Ghana national football team

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Ghana
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) The Black Stars
Association Ghana Football Association
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Head coach Flag of GhanaSellas Tetteh (Interim)[1]
Captain Stephen Appiah
Most caps Abédi Pelé (73)[2]
Top scorer Abédi Pelé (33)
Home stadium Ohene Djan Sports Stadium
FIFA code GHA
FIFA ranking 16
Highest FIFA ranking 14 (February, April, May 2008)
Lowest FIFA ranking 89 (June 2004)
Elo ranking 20
Highest Elo ranking 14 (30 June 1966)
Lowest Elo ranking 97 (14 June 2004)
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
First kit
Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
 
Second kit
First international
Flag of Gold Coast (British colony) Gold Coast 1-0 Nigeria Flag of Nigeria
(Accra, Ghana; 28 May 1950)
Flag of Ghana Ghana 7-0 Nigeria Flag of Nigeria
(Accra, Ghana; 30 October 1955)[3]
Biggest win
Flag of Kenya Kenya 0-13 Ghana Flag of Ghana
(Nairobi Jamhuri Park, Kenya; 12 December 1965)[4]
Biggest defeat
Flag of Brazil Brazil 8-2 Ghana Flag of Ghana
(São José do Rio Preto, Brazil; 27 March 1996)[5][6]
World Cup
Appearances 1 (First in 2006)
Best result Round 2, 2006
African Nations Cup
Appearances 16 (First in 1963)
Best result Winners, 1963, 1965,
1978, 1982
Olympic medal record
Men's Football
Bronze 1992 Barcelona Team

The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association. Before gaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, the country played as the Gold Coast.

Although the team did not qualify for the senior FIFA World Cup until 2006 they had actually qualified for five straight Olympic Games Football Tournaments when the tournament was still a full senior National Team competition. The team have won the African Cup of Nations four times[7] (in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982), making Ghana the second most successful team in the contest's history, behind Egypt.

Ghana has always enjoyed tremendous success at the other FIFA Tournaments. The Ghana U17 team, the Black Starlets have won the FIFA Under-17 World Cup title twice and finished as runner-up twice. The Ghana U20 team, the Black Satellites have also finished as runner-up at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup twice as well. The Ghana Olympic Team, the Black Meteors became the 1st African Country to win a medal in Football at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

After going through 2005 unbeaten, Ghana won the FIFA World Rankings Most Improved team of the year award and they reached the second round of the 2006 Germany World Cup. According to FIFA's Rankings, Ghana, at 16th, are currently the 2nd best team in Africa.

Contents

[edit] History

Team colours Team colours Team colours
Team colours
Team colours
Ghana's current third kit

[edit] Amateur status

It is on record that the game of football was introduced into the Gold Coast towards the close of the 19th century by merchants from Europe. The sailors at their leisure times played football among themselves and sometimes with a select side of the indigenous people. The popularity of the game spread like wild fire within a short time along the coast culminating in the formation of the first football club, Excelsior, in 1903 by Mr. Briton, a Jamaican-born British, who was then Head Teacher of Philip Quaicoe Government Boys School in Cape Coast. As the popularity of the game grew, other clubs along the coast, namely: Accra Hearts of Oak, Kumasi Asante Kotoko Cape Coast Venomous Vipers, Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs, Sekondi Hasaacas FC and Sekondi Eleven Wise all amateur clubs were formed.

[edit] Football Revolution (1957)

In 1957, Kwame Nkrumah, the first prime minister of an independent African nation, thought that if he sent his message of a united Africa through football, then it would help not only the independence of Ghana, but the independence of Africa as a whole.

The die was cast; Football Administration was given a new lease. Mr. Ohene Djan was elected General Secretary of the Association by the clubs. The Ghana Amateur Football Association was officially founded. Forward looking and dynamic as he was, he affiliated the Association to CAF and FIFA in 1958, in the same year respectively. He was instrumental in getting a Pharmaceutical Firm Merrs R.R. Harding and Company to sponsor the first FA cup competition among eight clubs. In the same year he succeeded in securing the services of an ex-patriate Coach, Mr. George Ainsley for the National Team. Then in 1959, he succeeded again in organising the first National league before Ghana became a Republic on 1 July 1960.

Until he was removed from power by a coup in 1966, Nkrumah used football as a tool to depict how strong Africa and Ghana could be. The sport became well supported and this led to Ghana becoming one of the most powerful footballing nations in Africa.[8]

[edit] Early years

When Ghana celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2007, one of it's first sporting heroes remembered the role he played in the nation's early identity. Joseph Agyeman-Gyau was a striker in the Black Stars side that won its inaugural African Cup of Nations title in 1963, just six years after the country's Independence.

"That victory was very good for Ghana because it united the whole country," the sexagenarian told BBC Sport. "One of the purposes of (Ghana's first president) Kwame Nkrumah was to tell the whole world that we can do things for ourselves and achieve positive results.

"In 1960, the Black Stars played Spanish giants Real Madrid. At the time, the Spaniards were the Spanish, European and World Champions but we drew 3-3 in Accra. "The whole world couldn't believe it but it was a fact."

"Football is one of our cultures. You should use whatever you can to rally people, so that we will see the purpose of strength in unity." [9]

(In 1960, before they met Ghana, Spanish Champions Real Madrid beat German team Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 to win the 1960 European Cup at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland on May 18, 1960 and beat Uruguyan Club Peñarol 5-1 in the two-legged final to win the Intercontinental Cup. Real Madrid's most legendary names including Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás played in that game. The score was 3-2 for Ghana with about a minute to go, before Real equalized.)

Ghana won the African Cup of Nations back-to-back in December 1963 and November 1965. Three weeks after their new African conquest in Tunisia, Kenya's first Head of State, President Jomo Kenyatta invited the Ghana Black Stars - African Champions and the toughest national football team in black Africa at the time – to tour Kenya and play the Kenya national football team at the Nairobi Jamhuri Park, as part of Kenya's Independence(Jamhuri Day) celebrations in December 1965. President Jomo Kenyatta was on hand to see the pure class of the magicians from the former Gold Coast even if it was just the first half. Kenya started the game with legendary Gossage Cup goalkeeper Benedict Okoth in goal. However, after four quick trips to the back of his net to retrieve the ball, the Kenyan team management brought in the young James Sianga as replacement. He repeated the trips to the back of the net nine more times, for a final score of 0-13.[4] in Ghana's favor.

