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Hughton’s AFCON mission squad
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• Hughton – Big task on hand
Last week, newly-appointed coach of the Black Stars, Christopher William Gerard Hughton, unveiled his squad for a Nations Cup double-header next week – leaving many generally satisfied.
Imperatively, the Hughton assembled about 90 per cent of the team that played in the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament in line with the nation’s vision of consistency.
It is what the Ghanaian long-suffering disciple expected. It is in the right direction.
And, indeed, for the first time in a while, the thunders of disapproval that usually echoes such national team announcements, palpably appear reticent or hushed.
Whenever that happens, the coach would be having a feeling of satisfaction running through his veins.
Of course, many were thrilled seeing the likes of Majeed Ashimeru and Joseph Paintsil handed return call-ups.
The duo were stupendously rich in form last term, but despite their imposing outing with their club side, were side-lined from the World Cup, where Ghana failed to progress beyond the opening stages.
There was anger directed at the Ghana Football Association (GFA) after the disconcerting early exit, and Hughton – who was then serving as Technical Director of the team, may have weighed his options pretty well before storming out with his list.
The team, that includes player-of-the-moment – Mohammed Kudus, as well as Kamaldeen Sulemana, Salis Samed, Osman Bukari among other technically-gifted young talents, would have the first task of taking on the Black Antelopes of Angola at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Thursday, in the first leg encounter of the 2023 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Four days later, the Stars would storm Luanda for the reverse fixture as the four-time champions furiously look to secure a place at next year’s AFCON – to be hosted by Cote d’Ivoire.
Though a formidable collection, many would have wished Hughton called up – one or two home-based players – at least for strategic reasons. Failing to invite a ‘local’ player as we called them, has some negative repercussion on the domestic front. It tells the world that our domestic league is so bereft of quality to the extent that we cannot have a single player good enough to don the national colours. Bad advertisement for the local game!
Indeed, it would be difficult to convince many that our league is so poor to produce just one player to contest for a position. Well, let us give the benefit of the doubt to Chris Hughton. After all, we reprimanded him to be his own man – not so?
Having said that, the 64-year-old experienced coach – who has handled respected English teams like Newcastle, Tottenham, Brighton & Hove Albion, is presently thinking about putting up a compelling performance over two legs – and eventually sealing off a place in Cote d’Ivoire, it would also not be out of place, to keep his eyes on the Holy Grail.
Ghana has been without the AFCON trophy for 41 years (the last one was clinched in Libya ‘82); this is the painful misery Hughton must continue to trumpet into the ears of his charges.
Come 2024, that stygian-silence-jinx must be broken – and this would come with meticulous planning, commitment, dedication and hardwork. And, it must take a concerted effort, too, from all stakeholders, to achieve that golden goal.
By John Vigah
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
