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Great friendlies, weighty lessons
● Kamaldeen Sulemana and Kudus giving Neymar
no breathing space in the Brazil
friendly on September 23
By now, majority of football-following Ghanaians may have been given an unmistakable peep into what to expect of the Black Stars at the forthcoming Qatar World Cup with the two friendlies played ahead of the Mundial.
First, it was against the ‘Almighty’ Brazil, a game that sent tongues wagging on the performance of certain players in the 3-0 defeat. The Stars slumped under three goals in a terrible, white-bread opening half that saw grave defensive frailties and tactical deficiency on the part of the Ghanaians.
It may have been a huge credit to the team that they did not concede after the recess as they demonstrated a more mature display with gleaming ball possession.
Defeat to Brazil was not unexpected; but many disciples of Ghana football may not have anticipated the crushing scoreline. For a side that has lost four times to the South American five-time world champions already, many may have thought of seeing a hungrier and more determined Ghana team. The Brazil supreme quality, nonetheless, it seems the Stars gave too much reverence to their opponents – with head coach Otto Addo also getting his tactics wrong from the get-go.
A 4-2-3-1 system of play was palpably difficult for the players to adapt. It was not too clear whether they had been practicing that system ahead of the game. It did not seem so. Indeed, when he decided to abandon that style in favour of a 3-5-2 formation after the break, the Ghanaians came into the evening strongly as the likes of Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, Mohammed Salisu and others dashed to their debut appearance for the 2010 World Cup quarter finalists.
It was no surprise when Addo admitted he made some mistakes and hopefully, one hopes he picks up some vital lessons on the way before the tournament proper.
On Tuesday, the Stars showed huge improvement in their second friendly with a 1-0 win over the Los Pinoleros of Nicaragua at the Estadio Artes Carrasco Lorca in Spain. Goalscorer Abdul Fatawu Issahaku’s phenomenal left-footed curler settled matters in a game the Stars could have ran amok, but were let down by their own profligacy. Creating more than 10 opportunities and making use of just one, is really disappointing, to say the least.
It was great, though, seeing lots of new faces in this particular game as the likes of Skipper Andre Ayew and brother Jordan, Felix Afena-Gyan, Baba Rahman and others were benched.
Disconsolately, many Ghanaians were left stunned to see Hearts of Oak’s Daniel Afriyie Barnieh and Germany-based Ransford Osei specifically, being brought on after the stipulated time. What were the late substitutions meant to achieve?
Again, somebody needs to tell Mohammed Kudus that he hangs on the ball for too long. He was overly individualistic against Nicaragua and on certain occasions, one feared he was going to pick up a nasty injury that could rule him out of Qatar.
Anyway, next on the way is Switzerland which the Stars oblige in their final friendly, seven days prior to their first game in Qatar. The Swiss themselves have a crunch date against Brazil in Group C – and would be eager to put their best foot forward against the Ghanaians.
Having said that, it is imperative to give the Stars some patience and throw our full weight behind them. This is a team in transition and requires time to blossom into a cohesive force. Against all odds, the boys crushed their way to the World Cup – we have to give the technical crew the needed backing as they move to strengthen the team.
Perhaps, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) must be commended for the bold decision to take on the World’s Number One-ranked nation, Brazil, this early in the remolding process. Though it was a Himalayan assignment, that game in particular may have given the handlers a stronger sense of the task ahead.
Remember, only the Ayew brothers in this new-look team have a World Cup experience, and it tells you the humongous task ahead.
The Stars take on Portugal on November 24, South Korea on November 28, and Uruguay on December 2 in Qatar, hoping the friendlies would have positive impact in the Mundial.
Per what we have seen so far, nevertheless, we can only manage our expectations. Those who perceive revenge over Uruguay must now begin to take it easy. We are not there yet!
PlainTalk With John Vigah
Madam Sandra Seyram Kpedor, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Anloga in the Volta Region, has emphasised the importance of parental involvement in children’s education, stating that education is free, but parents need to do more to support their children.
She said parents, teachers, and students must be involved in addressing the challenges facing the district’s education sector, particularly the poor Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results.
Madam Kpedor outlined some key roles parents should play to promote their children’s education, including providing a conducive learning environment, monitoring their children’s progress, and supporting teachers.
The DCE highlighted some challenges the district faced such as inadequate infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, which have also contributed to the poor BECE results and called on well-to-do parent to help solve the situation through and other supports.
To address the issues, she also announced that plans have been taken to utilise the district’s common fund to implement educational projects, such as constructing school blocks and teachers’ bungalows at Sodzi community, and 2-unit classroom blocks each at Akplorwutorkor and Tegbi-Afedome respectively, among others.
Madam Kpedor also noted that her office had earlier notified the Ministry of Education to deploy more teachers to the area to improve teaching and learning, and encouraged students to work hard and strive for excellence, and work beyond their limit to succeed.
“To my wonderful and beautiful girls, you have to know it clear that women and girls have equal opportunities to compete with men for greater achievements,” she indicated.
The DCE cited her own achievement as a testament to the fact that women can excel in leadership positions, alongside Vice President Nana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and stressed that girls were no longer limited to domestic roles but can pursue their dreams and become leaders.
Additionally, she mentioned that a meeting was held earlier with assembly members, and other stakeholders to address the district’s educational challenges and improve academic performance.
She promised that the district’s education oversight committee and stakeholders would work together to address the challenges and improve the district’s BECE results and called for parental involvement and support to boost the district’s education sector for children to chase their dreams to become future leaders for the success of the district and the nation.
She urged parents not to leave everything to the government but rather help in the provision of some necessary materials such as textbooks, exercise books, pens, pencils, food, and guidance to children for the successes of young learners. –GNA
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The spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has criticised the implementation of the NDC government’s No Fee Stress policy, arguing that the programme has failed to deliver on its core promise.
According to him on Starr fm, the policy, which was introduced to ensure stress free payment of fees for level 100 tertiary students, has rather turned into what he described as post stress support.
He explained that students are required to pay their fees first before applying for reimbursement, a situation he believes defeats the purpose of the policy.
He questioned claims by government officials that the policy has been successful and that citizens are happy.
In his view, such claims do not reflect the lived realities of many Ghanaians. He stressed that while some people may appear satisfied, many others continue to struggle.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye pointed to the situation of trained teachers and nurses who have been picketing for nearly six months, demanding employment.
He noted that government responses suggesting it cannot accommodate all of them contradict claims of economic stability.
He further argued that economic indicators such as a stable currency mean little to people who are unable to secure jobs or access promised support.
He observed that telling an unemployed teacher or a struggling student that the cedi has strengthened does not address their immediate challenges.
On the issue of tertiary education, he maintained that no level 100 student benefited from stress free fees in 2025, despite the policy being announced.
He added that in 2026, students have already reported to school without receiving the promised support.
He insisted that asking students to pay fees first and seek reimbursement later amounts to support after hardship, not stress free education.
According to him, this approach goes against what was promised during the policy announcement.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye questioned why a government that presents the economy as strong is unable to fulfil what he described as simple and clear promises.
He added that there is a fundamental problem with the way the economy is being managed and indicated that he is prepared to explain his position further.
By: Jacob Aggrey