Legendary Ghanaian Super Striker Osei Kofi now a Reverend, who played in the November 1965 African Nations Cup and the Kenyan Independence Day Jamhuri Cup International friendly match, on December 12, 1965, recounted this 13-0 Friendly match and record win, in the Pre-2006 FIFA World Cup documentary DVD series "The History of Football: The Beautiful Game" and also on Skysports, before Ghana's 2006 FIFA World Cup game against the Czech Republic.

This 13-0 win, came a couple of years after Ghana had gone to Malawi, and beaten their national football team 12-0 on October 15, 1962, in a similar International friendly match. It was also in the 1960s that Ghana went to consecutive African Nations Cup final back-to-back-to-back-to-back from 1963, 1965, 1968 and 1970.

On 12 November 1965, Ghana beat Congo-Kinshasa (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) 5-2 in the 1965 African Cup of Nations 1st Round Group B match played in Sousse, Tunisia. Scorers in that match were: Osei Kofi 13', Ben Acheampong 18', 59', Jones Attuquayefio 84', 89'; Kalala 43, (pen) 45'. The Congolese called Ghana Black Stars for a revenge International friendly match on their Independence day at the Stade Tata Raphaël, in Kinshasa on 30 June 1966. The excellent Ghanaians asserted themselves again by beating their Hosts 3-0.

After that defeat, the then President of Congo-Kinshasa, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu decided to totally overhaul their national team, and change their name as well. Thus the Lions became Léopards[10]. The new team was put together by their Hungarian Trainer Ferenc Csanadi and later won the 1968 African Cup of Nations beating Ghana by 1-0 in the Final on 21 January 1968 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to deny the Ghanaians a third straight Continental title, in the competition's greatest upset of all-time[11].

[edit] Charles Kumi Gyamfi Impact

As far back as September 1960, Ghanaian international and later coach Charles Kumi Gyamfi was the first foreign import to Düsseldorf, Germany. He was the first African player in the German league. It all started on 2 August 1959, with a test match in Accra between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Accra Hearts of Oak. It was the first of five matches during a tour through Ghana and Nigeria which had been sponsored by the West-German Football Association. Beyond any doubt one of the "hottest" matches Fortuna has ever played. Fortuna players remember the heat and the game being played on a sandy, bumpy pitch. Charles Gyamfi, Accra Hearts of Oak's captain, and Düsseldorf's captain Erich Juskowiak exchanged banners before the match which the German guests later won 3-2.

During a reception at then Prime Minister Nkrumah's residence later that evening, it was agreed that 28-year-old Charles Gyamfi had to transfer to Germany not only to play for Fortuna Düsseldorf but also to study professional coaching at the German Sport University Cologne. It is reported that Charles Gyamfi was very quick to learn the German language and stunned spectators and football experts alike with his athletic and quick game, a general trade mark of African football. However, it is also reported that he never liked the German winter with snow and ice and returned, homesick, to Ghana in 1961. With a German Football Coaching degree in his rucksack, Charles Gyamfi won the African Cup of Nations three times as a coach (1963, 1965, 1982) - a record that stands up to today. He also coached the Ghana Olympic team in Tokyo in 1964 and in Munich in 1972. Today, he is one of the Ghana Football Association's honorary presidents.

Just like Charles Gyamfi, Benjamin Koufie, former Black Star Coach as well as Ex-GFA President, learned his trade in Köln (1961) and Leipzig (1964)[12].

[edit] Changing times

Changing times changing needs. Ghana Football shrugged off its fully Amateur Status to become Professional, enabling clubs to be incorporated under the companies Code (Act 193, 1963) as Limited Liability Companies either by shares or guarantee through the 1993 Famous Winneba Declaration.

[edit] Memorable Losses: The 'Bochum Disaster'

On the night of 14 April 1993, Ghana’s senior National team played then 1990 FIFA World Cup defending champions Germany away at the Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany in an international friendly match. Parading then 3-time African Footballer of the Year Abedi Pele, back-to-back Bundesliga top-scorer Anthony Yeboah among others Match Photo Here, Ghana shocked the World Champions by taking the lead through Prince Polley in the 44', in front of 37,000 home fans. They took the 1-0 lead over Germany into half-time. Germany stormed back in the 2nd half and scored 3 quick goals in the 70th minute alone through Ulf Kirsten, Stefan Effenberg, and Jürgen Klinsmann. With the Ghanaian team in disarray, the World Champions added 3 more goals in the 82’, 86', and 88’, for a final score of 6-1[13].

It was later reported by the Ghanaian newspaper Daily Graphic[citation needed] that there was division in the Ghanaian team dressing room at half time over how to share the match bonus. The foreign based players on the team wanted a bigger bonus than their locally based counterparts and the issue was still unresolved when the Ghanaians stepped out on the field to play the 2nd half. The Ghanaian media coined the term 'Bochum Disaster', which stuck in Ghanaian footballing folklore as the worst defeat of all time for the Black Stars.

Ghana's U-23 Olympic Youth Team, the Black Meteors also lost 2-8[5] away to their Brazilian counterparts Brazil Olympic Team on 27 March 1996 at Teixeirão in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil in a Pre-1996 Olympic Friendly[6] later classified as a FIFA 'A' International. After Sávio scored a 47min penalty to make it 2-0 for Brazil, Anthony Yeboah pulled one back for Ghana. With the game at 1-2 in Brazil's favor, young Ghanaian defender Samuel Kuffour was sent off in the 51st min for a tackle in the Ghanaian box for another penalty to Brazil, which André Luiz scored. The 10-man Meteors youngsters couldn't keep up with their hosts and eventually lost 2-8. Both Olympic Teams would meet again, four months later, in the Atlanta Olympics Tournament proper, at the Quarter Finals where Ghana lost 2-4 to Brazil, after the Ghanaians squandered a 2-1 lead in the second half. Brazil broke the 2-2 tie in the 62nd minute on Ronaldo's second goal, and Bebeto added the clincher 10 minutes later[14].. Match Report Here.

[edit] The “Black Monday”

On Monday 30 March 1987 fresh from winning the West African Nations Cup in Liberia for the 5th consecutive time, going 5 wins in 5 matches (2-0 v Ivory Coast, 4-0 v Niger, 3-0 v Togo, 3-1 v Nigeria, and 2-1 v Hosts Liberia in the Final) Ghana played the "Leone Stars" of Sierra Leone in Accra in the 1st leg qualifying match for the 1988 African Cup of Nations. The match was initially scheduled for the day before, which was a Sunday, but the Sierra Leone fans could not make it due to a flight problem. Ghana, confident of a win over a supposedly weaker opponent, decided to fly the "Leone Stars" on their own airplane from Freetown to Accra for the match which was rescheduled for that Monday.

