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Another World Cup failure unacceptable
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In another disappointing fashion, keen followers of the Black Queens, Ghana’s senior female national team, watched the quest for a FIFA World Cup return disappeared into thin air.
A 2-0 match day one victory over Cape Verde got confidence soaring. Hit woman Doris Boaduwaa scored a brilliant goal to snatch the leader before Cape Verde conceded an own goal midway through the second half to secure the feat.
The Queens were, however, pegged back by a more purposeful Cameroon side that defeated the Ghanaians in their second match.
That left them with a difficult mountain in Mali to climb. It was a make-or-break affair since a slip could prematurely end the World Cup campaign.
Although the team never played like a side needing the points to survive, they were able to share the spoils to progress to the quarter final stage with a date against Malawi.
Malawi was not a force at the continental level until the last few years when the rise of the Chawinga sisters – Tabitha and Temwa, sparked a fast period of growth of women football in the country.
So despite the Black Queens unconvincing displays, they were massive favourites in that tie.
On the match day, they proved the bookmakers right, establishing a pattern that saw them dominate the exchanges and deservingly got the leader through Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah.
But that dominance was short-lived by a group of young but physical Malawian girls inspired by the Chawingas – and managed to get an equaliser via a deflection from a Temwa strike.
Rose Smith Kadzere grabbed the winner in the 79th minute after a period Black Queens coach, Kim Lars Björkegren, felt his side lost control of the game.
As of the time of writing this piece, the Malawians were not just celebrating their semifinal win over Algeria which grants them the chance to vie for the ultimate continental trophy but a maiden FIFA World Cup appearance.
Ghana’s hopes is now pinned on a long and tortuous play-off that saw them engage Cote d’Ivoire while Nigeria battles South Africa in a similar clash.
But from where I stand, the earlier we forget about the so-called African and inter-continental play-offs that offers a more difficult route to the FIFA women Mundial, the better it would be.
May be, honouring it is only for academic purpose and also, to avoid a sanction.
What this means is that Ghana, previously a superpower in the female game in Africa; second only to Nigeria-perennial winners of the Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON), would have to wait for another four years to launch another campaign.
This is a very poignant picture every football loving fan and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must be worried about.
Had this been their male counterparts, the Black Stars, every discussion would have centred on the team, its coaches and the GFA.
By now, debates would be dissecting which players played poorly and should not have been featured; the competence of the coaches and which roles some GFA officials played to affect the team negatively.
But maybe, because of our love and respect for our women, we have in a way gagged ourselves from analysing the Black Queens and constructively criticize the team.
In this era where equal rights for both men and women have been propounded, leading to calls for equal pay to players, the Black Queens must face the same backlash as their male counterparts in periods of failures like this.
Gone were the days where the Black Queens were noted for scoring freely in their games. Anytime they win a game by a single of a two-goal margin, then it is assumed something went wrong.
But currently, the team has moved so far from that reality in the face of the emerging challengers like South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco and others.
The reason for this fast decline must be identified and addressed before the start of a new WAFCON and World Cup cycles.
A lot has been told about the player selection which has resulted in some half-baked players getting the chance to play ahead of others who were mysteriously dropped from the Nora Huptle side.
Although the team is not as poor as others want it to been seen, it appears something is fundamentally wrong with it.
This was clearly exposed in the game against Malawi as the team lacked ideas, especially in the attacking area; resorting to long balls that never found the targets.
That reduced the work of the striker, Doris Boaduwaa to chasing those balls and wasting her energy on slugging it out with the stronger and physically endowed Malawian girls.
How the coach spoke about this in his post-match conference but was never seen conjecturing to the players on any of those circumstances when the match was ongoing left many in awe.
Secondly, player positioning in his setup also appears to be something he must take a second look at. Clearly, the freedom Boye-Hlorkah used to enjoy in the middle of the park appears to have been curtailed.
Hovering at the left and right sides of attack has reduced her creative abilities, reflecting the lack of passes to Boaduwaa upfront.
Björkegren has been quite lucky. He has enjoyed the favour and goodwill of Ghanaians. The usual sack him campaign has not been heard. Quickly, he must be seen to be getting his acts right before fans lose their patience with him and the team.
Like he stated, watching the Black Queens break down after the exit was his most painful experience in his 20-year old career as a coach. Within that same period, the Black Queens have failed in their bid to make a World Cup appearance.
That is something every stakeholder must be concerned about.
