Sports
Barnor’s task to steer GBA’s ship
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Almost four years ago, Mr Abraham Kotei Neequaye was hailed by boxing stakeholders after occupying the hot seat of president of the Ghana Boxing Association (GBA).
He came in as second vice president of the association, serving under the Peter Zwenne’s administration.
Neequaye’s rise was historic, coming as the second democratically elected president to follow the footsteps of his former boss and mentor, Lawyer Zwennes.
He was greeted in many quarters like boxers, coaches, managers, promoters and others as he was seen as someone coming from the grassroots.
With his close association with this group of boxing fanatics, it was presumed Neequaye knows and understands the challenges facing the sport more than anybody.
For this reason, expectation was very high.
Almost four years down the line, Mr Neequaye has become a persona non grata among the same group of people whose shoulders he rose to stardom.
The groupings seem tired of their own man and are bent on bringing him down.
Sources within his executive board have hinted of serious cracks within the body, accusing him of being a dictator and many others, although those on his side have denied these claims and described the accusers as hypocrites.
However, the extent to which the GBA troubles have escalated leaves much to be desired as state institutions such as the Ministry of Sports and Recreation (MoSR) and the National Sports Authority (NSA) enter the fray as possible opponents.
At a press conference to explain his decision to call it quit, Mr Neequaye did not spare the two agencies for the roles they played in his troubles and intended actions against them.
Clearly, Neequaye is unhappy with the involvement of the MoSR and NSA in the GBA’s matters, stretching to the postponement of the association’s planned elective congress.
He has shown this by throwing personal tantrums at the heads of the institutions – Mr Kofi Adams, the sector minister, and Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, the NSA boss.
He warned the latter for instance to stay away from the GBA issues because it remains an autonomous body.
It is a genuine call the MoSR and NSA must heed to and take a back seat and allow boxing people to solve their own problem.
This dare not happen in football because when it does, issues of government interference would come up and soon would land on the corridors of FIFA, a body that prohibits the act.
Neequaye’s call in that regard was very well placed and was important the sports ministry and NSA stay away because they have the men to sort themselves out.
The GBA is just like other federations administering athletics, football, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis and many others. They derive their powers from international federations that holds them responsible for their actions and inactions.
Any attempt by the two agencies in their affairs would clearly be considered as interference from the government, a situation that can attract an outright ban if established.
The open vow to ‘fight’ Mr Kofi Adams and Nii Lante Vanderpuye, a former minister of state was, however, unfortunate from the embattled former GBA President.
The ‘fight’, therefore, to restores or maintains the GBA’s autonomy would rest on the shoulders of the Second Vice President, Roger Barnor.
Barnor will steer the ship in the absence of the first vice president, Mr Rabbon Dodoo, who resigned along the way.
In his first interview, he has stated that he has come to do what he is expected to do.
Barnor has inherited a troubled GBA that has seen members gone ‘haywire’, firing all kinds of missiles.
What he needs to do now is to get all the feuding parties to ceasefire, resolve their differences and fully take the administration of the association and set up a roadmap for its elective congress.
Neequaye may have gotten a few things wrong in his tumultuous journey as GBA president but his call that “The Ghana Boxing Authority and its stakeholders have to fight for their rights,” is one that every stakeholder must support with every sinew.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Queens kick off their 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations journey on Wednesday, July 29, when they take on Cape Verde in their Group C opener in Morocco.
Coach Kim Lars Björkegren and his team go into the match full of confidence after weeks of intensive preparations.
The Queens held a successful pre-tournament training camp and played friendly matches to fine-tune ahead of the competition.
With morale high, Ghana’s senior women’s team will be targeting maximum points to get their campaign off to the perfect start.
The match is set for 5:00 PM GMT at the Moulay Rachid Stadium.
Football fans across Ghana will be watching closely, hoping the Queens can secure a positive result and lay the foundation for a memorable WAFCON 2026 run.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
With the World Cup fever gradually dying down, attention would switch to other equally important competitions from now to the latter parts of the year.
Barely a week after the global football showpiece that saw Spain upstaged Argentina as World Champions, over 70 countries gathered in Glasgow, Scotland for the Commonwealth Games that is attracting hundreds of athletes from the Commonwealth community.
Equally, 16 top female national teams in Africa would commence competition for the bragging rights as African champions when the delayed Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 kicks off in Morocco tomorrow.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are usually considered favourites for this showpiece, having shown the strength and character to dominate the game on the continent.