The Black Stars wore an all red outfit with black armbands to mourn the loss of the great Ghanaian Sports Director and first GFA President Ohene-Djan who had passed away earlier. The Black Stars team captain for the day was Abdul Aziz.

The Sierra Leoneans shocked Ghana with two early goals from long range by their left winger John Dumbulla. The Black Stars worked tirelessly until they got a late consolation goal when Abdul Aziz connected home an overlapping Naana Eshun cross from the right wing to bring the final score to a 1-2 upset win in favour of the visitors; a result which eventually knocked Ghana out of the running for the tournament proper. This shock result spun Ghana Football into deep crisis with several losses thereafter that took over 3 full years to recover; including a 0-2 loss to Liberia in a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifier in 1988 and another loss to Gabon during a 1990 African Cup of Nations qualifier in 1989 - 2 bad results that knocked Ghana out of the two major 1990 tournaments. The Ghanaian media named that infamous day "Black Monday", which stuck to this day.

[edit] FIFA World Cup Qualifying jinx

Ghana tried to qualify for the senior FIFA World Cup 11 previous times from 1962 - 2002, without success. Although Ghana did not qualify for the senior FIFA World Cup until 2006 (Once tagged The Best team never to have qualified for a World Cup), they had actually qualified for 8 Olympic Games Football Tournaments, 5 of them back when the Tournament was still a full senior National Team competition in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 (they boycotted the 1976 and 1980 Olympics due to politics).[citation needed]

In Ghana, a lot of theories made up by players, officials, fans and the media abound, with virtually all of them saying that "Ghana always saw the FIFA World Cup as an European thing" in those days and never took its qualification serious, even withdrawing from the Qualifiers on two occasions in 1966 and 1982, since African teams were marginalized; whereas the Olympic Games was considered a more global sporting event and everything was done to prepare the Black Stars team hence their record participation in the Olympics and none appearance at the World Cup.[15]

For instance in 1978, Ghana had a very strong team that eventually won the African Cup of Nations, but celebrated sports journalists in the country wrote that Ghana cannot win the 1978 FIFA World Cup, so they should rather concentrate on winning the 1978 African Cup of Nations for keeps (3 times). They cited the fact that Ghana had earlier lost all 3 Group D matches at the 1972 Olympics 0-4 to Poland, 0-4 to East Germany and 1-3 to Colombia. To many people in Ghana, the World Cup was a mirage and decided to channel their energies into doing so well in the Nations Cup to win it for keeps and retire the original African Cup of Nations, which they did that year.

Ghana has always enjoyed success at the other FIFA tournaments, winning the FIFA World Under-17 title twice and finishing runner-up twice. Ghana has also finished second at the FIFA World Youth Championship twice as well. The Ghana Olympic Team, the Black Meteors became the 1st African country to win a medal in Football at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

[edit] Recent Years

[edit] 1990s Dressing Room Politics & Splits

Ghana appointed German Burkhard Ziese as Coach in 1991 and he helped Ghana to qualify for the 1992 African Cup of Nations in Senegal under the captain-ship of Kwasi Appiah of then Ghana League Champions Asante Kotoko. The Black Stars went to a Pre-Tournament Training Camp in Faro, Portugal for two weeks ahead of the competition and Kwasi Appiah was stripped of his captain-ship and the armband given to Abedi Pele on a reason that he was not French-speaking.

This created deep divisions in the team because to the 9 or so present and former Asante Kotoko players on the squad that reason was not plausible, and that the officials had not handled the captain-ship transition well (half of the team was from Kumasi, half from Accra). The open-secret controversy hung over the Black Stars for many years through the better part of the 1990’s and eventually needed a parliamentary and executive intervention to settle the polarized issue between the two stars of the team Abedi Pele and Anthony Yeboah who were at the fore-front of it all. Both players were called to the Ghana Parliament for a resolution to the crisis, but the deep dressing room division was allowed to fester for so long, that it had already done harm to Ghana’s chances at the 1994 and 1996 Nations Cup and their hopes of qualifying for the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups as well.

[edit] The “Generation gap”

After the bickering Abedi Pele/ Anthony Yeboah generation retired in disappointment in 1998 (they were the only generation that never won the African Cup of Nations for Ghana even though they lost the 1992 Final v Ivory Coast 10-11 on Penalty Kicks), Ghana went through a lull performance period that people usually refer to as the "generation gap". They contended that Ghana did not develop the superb youngsters who won all those FIFA Youth Tournaments in the early to mid-’90s and actually never gave majority of them the chance to play senior internationals. The end result was that Ghana struggled for good results between 1998 and 2003, culminating in their missing out of the 2004 African Cup of Nations after a 0-1 away loss to Rwanda.

After sinking to such new lows, even on the FIFA World Rankings moving from 15th to 89th, Ghana picked up with a new generation of players who went to the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship Final, played a young team of 19 year olds at the 2002 African Cup of Nations to gain experience and continued to build them up at the 2004 Olympic Games until that team qualified them for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the youngest team at that tournament. Today, the Ghanaian team is again one of the African football powers.[16]

[edit] Team honours

1963, 1965, 1978, 1982
1968, 1970, 1992
1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987
1978, 2003
1992
1993, 1999
1995, 1999
1991, 1995
1993, 1997
1993, 2001

[edit] World Cup record

[edit] African Nations Cup record

  • 1957 - Did not enter
  • 1959 - Did not enter
  • 1962 - Did not qualify
  • 1963 - Champions
  • 1965 - Champions
  • 1968 - Second place
  • 1970 - Second place
     
  • 2008 - Third Place

[edit] Most African Nations Cup Wins

Wins Nation Year(s)
6 times Flag of Egypt Egypt 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008
4 times Flag of Ghana Ghana 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982
4 times Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002


[edit] Most African Nations Cup Final appearances

Appearances Nation
7 Flag of Ghana Ghana
7 Flag of Egypt Egypt
6 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria
6 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon

[edit] African Cup of Nations

The African Cup of Nations is the main international football competition for African nations. It was first held in 1957, and since 1968 it has been held every two years in even numbered years. Ghana's very successful record historically in this Tournament earned the country the nickname of "the Brazil of Africa" in the 1960s[17].