By Andrew Nortey
If there is a club Kumasi Asante Kotoko would want to avoid, definitely it would be Kpando Heart of Lions, and not Hearts of Oak.
Kotoko and Hearts have sold to soccer fans some of the electrifying football atmosphere to underline their age-long rivalry.
Despite their stature in Ghana football, however, the lions from Kpando have been the most difficult and toughest opponents for the Porcupine Warriors.
Clashes between Kotoko and Hearts have produced mixed outcomes. It remains one of the few games which outcomes can be very challenging to predict.
But the story with Heart of Lions is straightforward. It hands them the dominance card over Kotoko; making them favourites most of the time when they are paired together.
Tomorrow at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, the Porcupine Warriors would slug it out in their Matchday 2 encounter of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) with Heart of Lions.
Asante Kotoko and Heart of Lions have faced each other in 12 recorded official head-to-head matches, with Heart of Lions holding the upper hand.
They boast six wins, and two for Asante Kotoko, with the rest of the four ending in draws.
As recent as the last three years, Kotoko has been winless in their last six games, registering three draws with the Lions winning three.
This clearly suggests that the Porcupine Warriors would be engaged in another battle of their lives when they welcome Heart of Lions to the Baba Yara Stadium, a venue that has proven to be a comfortable hunting ground for the visitors.
Coming from a 1-1 draw against Debibi United on Matchday 1 and a Democracy Cup victory over Hearts of Oak, Kotoko must be ready to clip the claws of the deadly Lions if they hope to tame them to halt that trend.
The Bibiani Dun’s Park is also expected to be full of fireworks as GoldStars welcome Hearts of Oak.
It will be one that will draw the fans in the area as both sides prepare the game with different agenda. While Hearts emerged 4-0 conquerors of Berekum Chelsea in Accra, GoldStars suffered a 1-0 loss to Bechem United.
The quest to consolidate the week one gains or to bounce back from defeat would conspire to make the game a mouthwatering one.
Swedru All Blacks would also engage Debibi United at the Swedru Stadium while Berekum Chelsea lock horns with Dreams FC at the Golden City Park and Karela against Bechem United.
At the Aliu Mahama Stadium, Karela United will face Bechem United; Young Apostles versus Basake Holy Stars at the Wenchi Stadium while Aduana FC take on Sarmatex.
The round will commence today with a fierce tie between FC Ashantigold versus Vision FC.
By Andrew Nortey
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When the Greater Accra Region emerged winners of the 35th Inter-Regional Basic Schools Netball Competition at the University of Ghana, Legon, one name stood out above the celebrations: Miss Lilly Akutu Zotorvie, a young shooter from the rural community of Mangoase in the Ada West District.
The Junior High School student of Englishie-Kenya D/A Basic School was the tournament’s standout scorer, netting an astonishing 132 goals in five matches for Team Greater Accra.
That translates into an average of 26.4 goals per match, a remarkable scoring record that has attracted attention from spectators and netball enthusiasts at the competition.
For Miss Zotorvie, however, the impressive statistics tell only part of the story; behind the goals is the journey of a young girl from Mangoase, a community outside Ghana’s major sporting centres, whose talent was discovered at a local netball clinic and gradually nurtured into the regional school competition.
She was reportedly spotted by Mr Ebenezer Kisseh, a journalist and coach, who recognised her potential during a netball clinic.
What could have remained an ordinary community sporting activity instead became the beginning of a promising journey for the young player.
Her performance subsequently earned her an opportunity to compete in the Greater Accra Super Zonal Games, where she impressed enough to progress to the regional level.
At the 35th Inter-Regional Basic Schools Netball Competition, she converted that opportunity into an outstanding individual performance, combining precision, consistency and confidence in front of the post.
Her exploits have also brought renewed attention to the pool of sporting talent that exists in communities far from Ghana’s traditional sporting centres.
For a young player from Mangoase, the progression from a local netball clinic to representing Greater Accra at an inter-regional competition demonstrates the importance of early talent identification and sustained opportunities for development.
Miss Zutorvie’s emergence also presents a reminder that some of Ghana’s promising sporting talents might be found in schools and communities where access to structured training and competitive opportunities remains limited.
Now, after scoring 132 goals in five matches and helping Greater Accra claim the inter-regional title, the young shooter has given coaches, sports administrators and talent scouts another reason to look beyond the country’s major sporting centres.
As Greater Accra celebrates its victory, her performance is likely to remain one of the most memorable individual highlights of the competition – and perhaps the beginning of a much bigger sporting journey for the Ada youngster. -GNA
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