Sports
Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum Appointed Black Starlets Head Coach and head of Coach Education
The Executive Council has appointed Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum as the new head coach of the Ghana U17 national team, the Black Starlets, ahead of the upcoming WAFU Zone B U17 Boys Championship in Nigeria and has also been handed the role of Head of Coach Education, replacing Desmond Ofei.
Dr. Ogum takes over from Coach Frimpong Manso, who steps aside to fully concentrate on his club duties with Bibiani GoldStars as they prepare for their maiden campaign in the CAF Champions League. The GFA expresses its gratitude to Coach Manso for his dedication to youth football and congratulates him on leading GoldStars to a historic Ghana Premier League title.
The WAFU Zone B U17 Championship, scheduled for September 2025, serves as a qualifier for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations. With this critical tournament on the horizon, the Executive Council has entrusted Dr. Ogum with the responsibility of guiding the Black Starlets back to continental prominence.
Dr. Ogum boasts a rich coaching portfolio. He led Asante Kotoko to a Ghana Premier League title and previously steered WAFA to a second-place league finish. His experience also includes stints with Ebusua Dwarfs and the Black Galaxies, where he served as assistant coach. His background in talent development and tactical acumen makes him a fitting choice to nurture Ghana’s next generation of football stars.
With preparations for the WAFU Championship already in motion, Dr. Ogum is expected to intensify efforts in assembling a competitive and well-prepared squad. The GFA remains fully committed to providing the technical and logistical support needed to ensure the team’s success on the road to the U17 AFCON.
In addition to his role with the Black Starlets, Dr. Prosper Narteh Ogum has also been appointed as the GFA’s new Head of Coach Education. He takes over from Desmond Ofei, to allow him to fully focus on his duties as the assistant coach of the Black Stars.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
Otto Addo is taking a calm and focused approach to the World Cup after being drawn against England, Panama, and Croatia in Group L.
“I look forward to every game as special,” he told ghanafa.org.
“Very important for us that we don’t underrate any team. For sure, England is the favourite in that group,” he acknowledged. “But for me as a coach, to be honest, I’m looking at each and every game equally.”
Addo is particularly focused on getting a strong start against Panama. “I’m hoping that we have a good start against Panama, that will be very, very crucial,” he said. “It will make the other games a little bit more relaxed and easier for the players psychologically. We will use the window of March for test matches, and then see,” he said.
Despite being a young team, Addo is proud of his squad’s progress. “I think we did very well in the qualifiers ” he said. “We didn’t lose a single official game, like the qualifying games, we did very well. We just played one draw and the rest we won, so we had quite a good year in 2025, after a bad year in 2024’’.
“Even though we have a very young team, we really, really did well, had a good harmony in the team, good union,” he added.
Ghana will open their FIFA World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on June 17 before facing England and Croatia in the other Group L matches on June 23 and 27 respectively.
The unbeaten away run of Accra Hearts of Oak will be put to the test tomorrow when they visit the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to play as guests of Karela United. Described as one of the top-liners of the weekend games, the match will pitch one of the best home teams against the best away team, with their records on the line.
After playing a pulsating 2-2 draw with Kumasi Asante Kotoko last week, league leaders Medeama SC return to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to welcome Berekum Chelsea FC in a clash of former league winners. Medeama have struggled in recent times to hold their own against the ‘Bibires’, losing their last four games both home and away.
However, according to Head Coach of Medeama, Tanko Ibrahim, that sequence of results will come to an end tomorrow as they look to crawl out of the claws of their opponents with victory. Eleven points separate the sides, with Berekum Chelsea lying a distant 14th position on the log. They have been a pale shadow of themselves this season, and it remains to be seen if Coach Samuel Boadu’s side can keep the bragging rights over the Yellow and Mauves in what has been described as one of their worse starts to a league season.
Today, second-placed Kpando Heart of Lions will trek to the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex in Abrankese to play as guests of struggling Nations FC. Having suffered a 1-0 away loss to Basake Holy Stars in their last game, Nations FC would look to pick all three points to better their current 12th position.
In other games, the Hohoe Sports Stadium will come alive as new boys Hohoe United FC welcome Kumasi Asante Kotoko. The Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema will host the Vision FC versus Young Apostles FC game, the Tuba Astro Turf will host the Dreams FC versus Bechem United FC clash, while the Nsenkyire Sports Arena will host the Samartex FC versus Bibiani Gold Stars game. High-riding Aduana FC will sort things out with Basake Holy Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park in Dormaa.
By Raymond Ackumey
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