The Ghana Amateur Football Association was affiliated to Confederation of African Football in 1958 and in 1963, it won the bid to host the 5th African Cup of Nations to coincide with the Meeting of the O.A.U. Heads of States and Government in Accra. Ghana won the trophy and went ahead again to successfully defend it in Tunisia in 1965. By these sterling feats, Ghana Football had become a house hold name on the African continent. Ohene Djan was one of the pillars in African Football and in CAF. As one of the then leading political leaders in Africa, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of the Republic of Ghana, used football to chalk political victories as follows:-

  • he championed the cause of “African personality” in football;
  • he used football as a tool to fight against apartheid in South Africa;
  • he used football to weld the heterogeneous cultures of Africa together; and
  • he used football as a vehicle to place Ghana on the football map of Africa and the World.

Unfortunately, Nkrumah's fall from power resulted in Ghanaian football losing its status as best on the continent and it was only in the late 1970's that Ghana began to show a return to their previous form. Perhaps the most impressive performances in Ghana's football occurred in the later 1980s and 1990s, thanks to the country's youth teams.

In a nutshell, after the 1965 African Cup of Nations triumph, Ghana narrowly lost 0-1 to Democratic Republic of Congo formerly Congo-Kinshasa in the 1968 African Cup of Nations final match , preventing the Ghanaians from winning an unprecedented 3 straight African Nations Cup trophies. Ghana again went to the final of the next African Nations Tournament in 1970 against Sudan, the Host Nation in Khartoum, for their 4th consecutive final, an unprecedented feat unequalled to this day. The Sudanese after beating Egypt 2-1 in the Semi-Finals (After Extra-Time), beat Ghana 1-0 in the Final, to win the Cup. The Ghanaians, who accused Ethiopian Referee Tesfaye Gebreyesus of favouring the Host team, boycotted the Award Ceremony and were expelled the same day by the Sudanese authorities[18].

Ghana hosted and won the trophy for the third time during the 13th edition of the Tournament; the 1978 African Cup of Nations - allowing them to keep the original trophy in perpetuity, and four years later, they truimphed again -for the 4th time- during the 1982 African Cup of Nations in Tripoli, Libya. Ghana has made a total of 15 appearances in the Continental Championship and played in an African record 7 Final matches, the last of which was a marathon penalty-shootout loss to the The Côte d'Ivoire team in 1992 Tournament in Senegal. The 1992 team featured and was captained by Abedi Pele - considered perhaps Africa's greatest footballer ever. he was the tournament's top player, and missed the final due to suspension following a controversial yellow card in the semi finals.

In the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt, Ghana competed in Group D. The group which also contained Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe, became dubbed the Group of Death.

Ghana exited the tournament in the 1st Round after Superstar midfielder Michael Essien, key player Sulley Muntari and striker Asamoah Gyan got injured prior to the start of the Tournament and pulled out altogether, severely jolting the Ghana team. Ghana started with a 0-1 loss to Nigeria, beat Senegal 1-0 and surprisingly lost to outsiders Zimbabwe 2-1, their first loss to Zimbabwe ever. See all 3 2006 Nations Cup Ghana Match Information and video highlights here

Ghana hosted the 2008 African Cup of Nations from 20 January to 10 February 2008 in their 16th Appearance at the Tournament. They were in Group A together with Flag of Guinea Guinea, Flag of Namibia Namibia and Flag of Morocco Morocco.

[edit] 2008 ANC Group A

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
Flag of Ghana Ghana 9 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4
Flag of Guinea Guinea 4 3 1 1 1 5 5 0
Flag of Morocco Morocco 3 3 1 0 2 7 6 +1
Flag of Namibia Namibia 1 3 0 1 2 2 7 -5
January 20, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 2 - 1 Flag of Guinea Guinea Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra
Ref: Eddy Maillet (Seychelles)
Gyan Scored after 55 minutes 55' (pen.)
Muntari Scored after 90 minutes 90'
Report, Highlights Kalabane Scored after 64 minutes 64'

January 24, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 1 - 0 Flag of Namibia Namibia Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra
Ref: Kacem Bennaceur (Tunisia)
Agogo Scored after 41 minutes 41' Report, Highlights

January 28, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 2 - 0 Flag of Morocco Morocco Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra
Ref: Modou Sowe (Gambia)
Essien Scored after 26 minutes 26'
Muntari Scored after 45 minutes 45'
Report, Highlights

February 03, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 2 - 1 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra
Ref: Mohamed Benouza (Algeria)
Essien Scored after 45 minutes 45'
Agogo Scored after 83 minutes 83'
Report, Highlights Yakubu Scored after 35 minutes 35' (pen.)

February 07, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 0 - 1 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra
Ref: Abderrahim El Arjoun (Morocco)
Report, Highlights Nkong Scored after 71 minutes 71'

February 09, 2008
Ghana Flag of Ghana 4 - 2 Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi
Ref: Jerome Damon (South Africa)
Muntari Scored after 10 minutes 10'
Owusu-Abeyie Scored after 70 minutes 70'
Agogo Scored after 80 minutes 80'
Dramani Scored after 84 minutes 84'
Report, Highlights Sanogo Scored after 24, 32 minutes 24, 32'

[edit] West African Nations Cup [SCSA Zone III]

The SCSA (Supreme Council of Sport in Africa) Zone "III" Regional Tournament also known as West African Nations Cup or "Zone 3" Championship was held from 1982 to 1987 (not in 1985), but has been discontinued.

Ghana won all editions (1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987), and indeed never lost a single match among the 25 matches they played.

The tournament was unsuccessfully revived in 2001 as WAFU Championship; in 2005 a "WAFU Laurent Gbagbo West African Unity Cup" was organised between four of the better teams of the region, apparently as an invitational tournament so not a proper successor of the tournament of the eighties.

[edit] Summer Olympic Football

The Ghana Olympic team is known as The Black Meteors. They have qualified for 8 Olympic Games Football Tournaments, 5 of them back when the Tournament was still a full senior National Team competition in 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980 (They however boycotted the 1976 and 1980 Olympics) and 3 times since it became an U23 competition in 1992, 1996 and 2004.

