Sports
Ghana Names 27-Man Squad For Nigeria
Ghana’s interim Coach, Otto Addo, has named his 27-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff against Nigeria.
The two West Africa heavyweights are scheduled to meet in the first leg at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Friday with the second leg scheduled in Nigeria on Tuesday.
Among the players included in the team is defender Daniel Amartey, who plays for Leicester City in England, midfielder Iddrisu Baba of RCD Mallorca, and his Arsenal counterpart Thomas Partey.
Captain Andre Ayew misses out owing to the red card he got in the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations finals held in Cameroon.
Goalkeeper Joseph Wollacott is expected to start in goal ahead of Orlando Pirates shot-stopper Richard Ofori, while Gideon Mensah might marshal the defence alongside Amartey.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew would be hopeful of leading the line.
The Black Stars are aiming at performing well in the final round of World Cup qualifiers after a poor outing at AFCON, where they were knocked out in the group stage after failing to win a match.
The squad’s full list includes,
Goalkeepers: Joseph Wollacott (Swindon Town -England), Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (KAS Eupen -Belgium), Lawrence Ati Zigi (St Gallen -Switzerland), Richard Ofori (Orlando Pirates -South Africa).
Defenders: Denis Odoi (FC Brugge -Belgium), Andy Yiadom (Reading FC -England), Gideon Mensah (Bordeaux -France), Dennis Korsah (Hearts of Oak -Ghana), Montari Kamaheni (Ashdod FC -Israel), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City -England), Joseph Aidoo (Bordeaux -France), Alexander Djiku (Strasbourg -France), Abdul Mumin (Victoria Guimaraes -Portugal).
Midfielders: Iddrisu Baba (RCD Mallorca -Spain), Edmund Addo (FC Sherif -Moldova), Mohammed Kudus (Ajax Amsterdam -Holland), Elisha Owusu (KAA Gent -Belgium), Thomas Partey (Arsenal -England), Daniel Kofi Kyereh (FC St. Pauli -Germany).
Wingers: Issahaku Abdul Fatawu (Sporting CP -Portugal), Osman Bukari (FC Nantes -France), Joseph Paintsil (KRC Gent -Belgium), Yaw Yeboah (Columbus Crew -USA).
Strikers: Felix Afena Gyan (AS Roma – Italy), Christopher Antwi-Adjei (VFL Bochum), Jordan Ayew (Crystal Palace – England), Kwasi Wriedt (Holstein Kiel -Germany)
Meanwhile, Nigeria has suffered a major blow ahead of the 2022 World Cup qualification play-off as Maduka Okoye has been ruled out due to illness.
According to a statement made available to news men by the Nigeria Football Federation, the Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper is ill and will not be available against the Black Stars in Kumasi.
Meanwhile, coach Augustine Eguavoen has invited Enyimba goalkeeper John Noble as a replacement, with Cyprus based Francis Uzoho now in pole position to man the goalposts against the West Africans.
Noble was one of the four goalkeepers that made the three-time African champions’ list to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Okoye’s absence will come as a massive setback to the country’s preparations due to his impressive performances for his Dutch Eredivisie outfit.
For ex-Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju, the news has not shaken his faith in Nigeria’s ability to qualify for the World Cup and is upbeat about the ability of Eguavoen’s men.
“There is no cause for alarm man. Super Eagles will still get the job done because we have the quality. #SoarEagles,” tweeted the former Real Madrid player in response to a tweet confirming the development.
In a related development, 18 of the 25 invited players have arrived at The Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments.
Expected later yesterday were Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Zaidu Sanusi, Akinkunmi Amoo, Samuel Chukwueze, and Almeria’s Sadiq Umar.
Leicester City’s Ademola Lookman was billed to join the rest of the team this morning.
Friday’s first leg will be the 58th clash between the two countries at senior level.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Featured5 days agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
News5 days ago
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Lives More Important Than Foreign Investment – Oshiomhole
-
Rivers5 days ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
News5 days ago
ActionAid Demands Probe Of Govs Using Public Funds For Campaign
-
Aviation5 days ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Business5 days ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Politics5 days ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics5 days agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20