Sports
Ghana Wants 2017 AFCON Title
Ghana defenders Baba
Rahman and John Boye have declared the Black Stars’ determination to claim the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations title.
Both players were part of the Ghana team that fell at the final hurdle against Cote d’Ivoire in the 2015 AFCON and had to settle for a runners-up finish.
It has been more than three decades since Ghana last won the Nations Cup, but both Boye and Rahman believe the team can end their drought at the upcoming finals in Gabon.
“Everyone saw the effort we put in at the 2015 AFCON,” Baba told Tidesports source.
“This time, we want to go higher than what we did. Ghana is a football nation and that’s what the fans want to see. That’s same for us.
“I want to win the AFCON and play very well at the event. That’s what we [the players] are praying for.”
Boye added: “We have been watching some of the videos of the last final with Cote d’Ivoire, and we say to ourselves ‘this time, it’s for us’.
“We just have to do our homework well. Go out there in 2017 and bring what Ghanaians want, the supporters and even ourselves.”
Ghana will complete their 2017 AFCON qualifying campaign with a home match against Rwanda in early September.
Rivers United FC of Port Harcourt contingent, comprising players, technical crew, backroom staff, and officials, depart the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos State on Wednesday, bound for Kinshasa, DR Congo.
The team is set to face FC Les Aigles du Congo in the first-round first-leg match of the CAF Champions League.
This was contained in a press release signed by the media officer of the club, Charles Mayuku and made available to Tidesports on Wednesday.
He said that the highly anticipated match is scheduled to take place at the 80,000-capacity Kinshasa-Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs on morrow with kickoff slated for 3:30pm.
According to the statement the encounter marks the first-ever meeting between both sides in any competition, adding that an air of excitement and unpredictability to the fixture.
“As the Pride of Nigeria embarks on this crucial journey, the team is determined to return with a decent result that will set them up favorably for the second leg on Sunday, 28th September” the statement said.
The new rankings, released via FIFA’s official X handle on Thursday, reflect the team’s continued struggles under Coach Eric Chelle amid a stuttering 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
This marks a second consecutive decline after the Nigerian side dropped from 43rd to 44th in August on the back of poor outings in recent international matches.
Despite Nigeria’s setback, several African teams made progress. Morocco remains the continent’s highest-ranked side, sitting 11th in the world after winning eight of their last nine matches. Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete Africa’s top five.
Lesotho slipped to 153rd place, while Benin Republic, Nigeria’s upcoming opponent, climbed to 93rd. South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw in June, rose to 55th, strengthening their bid for World Cup qualification.
Zimbabwe had the biggest slide down the ranking table, dropping nine places to 125th position in the world.
The rankings highlight Nigeria’s struggle to regain form on the global stage as key rivals continue to surge ahead.
Similarly, the Super Falcons of Nigeria remain 36th best in the world], while the Spanish female national team replaced the USA at the top of the women’s ranking.
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