Ghana's first participation in the Summer Olympics football competition in 1964 Summer Olympics pitched them against Argentina, Italy and Japan in Group D (Italy later withdrew). In their first game, Ghana drew 1-1 with South America Olympic Qualifying Champions Argentina on 12 October 1964 on a goal by Edward Acquah and beat Host Nation Japan 3-2 (Goals: Agyemang, Sam Acquah, Aggrey Fynn) four days later to top their Group after Italy withdrew. But they lost the Quarter Final game 5-1 to Egypt. In that game, Ghana played well against Egypt before half time with the scores tied at 1-1, but their players complained about feeling too cold. It is an open secret now; that the Ghanaian Coaches looking to curb the numbing effects of the Tokyo cold, gave their Players liquor and some got drunk coming into the second half and they conceded 4 more goals. losing heavily as a result. Wilberforce Mfum scored Ghana's only goal of that game.

The 1968 Summer Olympics might have been the most tumultuous of all Olympics, and that confusion and problems touched the football tournament as well. Morocco, who had qualified for the tournament, refused to play Israel. Morocco's replacement, Ghana lost to Israel, 5-3, in a fight-filled match that reportedly continued at the Olympic Village. Ghana also drew 2-2 with Hungary and 1-1 with El Salvador.

Ghana qualified for the 1972 Summer Olympics but lost all three group matches against Poland, East Germany and Colombia.[1]

In the 1976 Summer Olympics, Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia Qualified for the Tournament but all withdrew only a day before the opening ceremony as part of a general African boycott against the participation of apartheid South Africa. They were not replaced, and so the competition involved only 13 teams. Ghana was in Group C alongside Poland, Iran and Cuba but did not play any of their scheduled matches.

In the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Ghana qualified from Africa by beating Liberia 2-0 away in Monrovia on Sunday 24 February 1980 in the 1st leg of the Final Round and drew 2-2 at home in the 2nd leg, played in Accra on Sunday 13 April 1980. Ghana thus qualified 4-2 on aggregate[19]. They however boycotted the tournament. The Communist countries held their own private Eastern bloc party in 1980 because a number of nations boycotted the Olympics. U.S President Jimmy Carter refused to send American teams to Moscow after the Soviets' Afghanistan invasion. Six other countries that had qualified for the football tournament followed suit -- Argentina, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Malaysia and Norway. Nigeria and Zambia replaced Ghana and Egypt respectively.

In the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Ghana, who had the youngest team by far in the competition (18.8 years), were a surprise bronze medallists, becoming the first African nation to earn a medal.[2] They did so in a 1-0 victory over yet another surprise, Australia, on 7 August.[3] They finished the match with their third goalkeeper, Simon Addo, in the nets after second goalkeeper Ibrahim Dossey was forced out with an injury. Ghana won on a free-kick goal by Isaac Asare in the 20th minute, five minutes after Dossey had saved an Australian penalty. In the group stages, Ghana beat Australia 3-1, tied 0-0 with Denmark, and tied 1-1 with Mexico. In the Quarter final, Ghana beat Paraguay 4-2 after extra-time and lost 2-0 to Spain in the Semi-final.

In the 1996 Summer Olympics, Ghana was knocked out at the Olympic Quarter Finals in a 4-2 loss to a Ronaldo and Bebeto led Brazil side on 28th July, 1996 at the Atlanta games. Before then, they tied 1-1 with Mexico, upset a Cannavaro and Nesta led Italy team 3-2 but lost the opening game of the competition 1-0 to Korea.

In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Ghana opened the Tournament with a 2-2 draw game with an Andrea Pirlo led Italy after taking a 2-0 first half lead in Group B. They beat eventual silver medallists Paraguay 2-1 in the 2nd game, but lost to Japan1-0 in the last group game. Tied on 4 points, 0 goals for, and Head-to-Head with eventual Bronze medal winners Italy, the Ghanaians were unlucky to go through because Italy had scored 5 and conceded 5, whilst Ghana had scored 4 and conceded 4.

Ghana's Summer Olympic Football Squads: 1968, 1972, 1976, 1992, 1996, 2004

On 22 February 2007, FIFA declared Burkina Faso losers of the 2008 Olympic Games Qualifier against Ghana for fielding two ineligible players. Ghana football authorities protested to FIFA after Mady Saidou Panandetiguiri and Fousseni Traore played in the first leg match, which Burkina Faso won 2-0 in Ouagadougou on 7 February 2007. "Consequently, the game between Burkina Faso and Ghana that was played on 7 February 2007 is declared as a Burkina Faso forfeit, with a score of 0-3"[20].

[edit] 2008 Olympic Games Qualifying African Group A

Team Pts Pld W D L GF GA GD
Flag of Nigeria Nigeria 8 4 2 2 0 7 3 +4
Flag of Ghana Ghana 7 4 2 1 1 8 5 +3
Flag of South Africa South Africa 1 4 0 1 3 3 10 -7


[edit] Forthcoming Fixtures[21]

The Ghana Olympic Team participated in the 2007 All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria from 11 July-23 July 2007. Ghana was in Group A together with Tunisia, Cameroon (holders) and South Africa[22]. They reached the African Games after eliminating Nigeria's Olympic Team.

Category Team A Result Team B Date Venue Scorers
Friendly Flag of Iran Iran 4-2 Flag of Ghana Ghana U-23 27 June 2007 Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran Iran Enayati 12, 27, Nekounam 15 (penalty), Aghily 50 min, Ghana U-23: Kumordzi 31; Addo
All Goals Here

[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup

A Ghana fan roots for his team before the 2006 World Cup match against Italy.
A Ghana fan roots for his team before the 2006 World Cup match against Italy.

Ghana tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 11 previous times from 1962 - 2002, without success. In their World Cup debut, they had a Pre-Tournament Training Camp in Seeboden on the Millstätter Lake, in Austria's southern province of Carinthia. Ghana competed in Group E of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The group also contained Italy, Czech Republic and the United States. Group E was dubbed the ‘’Group of Death‘’ by some as all the teams were deemed capable of qualifying and each team had the ability to decide their own fate going into the final set of games.

Ghana started with a 2-0 defeat to Italy. However, they bounced back with a shock 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic

, followed by a 2-1 victory over the USA team

, to finish second in Group E and continue through to the next round along with eventual Champions Italy. Ghana's unlikely run ended when they met defending World Champions Brazil in the Second Round. Influential player Michael Essien was suspended from the match for his two yellow card's earlier in the Tournament. Despite all of this, Ghana dictated the style and pace of this match, surprising many with several near-goals[23]. In the end, Brazil won 3-0, although there was some controversy over the first two goals scored by Ronaldo and Adriano as they were both offside[24]. Slovakian referee Ľuboš Micheľ also sent off Asamoah Gyan in the 82' for falling in the Brazilian penalty area. Zé Roberto scored the third for Brazil off a breakaway soon after[25].

