Sports
Stars to tame Zimbabwe
Serbian Coach Milovan Rajevac will be seeking a bright start to life as Black Stars coach when he begins his second spell in charge with a must-win FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifier against Zimbabwe today at the Cape Coast Stadium.
Coach ‘Milo’ was re-engaged by Ghana last month to revive the Stars slipping World Cup dream, more than a decade after quitting the job in 2010, having guided the team to a quarter-final berth at the Mundial in South Africa that year.
The Stars in recent outings have been abysmal but a jerky 1-0 win over Ethiopia and a subsequent 1-0 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg in their first two opening games raised a furore that led the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to hand former Stars captain CK Akonnor the sack.
Milo, whose return has stirred mixed feelings among the football community with a section displeased about how he ditched the Stars in 2010, would be aiming for a positive start to life against the ‘Warriors’ to bolster the Stars waning confidence.
The Stars lie second in Group G with three points, behind South Africa’s four points and therefore need a big win to revive their campaign whiles also setting a winning tone for a reverse fixture of the Group G affair in Harare, three days later.
Milo, however, be wary of the fact that the Stars are yet to defeat the Warriors in three meetings, having lost two and drawn one. But fortunately, he has an assembly of his top players who he would be seeking to build his team around.
Captain Dede Ayew and brother Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew, Thomas Partey of Arsenal, Kudus Mohammed of Ajax Amsterdam, Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey and Reading defensive duo, Baba Rahman and Boakye Yiadom are all available for selection.
Luckily, he also has a burgeoning pool of talent in Rennes youngster, Kamaldeen Suleymana, Russia-based Joel Fameyeh, Yaw Yeboah, Anderlecht’s Majeed Ashimeru and returnee strikers Caleb Ekuban of Genoa and Malatyaspor of Turkey’s Benjamin Tetteh who would be eyeing performances that would cement their place.
Just like their Ghanaian counterparts, the Warriors have shaken their technical team with the interim appointment of former international, Norman Mapeza, to replace Croatian Zdravko Logarusic after placing bottom of the group with one point from their two opening fixtures.
Mapeza, presented with a difficult task would, however lead his charges comprising key figures captain Knowledge Musona, Aston Villa’s Marvellous Nakamba, Jordan Zemura of Bournemouth and Brendan Galloway to continue their good run against the Black Stars.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
Captain of Ghana’s National U-15 Boys team, Abdul Aziz Issa, says the exposure gained at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan will be vital for the development of the squad.
Ghana finished 7th out of 189 countries after an impressive campaign, winning eight of ten matches.
“I think we played well, the exposure was good for our development, and we can’t thank FIFA and the GFA enough for this amazing platform,” Issa said.
“I’m so very happy to be part of this FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival 2026 in Azerbaijan. I want to thank my colleagues for how far we have brought Ghana in this tournament.”
The captain believes the experience will prepare the group for future challenges at U-17 and U-20 level.
Ghana enjoyed an outstanding tournament, scoring 44 goals and establishing themselves among the top seven teams.
Their dominant group stage saw them score 27 goals while conceding just three. Salifu Fatawu’s side opened with a commanding 4-1 win over Uzbekistan, thrashed Myanmar 7-1, recorded emphatic 7-0 wins over Guam and the Bahamas, before rounding off the group with a 2-1 triumph over Kazakhstan.
Their pursuit of a higher finish suffered a setback in the knockout phase after elimination by Paraguay in a dramatic encounter.
The team bounced back to finish 7th, including a commanding 4-0 victory over Colombia in their final game, despite suffering a 7-1 defeat to Brazil in the Tier A Ranking Play-Offs.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Spanish Police have opened an investigation into the death of CD Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel following his on-field collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono.
The 30-year-old forward died on Tuesday, November 3, at age 30, after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest during a LaLiga 2 match at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López on Monday. f350
According to police sources cited by EFE, the case is under judicial supervision. The incident occurred in stoppage time when Owono rushed out of his penalty area to challenge for a long ball near midfield and collided heavily with De Miguel, striking him in the chest. The goalkeeper was shown a straight red card.
De Miguel was taken to Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria where he remained in intensive care until his death on Tuesday morning. CD Tenerife confirmed the passing in a statement: “Racked with pain… we communicate the tragic passing… of Jesús de Miguel Alameda”.
The National Police’s Homicide Group in Santa Cruz de Tenerife is leading the inquiry. Judicial authorities in the Canary Islands clarified that such an investigation is automatically opened whenever a death occurs from non-natural causes and does not by itself establish criminal responsibility.
While reports indicate police are examining possible involuntary manslaughter under Article 142 of Spain’s Penal Code, chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui believes it is highly unlikely that criminal proceedings will be brought because the collision occurred during normal play.
Authorities will review the referee’s match report, match footage, medical reports and the findings of the sports disciplinary committee to determine whether the challenge constituted dangerous play.
For now, no judicial ruling has established criminal responsibility on the part of the Andorra goalkeeper and the investigation remains open as Spanish football mourns De Miguel.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
