Sports
End of an era for Royals?
In 2019 when a new management acquired Wa All Stars, it marked the birth of a new club side – Legon Cities; which was ready to challenge the Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko dominance.
It was the pride of Wa in the Upper West region of Ghana after the ‘defunct’ Upper West Heroes. They would have created a fierce city rivalry similar to the Hearts versus Olympics, Kotoko versus Cornerstones and others.
The change in management moved the club to Accra but with their spirit in Wa.
At least, a few pundits attributed their struggles to this analogy.
Belonging to a former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, under whose tenure they made history by winning the Ghana Premier League (GPL) once and played in Africa club championship, Legon Cities was touted as the latest force to reckon with.
Sadly, six years down the line, they have been relegated from the elite stage of football with a few matches to go in the 2024/25 football season.
It is such a sad story for their supporters to read about although the signals have been on the wall from the day of acquisition.
They went so close to suffering the drop in the previous season but were ‘saved’ by Accra Great Olympics, another capital force that has become so accustomed to relegation.
Legon Cities would be sorely missed for the carnival they added to the competition.
Their arrival for home matches reminded fans of scenes of over two decades ago when teams’ arrivals for matches at the stadium created exciting scenes with the arrival parties led by police riders. They lived like royals as they were known.
That died many years ago but Legon Cities revived that, as they kept fans spellbound with the convoy that follows their beautifully branded team bus.
There was a storm about the team’s name. The confusion was about whether it should be ‘City’ or ‘Cities’ but when that was clarified, the media was set in propagating information about them.
Now, with a few fans, the new management led by a bankroller that operated behind the scenes, Legon Cities undertook ventures clubs with mammoth, following never tried.
In a way to blend football and entertainment, they introduced showbiz packages that featured top performers like hiplife icons, Shatta Wale, Wendy Shay, Medical, Mr Drew, Krymi and many others.
It was certainly their way of bringing the fans back to the stadium.
But knowing those performances alone would not bring the results needed for survival, the playing and technical teams were not spared of the investment.
Legon Cities became an attractive destination for top stars like former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Gyan, Black Stars goalkeeper’s trainer, Fatawu Dauda, Jona Attuquaye, Mitchell Otoo and others that were about ending their careers.
The technical bench also attracted some of Ghana’s finest coaches like Maxwell Konadu, Yaw Acheampong, Paa Kwesi Fabin, Bashir Hayford and others.
Sadly, none of these coaches were able to deliver the aspiration of the new owners who are faced with a new task of fighting their way back to the top.
With three matches left, Legon Cities can count themselves out for next season.
It means the rest of the matches must become preparatory games in shaping the team for the more difficult Division One League (DOL) described as the wilderness of Ghana football.
It is a poignant tale for lovers of the game considering what they bring to the table as they created entertaining moments in matches against Hearts of Oak, Great Olympics, Accra Lions, clubs they faced in city rivalries.
But certainly expected to find a place on DOL Zone III, they could face traditional sides like Great Olympics and Okwawu United and others all striving to return to the GPL.
It will be a long journey back for the Royals. It will be rough and twisting with no guarantee of returning immediately, but no matter what happens, the focus should be on a return at all cost.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
‘Black Stars not there yet’
After seeing Mali undone by Alexander Djiku’s second half strike to give Ghana a 1-0 victory over Mali on Monday in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Accra, Otto Addo gave his thoughts in the post-match press conference.
Below are excerpts.
On the game against Mali
You could see that we have a young squad and players who haven’t been playing often for the national team so far; that made them nervous. I think we got a good game.
We increased the pressure early in the second half, and managed to score out of a set piece. And then it was pure fight afterwards, especially the period after the goal.
On decision-making in the final third
I think if you have played before, you know that sometimes there’s a little bounce from the ball or the position is close and you think too much, I told them actually, but as a footballer, it’s normal that you try to look for a perfect solution.
Semenyo’s performance
He did really well, you know, it’s difficult to compare games from the Premier League with games in Africa and Ghana. It’s very, very difficult and then all games have their own nature and surely you can say that he stands more out in the Premier League, but for me today he was excellent, he fought until he couldn’t run anymore.
On Gideon Mensah
Well, I think sometimes he’s a little bit too confident and we had, especially after the Chad game, had some talks and for everyone who has played football on a higher level.
If he does it in La Liga, it’s fine because in La Liga, if you lose the ball to your opponent, he will counter-press you. He needs to simplify his game sometimes. Didn’t look too complicated, but it’s difficult sometimes if you’re coming from a different environment to switch your thinking.
On Kwasi Sibo’s performance
First of all, big congrats for him. I think he really did well. It’s not easy to come from a different environment to fit into the squad, but yeah, he knows a lot of players already in the team and he connected well. He’s very, very confident and I think he did extremely well, especially when you see that this was his first match. .
On Ghanaians being overly expectant
No, I think the expectations are normal. We are Ghana. For me, if everybody is talking before the Chad game that we already won and we are already taking the three points, it’s dangerous because if this gets to the heads of the fans, it’s a problem for me.
I’m warning everybody who think we have already gone to the World Cup to take things easy. It’s not like that. We have to give the same effort as today to beat Central African Republic. If we don’t do this, it’s a big problem. We have a lot of work to do. A lot of work. It’s going to be very, very difficult.
On goal scoring
You know, the last window, we scored eight goals. I think it was ok, but we can’t expect it all the time. So I hope that the players who missed the chances would score the next time. But it’s all about learning, improving and adapting always to the circumstances.
And I think in each situation, they could have taken one, two, three steps more or more time to look for the partner to have a better overview to give the right pass.
Sports
Black Queens Set to Face England Lionesses in International Friendly
The Black Queens will face the Lionesses of England in a high-profile international friendly on December 2,2025 per agreement between the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the England Football Association.
After reaching the semi-finals at the 2024 WAFCON, the Black Queens are determined to build on that performance and establish themselves among the elite teams on the continent.
This match comes off as part of Ghana’s preparations for all international assignments, including the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The fixture against England, one of the world’s top-ranked sides and reigning European champions, is expected to provide the Queens with a tough test that will sharpen the squad.
Head coach Kim Lars Björkegren will also seize the golden opportunity to measure the team’s progress, expose the players to world-class opposition, and correct areas that need improvement.
The Black Queens will head into the encounter motivated to put up a strong performance, not only to test their readiness but also to showcase the strides Ghana continues to make in women’s football on the international stage.
