daniel Amartey, Idrrisu Baba/Edmund Addo, Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew/Caleb Ekuban, Andre Ayew (c)/Fatawu Ishahaku, Boakye Yiadom/Mubarak Wakaso, Kamal Deen
Source: GNA
Sports
Kurt E.S Okraku elected CAF Executive Committee member
The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has been successfully elected as a member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The four-year term runs from 2025-2029.
The President, who was elected uncontested, joins the 24-member committee of the powerful body of the continent’s governing body.
Kurt Okraku’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership at the Football Association, where he has worked to rejuvenate Ghanaian football since taking office in 2019.
His efforts to enhance transparency, promote grassroots football, women’s football and focus on youth development have been well noted within the African football community.
With Ghana’s strong footballing tradition and legacy, the presence of the GFA boss on the CAF EXCO is seen as an opportunity to advance the interests of the country and help promote football development across Africa.
Mr. Okraku’s role will give Ghana a stronger voice in the decision-making processes that shape the future of football on the continent.
President Simeon-Okraku becomes the sixth Ghanaian to serve on the CAF Executive Committee in a list that includes Ohene Djan, Kobina Hagan, Nana Fredua Mensah, Samuel Okyere, and Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Sports
GFA concludes training of Club Safety and Security Officers and Regional Sports Security Officers
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has successfully concluded its training program for Club Safety and Security Officers (CSSOs) and Regional Sports Security Officers (RSSOs).
This comprehensive training, which took place from March 7 to March 10, 2025, aimed to throw more light on the enhance safety and security measures across Ghanaian football.
The training was conducted zonally, covering all 86 elite clubs and 16 regions. Participants were divided into three zones, with Zone 2 covering the Ashanti, Western, Western North, and Central Regions, and Zones 1 and 3 covering the remaining regions.
The training modules included:
Challenges of Safety and Security in Ghana: Identifying and addressing key safety and security concerns in Ghanaian football.
Roles of the Club Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) and collaboration with Regional Safety and Security Officers (RSSO): Defining the roles and responsibilities of CSSOs and RSSOs, and promoting effective collaboration between them.
Club Safety and Security Officer Checklist: Providing a comprehensive checklist for CSSOs to ensure that all safety and security protocols are in place.
Introduction to the Enhanced Safety and Security Protocols 2025: Introducing new safety and security protocols aimed at improving safety and security at match venues.
Practicum and scenario session: Providing hands-on training and scenario-based exercises to prepare participants for real-world safety and security challenges.
The training workshop was led by DCOP Lydia Donkor, Chairperson of the Security Committee. Others included Capt (Rtd) Nick Owusu, Vice Chairman of the Safety Committee, Julius Ben Emunah, Head of Competitions, John Ansah, Felix Bewu and Emmanuel Osei, members of the Safety and Security Committee.
This training is part of the GFA’s enhanced approach to ensuring improved safety and security at match venues across all competitions.
