Sports
Avoid another Bochum disaster
GERMANY holds an impressive and dominant head-to-head record over Ghana in association football. Both countries have clashed on three occasions at the highest level of football—twice at the FIFA World Cup and once, an international friendly.
At the World Cup, the Germans defeated the Black Stars 1-0 at the African World Cup (South Africa 2010) and drew 2-2 at the same platform four years later in Brazil.
The outcome of the April 14, 1993 international friendly was one Ghanaians would not want to be reminded about. With some of the finest performers on the continent of Africa donning the Ghana jersey, the Germans walloped the Black Stars 6-1 to record what was christened the infamous ‘Bochum disaster.’ Despite leading at halftime with a Prince Polley goal assisted by Abedi Pele, Ghana conceded six second-half goals in 27 minutes.
This is a country that prides itself as four-time world champions (1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014) from a total of eight finals, three gold medals in UEFA European Championship (1972, 1980, 1996), one Olympic title (1976) and a FIFA Confederations Cup (2017). A friendly with the Germans is more of a privilege and they have a reason why; but it should be an opportunity Ghana must grab with both hands to attempt to exorcise the Bochum ghost or find a way to grind the German machine.
It is the reason Ghanaians had high expectation for Otto Addo’s squad for the two friendlies against Austria in Vienna on March 27 before travelling to Stuttgart to face Germany on March 30.
As a friendly, one understands the need to try new players with a focus on identifying new and effective talents to strengthen the team for the World Cup proper. But it is clear that injuries to Kudus Mohammed, Francis Abu and Salisu Mohammed coupled with the poor form of quite a number of players could throw a spanner into Otto Addo’s wheels.
He has handed debut call-ups to four players – Derrick Luckassen of Pafos FC in Cyprus, Patrick Pfeiffer from German Bundesliga II side Darmstadt 98, Marvin Senaya of AJ Auxerre, and Daniel Agyei from Turkish club Kocaelispor – for this month’s international friendlies.
The 26-man squad also marked the return of Iñaki Williams, Ibrahim Sulemana, Alexander Djiku and Thomas Partey who has had little playing time with Villarreal and facing a few issues in court.
It doesn’t look like any promising squad capable of producing the results Ghanaian fans would hope to have. The excuse would obviously be that it was just an exercise to fine-tune but even if the Black Stars were to lose to the Germans who are also struggling for form, it should not be worse than the Bochum disaster.
Full squad:
Goalkeepers: Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St. Gallen), Benjamin Asare (Accra Hearts of Oak), Joseph Anang (St. Patrick’s Athletic).
Defenders: Patrick Pfeiffer (SV Darmstadt), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos FC), Derrick Kohn (Union Berlin), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Caleb Yirenkyi (FC Nordsjaelland), Kojo Oppoong Pepprah (OGC Nice), Jonas Adjetey (VFL Wolfsburg), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre), Alexander Djiku (Spartak Moscow), Gideon Mensah (Auxerre).
Midfielders: Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Elisha Owusu (Auxerre), Ibrahim Sulemana (Cagliari), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo).
Forwards/Wingers: Brandon Thomas Asante (Coventry City), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Prince Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadsiah), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Inaki Williams (Atletic Bilbao), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atalanta), Daniel Agyei (Kocaelispor).
By Andrew Nortey
Asante Kotoko SC has announced with deep sadness the passing of its former Brands and Marketing Manager, Kweku Hammond.
In a statement released by the club, Kotoko described Hammond’s death as untimely and expressed heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.
“Although his time with the club was brief, Kweku served with dedication, diligence, and unwavering commitment to Asante Kotoko,” the club stated. “His contributions and loyalty to the club will not be forgotten.”
Kweku Hammond served in the club’s Brands and Marketing department, where he played a role in promoting the Porcupine Warriors’ brand and engaging supporters.
The club assured that it will continue to honour his memory and legacy.
“May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the statement concluded.
Fans and members of the football fraternity have since joined the club in mourning, sharing tributes to Hammond for his professionalism and commitment during his time at club.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Captain of Ghana’s National U-15 Boys team, Abdul Aziz Issa, says the exposure gained at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan will be vital for the development of the squad.
Ghana finished 7th out of 189 countries after an impressive campaign, winning eight of ten matches.
“I think we played well, the exposure was good for our development, and we can’t thank FIFA and the GFA enough for this amazing platform,” Issa said.
“I’m so very happy to be part of this FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan. I want to thank my colleagues for how far we have brought Ghana in this tournament.”
The captain believes the experience will prepare the group for future challenges at U-17 and U-20 level.
Ghana enjoyed an outstanding tournament, scoring 44 goals and establishing themselves among the top seven teams.
Their dominant group stage saw them score 27 goals while conceding just three. Salifu Fatawu’s side opened with a commanding 4-1 win over Uzbekistan, thrashed Myanmar 7-1, recorded emphatic 7-0 wins over Guam and the Bahamas, before rounding off the group with a 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan.
Their pursuit of a higher finish suffered a setback in the knockout phase after elimination by Paraguay in a dramatic encounter.
The team bounced back to finish 7th, including a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia in their final game, despite suffering a 7-1 defeat to Brazil in the Tier A Ranking Play-Offs.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
