by Silas Boahene | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, Ghana, International, Other Sports
Ghanaian Paralympian and Commonwealth Games participant Raphael Botsyo Nkegbe presented three brand-new sports wheelchairs from Topend to promising young disabled athletes at a ceremony held at the Accra Sports Stadium on Friday.
The recipients of the wheelchairs were Perpetual Sabbah (14 years old), Emmanuel Gyasi (22 years old), and Fadiga Mohammed, all members of the Gogetdem Club. The athletes expressed their gratitude and committed to training hard to achieve success and bring pride to themselves and the nation.
The presentation was attended by Deputy Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA) Alhaji Majeed Bawa, NSA PRO Charles Amofa, and Millicent Aidoo, a mother of disabled athletes. Alhaji Bawa praised Nkegbe for his initiative and pledged support to develop and train more disabled athletes as they aim for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. He also announced that Coach Nkegbe would soon enroll at the University of Education in Winneba to gain certification.
Bawa emphasized that Para Sports offers opportunities for disabled individuals to stay active and move away from street begging. Nkegbe expressed his desire to create more champions to represent Ghana and thanked the NSA for employing him as a coach for disabled athletes.
Gogetdem Wheelchair Racing Club, founded by Nkegbe in August 2012, aims to improve the lives of disabled individuals, especially youth in rural areas, by using sports as a tool to empower them and create opportunities for fulfilling lives.
by Silas Boahene | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Black Stars winger Kamaldeen Sulemana was on target as Southampton defeated French side Montpellier 3-1 in a pre-season friendly.
The Ghanaian international opened the scoring just four minutes into the match by following up his own penalty rebound. Tyler Dibling doubled Southampton’s lead on the stroke of halftime, but Wahbi Kazri pulled one back for Montpellier after the break.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis restored the two-goal advantage for the Premier League returnees late in the game. Sulemana is aiming to stay injury-free this season following fitness issues in the last campaign.
The speedy winger is expected to play a significant role in the upcoming season after joining the Saints in January 2023 for a record transfer fee. The Premier League returns in August, with Southampton traveling to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United in their first game of the campaign.
by Silas Boahene | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Ghanaian trio Jordan Ayew, Jeffrey Schlupp, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi found the back of the net as Crystal Palace dominated Crawley Town in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Rak-Sakyi, born in England to Ghanaian parents, made an early impact by scoring in the fourth minute, doubling Palace’s lead after an opener from Odsonne Edouard. Summer signing Daichi Kamada then extended the advantage before Rak-Sakyi added his second goal in the 27th minute.
After halftime, Rushian Hepburn-Murphy scored twice to narrow the deficit, but Ayew responded by increasing the Eagles’ tally. Jack Roles managed to pull one back for Crawley Town, but Schlupp, who came on in the second half, secured the victory for the Premier League side with a fine finish.
Ayew, Schlupp, and Rak-Sakyi will join the Palace team for their pre-season tour of the United States as they continue preparations for the upcoming campaign.
by Silas Boahene | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus insists he is fully prepared for the upcoming English Premier League season after making a significant impact in his debut campaign.
The Black Stars attacking midfielder excelled for West Ham United last season, finishing as Europe’s best dribbler and scoring 14 goals, including memorable strikes against Freiburg and Manchester City. He also contributed six assists, enhancing his reputation.
Kudus’s impressive performances have drawn interest from several clubs, including Saudi giants Al Ittihad and Liverpool. However, he remains focused on his time with West Ham as they continue their preparations for the new season in the United States.
The 23-year-old acknowledges the expectations placed on him and is ready to deliver his best in the upcoming campaign. “Definitely, the preparations have been smooth so far. We have a couple of games to get to the level we want to get to. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game, but it’s the same thing as last season. Last season was good, first season to announce myself,” he told West Ham TV.
“I think now the expectation is even higher. The opponents are going to come stronger, but so am I. So, just double my effort and do my best to help the team finish in the best position possible.”
by Silas Boahene | Jul 29, 2024 | Africa, Ghana, International, Soccer
Former Black Stars captain Opoku Nti has attributed Ghana’s prolonged Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title drought to the country’s failure to honor its past football heroes. The 1982 AFCON winner expressed disappointment with how past players have been neglected, suggesting that this has negatively impacted the national team’s performance.
Nti revealed that broken promises to players in the past have discouraged many from representing Ghana. “If Ghana is suffering, maybe some players cursed Ghana, I don’t know, but this thing got so many players to decide not to play for the nation again because the sacrifice was too much,” Nti told Joy Sports.
He cited the team’s poor performance in the 1984 AFCON as a direct consequence of the lack of appreciation shown to the 1982 winning squad. Nti added, “It’s all gone now, but you see, it didn’t augur well, so from there defending the Cup at Bouake, we were eliminated because no one was willing to sacrifice again. Who wants to die again for the nation? They said a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for.”
Ghana hasn’t won the AFCON trophy since 1982, and recent performances have been disappointing, with back-to-back group stage exits. Once one of the best sides and the first to reach four trophies, it has now been four decades since the Black Stars won a major trophy.