As defending champions, they come in strongly again, expected to face a more difficult sides like the Black Queens of Ghana, Zambia and Morocco who have been touted as possible teams to cause an upset.
Of the 16 qualified teams, nine featured at the previous edition held in 2024.
Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tunisia, who qualified in 2024, missed out this time, while Cape Verde and Malawi will make their first appearance in the tournament.
Today, The Spectator Sports takes a look at some of the teams expected to rub shoulders with the big guns in the female game.
Cameroon
After missing the previous edition, Cameroon returns to the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to re-establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
The Indomitable Lionesses, one of the continent’s most successful women’s national teams, secured a place at the expanded 16-team tournament after receiving a second chance through CAF’s revised qualification system.
Now, under newly appointed head coach Valentine Nguele and inspired by emerging midfield star Naomi Eto, Cameroon will be aiming not only to reclaim their place among Africa’s leading nations but also to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Cameroon boasts one of the richest histories in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Indomitable Lionesses have reached the final on three occasions—in 2004, 2014 and 2016—but are still searching for their first continental title.
Their consistency has also been reflected in three third-place finishes in 2002, 2012 and 2018, giving Cameroon six podium finishes overall.
Only Nigeria and South Africa have accumulated more top-three finishes in the history of the competition, underlining Cameroon’s long-standing status among Africa’s leading women’s football nations.
Zambia
After finishing third in 2022 and falling short of expectations at the 2024 edition, Zambia head to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 determined to establish themselves among Africa’s elite.
With one of the continent’s most feared attacking units and new head coach Nora Häuptle at the helm, the Copper Queens will be aiming to lift the Women’s AFCON trophy for the first time.
Barbra Banda remains one of the biggest names in African women’s football.
The Orlando Pride striker has established herself among the leading forwards in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and returns to international competition after recovering from a hip injury suffered late last year.
Powerful, direct and clinical in front of goal, Banda will once again spearhead Zambia’s attack as the Copper Queens pursue their first continental title.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (Stallions Ladies) return to the competition determined to make history after missing the 2024 edition. Encouraged by an impressive qualifying campaign, the Stallions Ladies head to Morocco aiming to progress beyond the group stage for the first time.
Burkina Faso secured qualification with convincing victories over Burundi and Togo.
The Stallions Ladies defeated Burundi 5-1 on aggregate, following a commanding 4-1 first-leg victory before completing the job with a 1-0 win in the return fixture.
They carried that momentum into the final qualifying round against Togo, winning 2-0 in the first leg before sealing qualification with another 1-0 victory to complete a 3-0 aggregate success.
Nigeria
Reigning champions Nigerias head to Morocco 2026 looking to extend their remarkable record in the competition. With 10 continental titles to their name, the Super Falcons remain the most successful team in the tournament’s history..
Led by Captain Rasheedat Ajibade and head coach Justine Madugu, Nigeria once again begin the competition among the favourites.
Nigeria secured qualification to Morocco 2026 by defeating Benin 3-1 on aggregate in the second round of qualifying.
Having received a bye in the opening round, the Super Falcons took control of the tie with a 2-0 away victory in Cotonou.
They completed the job in Abeokuta, drawing 1-1 in the second leg after Ashleigh Plumptre opened the scoring before Benin equalised through Yasmine Djibril.
The result ensured another successful qualification campaign for the reigning African champions.
Cote d’Ivoire
After a 12-year absence from Africa’s biggest women’s football competition, Côte d’Ivoire returns to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations aiming to re-establish themselves among the continent’s leading nations.
The Elephants secured an unexpected route back to the finals following the expansion of the tournament from 12 to 16 teams.
Now guided by experienced French coach Reynald Pedros and inspired by prolific striker Habibou Ouedraogo, Côte d’Ivoire believe they have the talent to challenge Africa’s established powers once again.
The Elephants were knocked out in the final qualifying round after a fiercely contested tie against Senegal. Neither side managed to score across the two legs, with Senegal eventually prevailing 5-4 on penalties to deny the Ivorians automatic qualification.
Following the expansion of the Women’s AFCON from 12 to 16 participating teams, CAF allocated the additional places based on the FIFA Women’s World Ranking.
⚽ Group A: Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Kenya,
⚽ Group B: South Africa, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Tanzania
⚽ Group C: Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, Malawi
⚽ Group D: Ghana, Cameroon, Mali, Cape Verde
By Andrew Nortey