Ghana were the only African side to advance to Round 2 of 2006 FIFA World Cup (Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Angola, and Tunisia were all eliminated in group play), and the sixth nation in a row from Africa to progress beyond the group stages of the World Cup. Ghana was the youngest team in the FIFA World Cup 2006 with an average age of 23 yrs and 352 days.

Because of Ghana's performances in the tournament, there has been praise for their continuous efforts to push forward and their fearless attitude. Greece Coach Otto Rehhagel told FIFA.com, the teams you used to regard as a little behind tactically, the Africans for example, have caught up. They're physically even better off than we are, as they have tremendous natural athleticism, and they've come on enormously in the areas which were non-existent before, discipline and tactics for example. Every team which faced Ghana or Cote d'Ivoire knew they'd been in a game. FIFA.com says Black stars ascend to glory. BBC says: Ghana going forward[26].

Of the 32 countries that participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ghana was ranked the 13th Best Nation by FIFA.

2006 FIFA World Cup Matches
Category Team A Result Team B Date Venue Scorers
Round of 16 Flag of Brazil Brazil 3-0 Flag of Ghana Ghana 27 June Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund Brazil: Ronaldo 5, Adriano 45+,
Ze Roberto 84) [4]
First Half; Second Half
Group E Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-1 Flag of the United States USA 22 June Frankenstadion, Nuremberg Ghana Dramani 22, Appiah 47+; USA: Clint Dempsey 43)[5]
Pre-Match; 1st Half; 2nd half
Group E Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-0 Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 17 June RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne Ghana: Asamoah 2, Muntari 82) [6]
Group E Flag of Italy Italy 2-0 Flag of Ghana Ghana 12 June AWD-Arena, Hannover Italy: Pirlo, 40 Iaquinta 83)[7]

[edit] Forthcoming fixtures and Recent results

Category Team A Result Team B Date Venue Scored Goal Scorers
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Flag of Ghana Ghana v Flag of Gabon Gabon 22 June 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana N/A
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Flag of Gabon Gabon v Flag of Ghana Ghana 14 June 2008 Stade Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon N/A
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Flag of Lesotho Lesotho 2-3 Flag of Ghana Ghana 8 June 2008 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa Ghana: Kingston 16', Agogo 41', 63'; Lesotho: Sello Muso 90'+2, Lehlohonolo Seema 90'+3
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Flag of Ghana Ghana 3-0 Flag of Libya Libya 1 June 2008 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana Ghana: Tagoe 16', Kingston 55', Agogo 67' [8]
Friendly Flag of Australia Australia 1-0 Flag of Ghana Ghana 23 May 2008 Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia Australia: Sterjovski 46'[9]
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 1-2 Flag of Mexico Mexico 26 March 2008 Craven Cottage, London, England Ghana: Essien 55' [10]; Mexico: Salcido 76' [11], Pardo 85' pen. [12]
2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 4-2 Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire 09 February 2008 Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, Ghana Ghana: Muntari 10, Owusu-Abeyie 70, Agogo 80, Dramani 84; Ivory Coast: Sanogo 24, 32 [13]
2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 0-1 Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 07 February 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Cameroon: Nkong 71 [14]
2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-1 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria 03 February 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Essien 47+, Agogo 83;

Nigeria: Yakubu 35 (pen.) [15]

2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-0 Flag of Morocco Morocco 28 January 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Essien 26, Muntari 89 [16]
2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 1-0 Flag of Namibia Namibia 24 January 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Agogo 41 [17]
2008 African Cup of Nations Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-1 Flag of Guinea Guinea 20 January 2008 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Asamoah 55, Muntari 89;

Guinea: Kalabane 65 [18]

Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 4-2 Flag of Benin Benin 21 November 2007 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Agogo 47, Kingston 78, 86, Appiah 84; Benin: Sessegnon 25, Omotoyossi 46 [19]
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-0 Flag of Togo Togo 18 November 2007 Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana Ghana: Baffour 53, Kingston 63 [20]
Friendly Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia 5-0 Flag of Ghana Ghana 11 September 2007 King Fahd Stadium, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia: Al-Qahtani 5,51, Kearairi 25, Harthi (pen.) 57, Tukar (pen.) 90
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-0 Flag of Morocco Morocco 8 September 2007 Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France Ghana: Agogo 47, Barusso 74
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 1-1 Flag of Senegal Senegal 21 August 2007 New Den Stadium, London, England Ghana: Asamoah 45+; Senegal: Diouf 74 [21]
Friendly Flag of Brazil Brazil 1-0 Flag of Ghana Ghana 27 March 2007 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden Brazil Vagner Love 17
Friendly Flag of Austria Austria 1-1 Flag of Ghana Ghana 24 March 2007 UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria Ghana: Muntari 87; Austria: Rene Aufhauser 55
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 4-1 Flag of Nigeria Nigeria 06 February 2007 Griffin Park, Brentford, England Ghana: Kingston 50, Muntari 53, Agogo 60, Joetex Asamoah Frimpong 74; Nigeria: Taye Ismaila Taiwo 65 Pen. [22] & [23]
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 1-1 Flag of Australia Australia 14 November 2006 QPR's Loftus Road Stadium, London, England Ghana: Agogo 75; Australia: Aloisi 27 Pen. [24]
Friendly Flag of South Korea Korea Republic 1-3 Flag of Ghana Ghana 8 October 2006 Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, Korea Ghana: Asamoah 48,83 Essien 58; Korea: Kim Dong-hyun 62
Friendly Flag of Japan Japan 0-1 Flag of Ghana Ghana 4 October 2006 International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan Ghana: Haminu Dramani 72; [25]
Friendly Flag of Ghana Ghana 2-0 Flag of Togo Togo 15 August 2006 Griffin Park, Brentford, England Ghana: Pimpong 60; Tachie-Mensah 90 [26]

[edit] Ghana squad

Current Head coach: TBA Frenchman Claude Le Roy, appointed on 13 Sept. 2006

Ghana Squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup

[edit] Current squad

Most Recent Squad
Date announced 27 May 2008 [27]
Game(s) Flag of Libya Libya, 1 June, Flag of Lesotho Lesotho 8 June, Flag of Gabon Gabon 14 June, Flag of Gabon Gabon 22 June
Venue(s) Baba Yara, Kumasi, Ghana; Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Omar Bongo, Libreville, Gabon; Ohene Djan, Accra, Ghana
Competition 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Dropped Derek Asamoah
Debutant(s) None
Injured *Appiah, Ayew, Shilla, Asamoah, Amponsah, Amoah
Called Up Prince Tagoe, Moussa Narry
Notes Mario Balotelli Excused
Goalkeepers
Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Debut
Richard Kingson June 13, 1978 (1978-06-13) (age 29) Flag of England Birmingham City 56 (0) v Brazil,
27 March 1996
William Amamoo April 4, 1982 (1982-04-04) (age 26) Flag of Sweden Vasalund/Essinge IF 1 (0) v Australia,
23 May 2008
George Owu July 7, 1982 (1982-07-07) (age 25) Flag of Egypt Al-Masry 7 (0) v Somalia,
19 November 2003
Defenders
Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Debut
Hans Sarpei June 28, 1976 (1976-06-28) (age 31) Flag of Germany Bayer Leverkusen 23 (0) v Zimbabwe, 7 November 2000
Eric Addo November 12, 1978 (1978-11-12) (age 29) Flag of the Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 27 (0) v Tunisia, 9 February 1998
David Addy Flag of Ghana Wa All Stars 1 (0) v Australia 23 May 2008
Harrison Afful June 24, 1986 (1986-06-24) (age 21) Flag of Ghana Asante Kotoko 5 (0) v Ivory Coast, 9 February 2008
* Kofi Amponsah April 23, 1978 (1978-04-23) (age 30) Flag of Greece Apollon Kalamarias - (0) v Greece 14 December 1999
Francis Dickoh December 13, 1982 (1982-12-13) (age 25) Flag of the Netherlands Utrecht 10 (0) v Saudi Arabia 14 November 2005
John Mensah (vc) November 29, 1982 (1982-11-29) (age 25) Flag of France Stade Rennais 56 (0) v Algeria 5 December 2001
John Pantsil June 15, 1981 (1981-06-15) (age 26) Flag of England West Ham United 43 (0) v Algeria, 5 December 2001
* Illiasu Shilla October 26, 1982 (1982-10-26) (age 25) Flag of Russia FC Saturn 13 (0) v Jamaica, 29 May 2006
Midfielders
Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Debut
* Stephen Appiah (c) December 24, 1980 (1980-12-24) (age 27) Flag of Turkey Fenerbahçe 53 (13) v Benin, 24 December 1996
Michael Essien December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03) (age 25) Flag of England Chelsea 40 (8) v Egypt 4 January 2002
Laryea Kingston November 7, 1980 (1980-11-07) (age 27) Flag of Scotland Heart of Midlothian 26 (6) v Congo DR, 27 March 2005
Sulley Ali Muntari August 27, 1984 (1984-08-27) (age 23) Flag of England Portsmouth 39 (11) v Slovenia, 17 May 2002
Anthony Annan July 21, 1986 (1986-07-21) (age 21) Flag of Norway Stabæk 14 (0) v Austria 24 March 2007
Prince Buaben April 23, 1988 (1988-04-23) (age 20) Flag of Scotland Dundee United 1 (0) v Australia 23 May 2008
Haminu Dramani April 1, 1986 (1986-04-01) (age 22) Flag of Russia Lokomotiv Moscow 25 (3) v Saudi Arabia 14 November 2005
Moussa Narry April 19, 1986 (1986-04-19) (age 22) Flag of Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 2 (0) v Togo, 18 November 2007
* André Ayew December 17, 1989 (1989-12-17) (age 18) Flag of France Olympique de Marseille 10 (0) v Senegal, 21 August 2007
Strikers
Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Debut
* Asamoah Gyan November 22, 1985 (1985-11-22) (age 22) Flag of Italy Udinese 27 (13) v Somalia, 19 November 2003
Junior Agogo August 1, 1979 (1979-08-01) (age 28) Flag of England Nottingham Forest 19 (10) v Japan 4 October 2006
Emmanuel Agyemang Badu Flag of Ghana Berekum Arsenal 2 (0) v Australia 23 May 2008
* Matthew Amoah October 24, 1980 (1980-10-24) (age 27) Flag of the Netherlands NAC Breda 25 (7) v Morocco 21 January 2002
Eric Bekoe September 9, 1988 (1988-09-09) (age 19) Flag of Ghana Asante Kotoko 2 (0) v Mexico, 26 March 2008
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie April 15, 1986 (1986-04-15) (age 22) Flag of Spain Celta Vigo
on loan from Flag of Russia Spartak Moscow
8 (1) v Guinea, 20 January 2008
Prince Tagoe November 9, 1986 (1986-11-09) (age 21) Flag of Saudi Arabia Al-Ittifaq 6 (1) v Togo 11 January 2006

[edit] Recent callups

The following players have also been called up to the Ghana squad recently:

