Sports
Team Psychologist engaged for Black Stars

As part of moves to strengthen the Technical team of the senior male national football team, the Black Stars, the GFA has engaged Belgian Kris Perquy as Team Psychologist.
Kris Perquy is an accomplished Sports psychologist with a little over 17 years’ experience working with professionals in Sports to enhance their psychological well-being.
He worked with the Belgian Football Association for 15 years, helping to professionalize their Football psychology offering for players and Coaches. He developed a Coach Education program dubbed “Psychology for Football” which reached over 300 trainers.
His work also saw him working as Lead psychologist for a project to support elite Referees in their preparation and recovery.
Kris Perquy was a member of the coaching staff for Belgium’s Olympic athletes supporting the team during training camps and has worked as Mental Coach for professional football clubs such as KSV Cercle Brugge, RSC Anderlecht, Club Brugge and KV Oostende.
Perquy has also worked as Performance psychologist for a global E-Sports organisation and Mental Coach for Belgium’s national male and female Handball teams. He prepared top swimming talents for the Olympic Games as well.
Kris Perquy holds a Masters degree in Organisational Psychology from the University of Gent and a Certificate in brain-based coaching from the Neuroleadership Institute in London, United Kingdom.
He is the Founder of the International Network of Football Psychologists, an organisation that provides platforms for the sharing of best practices amongst mental coaches from the highest echelons of European Football.
With his depth of knowledge and expertise in the area of Sports Psychology, Kris Perquy co-authored “The Sport Brain”, a book on Sports Psychology, with Van Halewyck.
In appointing Kris Perquy, the Football Association is confident that the entire Black Stars team would have a topnotch professional in Sports Psychology to take care of the team’s needs in this regard. Kris is also expected to design and implement training sessions for Coaches and Team psychologists of the various national teams as well as Football clubs in Ghana.
GFA Communications
Sports
CAF releases draw procedure for TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Cote D’Ivoire 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the draw procedure for the 2025 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ghana will join 12 other countries for the biennial youth tournament, scheduled to take place in Cote D’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, 2025.
The participating teams include Egypt and Morocco from North Africa, holders Senegal and Sierra Leone from WAFU A, Nigeria, Ghana, and host Cote d’Ivoire from WAFU B, Tanzania and Kenya from CECAFA, South Africa and Zambia from COSAFA, and DR Congo from Central Africa.
The 13 teams will be distributed into three groups: one group of five teams (A) and two groups of four teams (B and C).
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages, along with the two best third-placed teams.
The ranking of the third-placed teams will be determined after removing the results of the team ranked fifth in Group A.
The knockout stages will consist of the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match, and final.
RANKING:
Senegal – Winner in 2023
Nigeria – Third place in 2023
Congo – Second in group stage
Egypt – Third in group stage
Zambia – Fourth in group stage
Note: The remaining teams did not qualify.
Cote d’Ivoire, the host, will occupy position A1.
Senegal, the holder of the title from the 2023 edition, will occupy position C1, while Nigeria, the third-placed team in 2023, will occupy position B1.
Congo, Egypt, and Zambia, the next best-ranked teams from the 2023 edition, will be in level 2.
DRAW PROCEDURES:
In level 1, Cote d’Ivoire will occupy position A1, Nigeria will occupy position B1, and Senegal will occupy position C1.
Five pots will be used for the draw:
Pot 1: The teams in level 2 (Congo, Egypt, and Zambia)
Pot 2: The remaining seven teams (Ghana, RD Congo, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania)
Pot 3: Positions A2, B2, and C2
Pot 4: Positions A3, B3, and C3
Pot 5: Positions A4, B4, and C4
The teams in level 2 will be drawn into positions A2, B2, and C2. The remaining teams will be drawn into positions A3, B3, C3, A4, B4, and C4. The remaining team will automatically occupy position A5.
Ghana last won the title in 2021, defeating Uganda 2-0 in the final in
Sports
Hohoe United stage massive comeback in 3-2 win against Akatsi All Stars in Zone Three

League leaders Hohoe United came from behind to defeat Akatsi All Stars in a scintillating 3-2 victory at the Hohoe Sports Stadium on Sunday.
John Ocansey netted a brace in the 11th and 39th minute for Akatsi All Stars but Faruk Mohammed pulled one back from the spot in the 42nd minute for Hohoe United by halftime.
Djanfarou Mumuni made it 2-2 for Hohoe United in the 68th minute before William Oduro scored the winning goal for the home side in stoppage time. William Oduro of Hohoe United was named player of the match.
Kings Palaces 1-1 Great Olympics
Former Premier League side Great Olympics were held to a 1-1 draw at Kings Palaces on Sunday. Isaac Mensah scored first for Great Olympics in the third minute, while Atadana Edward Kwame leveled matters for Kings Palaces in the 49th minute. Great Olympics currently occupy the second position in the table with 32 points.
Home Stars 1-0 Okwawu United
Home Stars secured their third home victory this season, defeating former Premier League side Okwawu United 1-0 at the Ho Sports Stadium. Ronald Numenya’s early goal in the 7th minute sealed the win for Home Stars.
Results in Zone Three: