by Silas Boahene | Aug 20, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Ghana defender Nicholas Opoku is thrilled to embark on a new chapter with Kasimpasa SK in the Turkish Super Lig.
The 27-year-old signed a two-year contract with Kasimpasa as a free agent, following his departure from French club Amiens. Opoku made an immediate impact, starting and playing 82 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Hatayspor on Monday evening.
“New chapter, new home, Kasimpasa,” Opoku wrote, marking the beginning of his Turkish top-flight career.
Despite his impressive debut performance, which saw him leave the field with Kasimpasa leading 1-0 through a Joelson Fernandes goal, the visitors equalized late in injury time with a Nuno Da Costa strike.
Opoku, who began his career with Berekum Chelsea in Ghana before moving to Club Africain in Tunisia, had a brief stint with Udinese in Italy before his recent move to France. He now looks forward to contributing to Kasimpasa’s success in Turkey.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 20, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Ghana midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana made a notable Serie A debut for Atalanta in their 4-0 season opener victory over Lecce on Monday evening.
Atalanta, the Europa League winners, traveled to the Stadio Ettore Giardiniero and secured a commanding win to start their Serie A campaign on a high note. Sulemana, who joined Atalanta in the summer transfer window, came off the bench to replace Mario Pasalic in the 90th minute.
The match was marked by a brace from Marco Brecianini and another from Mateo Retegui, contributing to the comfortable away win. Sulemana, who has been a standout midfielder in the Serie A with previous clubs Hellas Verona and Cagliari, will be eager to earn more playing time and secure a starting role in Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad.
The 21-year-old recently made his debut for Ghana in World Cup qualifiers against Mali in June.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 20, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Ghana Black Stars forward Antoine Semenyo has expressed his determination to exceed his previous season’s performance. In an interview with Bournemouth media, Semenyo revealed his goal to outperform his eight goals scored in 33 league appearances last season.
Semenyo made an impactful start to the 2024-2025 campaign by scoring the equalizer in Bournemouth’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. He netted the goal in the 86th minute, finishing off a cross from the left to open his account for the new season.
With a renewed sense of confidence following his first game goal, Semenyo emphasized that he is keeping his targets private but is focused on improving from last yearâs achievements. He played the full match as the lead striker, stepping up in the absence of injured Enes Unal and with new signing Evanilson, who joined from FC Porto, not included in the squad.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 20, 2024 | Africa, Europe, Ghana, International, Soccer
Thomas Partey’s influence on games remains undeniable, but there are increasing moments when he appears to be off the pace. Arsenal’s squad is filled with players either in their prime or rapidly approaching it, like Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Kai Havertz, all 25 years old and on the brink of their best years. Younger stars such as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba, and Jurrien Timber, aged 22 or 23, have bright futures ahead of them.
The club’s vision is for these players to grow and develop together, reaching their peaks in a collective surge of talent. This shared journey is a key aspect of Arsenal’s recent resurgence, and any player not fitting into this age bracket increasingly stands out as an outlier.
For Jorginho, 32, his experience and wisdom add value to the club, almost serving as a player-coach who guides his teammates through games. However, for Partey, the only other player over 30 in Mikel Arteta’s squad, it feels like Arsenal might be moving in one direction while he moves in another. As most of Arsenalâs players enter their prime, Partey needs to prove he isnât exiting his.
In Arsenal’s match against Wolves last Saturday, Partey delivered flashes of his game-controlling brilliance from midfield, reminiscent of his standout performances in the first half of the 2022/23 season, when he was arguably the Premier Leagueâs top central midfielder. Yet, there were also worrying moments when he looked alarmingly off the pace.
by Silas Boahene | Aug 20, 2024 | Africa, Boxing, Ghana
Former IBF bantamweight world champion, Joseph âKing Kongâ Agbeko, has called on the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) to enforce stricter measures to uphold the credibility and integrity of boxing in Ghana. Agbeko, who claimed the world title in 2007 and defended it twice, expressed concerns about harmful practices within the sport.
In a recent interview with Graphic Sports, Agbeko urged the GBA to conduct thorough vetting of boxers before sanctioning matches. He emphasized the importance of assessing boxers’ skill levels, fight records, contractual details, and purse arrangements to ensure fair competition.
Agbeko criticized the practice of pairing credible fighters with subpar opponents, a trend he referred to as ‘atsiagbeeshie’âa Ga term meaning “push and fall.” He called for a strict sanctioning regime to address the issues of match-fixing and fake fights, which he believes hinder the progress of Ghanaian boxing and contribute to the difficulty in winning world titles.
Additionally, Agbeko highlighted the problem of impersonation, where boxers’ names and records are misrepresented, damaging Ghanaâs reputation on the global stage and undermining the sportâs credibility.
