Sports
GFA, SWAG discuss devt of Ghana football
The Ghana Football Association, led by its President, Mr Kurt Okraku, has called on the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) as part of efforts to strengthen the corporate bond between the two institutions.
The delegation, made up of some executive members and regional football heads, were warmly received by the leadership of SWAG.
Mr Okraku in his speech said the visit was key following the new path the GFA was taking to revive the football fraternity, and to officially present himself after being elected as an Executive Member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He stated that SWAG, with over 1,000 members, had been at the forefront in promoting Ghana sports, hence the need to work together in achieving its target.
The President urged the leadership of SWAG to continue its task of ensuring members keep some level of credibility and fairness during their reportage.
He said adequate preparations had been made to ensure the Black Stars put up a good show in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.
“We’ve spoken to the team, and they have assured us they are ready for the game.” Stephen Appiah, who is the Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee has confirmed, adding that “Otto Addo and the rest of the team have also assured wins in the two games.”
Responding, Mr Kwabena Yeboah, President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, thanked the delegation for the long-lasting relationship with SWAG which he described as being fruitful.
“We have one agenda and that is to develop football. Even Though we have not fared well in recent times, I believe the football association still has some plans laid down and that is what we are seeing today,” he noted.
He congratulated Mr Kurt Okraku on his new role as an executive member of CAF, reiterating his hard work over the years.
The GFA President’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership, serving as the sixth Ghanaian to achieve that height.
He said despite this success; the poor performance of the Black Stars had written off the good works of his administration as President of the football body.
Mr Kwabena Yeboah assured the Ghana Football Association of SWAG’s commitment to keep high level professionalism in its dealings.
He thanked the delegation and urged them to call on the association for help anytime.
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.