Players
Name DOB Club Caps (goals) Debut Most recent callup
FW Mario Balotelli August 12, 1990 (1990-08-12) (age 17) Flag of Italy Internazionale Milano 0 (0) v Senegal,
21 August 2007
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
DF Daniel Opare October 18, 1990 (1990-10-18) (age 17) Flag of Spain Real Madrid 0 (0) v Togo,
18 November 2007
v Togo,
18 November 2007
FW Derek Asamoah May 1, 1981 (1981-05-01) (age 27) Flag of France OGC Nice 3 (0) v Korea Republic,
8 October 2006
v Australia,
23 May 2008
GK Patrick Antwi November 4, 1987 (1987-11-04) (age 20) Flag of Ghana Liberty Professionals 1 (0) v Mexico,
26 March 2008
v Mexico,
26 March 2008
DF Richard Manu January 20, 1974 (1974-01-20) (age 34) Flag of Ghana Asante Kotoko 0 (0) N/A v Mexico,
26 March 2008
MF Ahmed Barusso December 26, 1984 (1984-12-26) (age 23) Flag of Italy AS Roma 6 (1) v Rwanda,
6 July 2003
v Mexico,
26 March 2008
FW Baffour Gyan July 2, 1980 (1980-07-02) (age 27) Flag of Russia FC Saturn 33 (5) v Sudan,
25 February 2001
2008 African Nations Cup
FW Ransford Osei December 5, 1990 (1990-12-05) (age 17) Flag of Poland Legia Warsaw 0 (0) v Togo,
18 November 2007
v Togo,
18 November 2007
DF Samuel Kuffour September 3, 1976 (1976-09-03) (age 31) Flag of the Netherlands Ajax Amsterdam 59 (3) v Sierra Leone,
28 November 1993
2006 FIFA World Cup
GK Sammy Adjei September 1, 1980 (1980-09-01) (age 27) Flag of Israel FC Ashdod 34 (0) v Sudan,
25 February 2001
2008 African Nations Cup
GK Abdul Fatawu Dauda April 6, 1985 (1985-04-06) (age 23) Flag of Ghana Ashanti Gold SC 0 (0) 2008 African Cup of Nations,
20 January 2008
2008 African Nations Cup
DF Nana Akwasi Asare July 11, 1986 (1986-07-11) (age 21) Flag of Belgium KV Mechelen 2 (0) v Morocco,
8 September 2007
2008 African Nations Cup
MF Bennard Yao Kumordzi March 21, 1985 (1985-03-21) (age 23) Flag of Greece Panionios 3 (1) v Brazil,
27 March 2007
2008 African Nations Cup
FW Kwadwo Asamoah September 9, 1988 (1988-09-09) (age 19) Flag of Italy Torino Calcio 0 (0) 2008 African Cup of Nations,
20 January 2008
2008 African Nations Cup
FW Chris Dickson December 28, 1984 (1984-12-28) (age 23) Flag of England Charlton Athletic 0 (0) Pre-2008 African Cup of Nations,
18 December 2007
Pre-2008 African Cup of Nations,
18 December 2007
FW Joetex Asamoah Frimpong April 17, 1983 (1983-04-17) (age 25) Flag of Switzerland BSC Young Boys 12 (1) v Burkina Faso,
5 June 2005
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
FW Moses Sakyi March 12, 1981 (1981-03-12) (age 27) Flag of Portugal Estrela Amadora 2 (0) v Togo,
14 June 2004
v Saudi Arabia,
11 September 2007
DF Yahaya Mohamed February 17, 1988 (1988-02-17) (age 20) Flag of France OGC Nice 0 (0) v Senegal,
21 August 2007
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
MF Michael Helegbe September 15, 1985 (1985-09-15) (age 22) Flag of France En Avant Guingamp 3 (0) v Brazil,
27 March 2007
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
FW Nafiu Idrissu June 12, 1986 (1986-06-12) (age 22) Flag of the United Arab Emirates Dhafra 0 (0) v Togo,
18 November 2007
v Togo,
18 November 2007
FW Razak Pimpong December 30, 1982 (1982-12-30) (age 25) Flag of Norway Viking F.K. 10 (1) v Nigeria,
15 December 2002
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
FW Sadat Bukari April 12, 1989 (1989-04-12) (age 19) Flag of Tunisia Étoile du Sahel 0 (0) v Senegal,
21 August 2007
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
DF Isaac Vorsah June 21, 1988 (1988-06-21) (age 19) Flag of Germany 1899 Hoffenheim 0 (0) v Senegal,
21 August 2007
v Senegal,
21 August 2007
MF Derek Boateng May 2, 1983 (1983-05-02) (age 25) Flag of Israel Beitar Jerusalem 17 (3) v Mali,
25 December 2001
v Brazil,
27 March 2007
MF Ekow Benson April 23, 1989 (1989-04-23) (age 19) Flag of Ghana Hearts of Oak 1 (0) v Brazil,
27 March 2007
v Brazil,
27 March 2007
FW Peter Ofori-Quaye March 21, 1980 (1980-03-21) (age 28) Flag of Greece OFI Crete N/A N/A v Brazil,
27 March 2007
FW Alex Tachie-Mensah February 15, 1977 (1977-02-15) (age 31) Flag of Switzerland St. Gallen 11 (1) v Mali,
25 December 2001
v Brazil,
27 March 2007
DF Alfred Arthur December 25, 1986 (1986-12-25) (age 21) Flag of Austria Fußballclub Wacker Innsbruck 1 (0) v Brazil,
27 March 2007
v Brazil,
27 March 2007
FW Ibrahim Salou May 29, 1979 (1979-05-29) (age 29) Flag of Belgium Club Brugge 0 (0) v Nigeria,
6 February 2007
v Nigeria,
6 February 2007
FW Isaac Boakye November 26, 1981 (1981-11-26) (age 26) Flag of Germany FSV Mainz 18 (5) v Zimbabwe,
3 June 2001
v Nigeria,
6 February 2007
DF Habib Mohamed December 10, 1983 (1983-12-10) (age 24) Flag of Turkey Ankaragucu 8 (0) v Jamaica
29 May 2006
v Nigeria,
6 February 2007
DF Issah Ahmed May 24, 1982 (1982-05-24) (age 26) Flag of Denmark Randers FC 11 (0) v Burkina Faso
5 June 2005
v South Korea,
8 October 2006
DF Daniel Quaye December 25, 1980 (1980-12-25) (age 27) Flag of the People's Republic of China Chongqing Lifan 7 (0) v Sierra Leone
5 May 2001
v South Korea,
8 October 2006
DF Emmanuel Pappoe March 3, 1981 (1981-03-03) (age 27) Flag of Cyprus AEK Larnaca 29 (0) v Sierra Leone,
19 October 2002
v Togo,
15 August 2006
MF Otto Addo June 9, 1975 (1975-06-09) (age 33) Flag of Germany Hamburg SV
15 (1) v Eritrea,
28 February 1999
2006 FIFA World Cup
FW Baba Adamu October 20, 1979 (1979-10-20) (age 28) Flag of Turkey Sakaryaspor 8 (2) v Jamaica,
7 August 1999
v Mexico,
1 March 2006
FW Patrick Agyeman September 29, 1980 (1980-09-29) (age 27) Flag of England Queens Park Rangers 3 (1) v Nigeria,
30 May 2003
v Mexico,
1 March 2006
FW Elvis Hammond October 10, 1980 (1980-10-10) (age 27) Flag of England Leicester City 1 (0) v Mexico,
1 March 2006
v Mexico,
1 March 2006
MF Abubakari Yakubu December 13, 1981 (1981-12-13) (age 26) Flag of the Netherlands Vitesse Arnhem N/A N/A 2006 African Nations Cup

[edit] 2006 FIFA World Cup Squad

See 2006 FIFA World Cup - Ghana Squad.

[edit] Domestic League Players Here

See Ghana Domestic League Players List.

[edit] Other Ghana Players

Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards

[edit] Players with Ghanaian roots

[edit] Previous Nations Cup squads

  • Ghana Squad - 1963 African Cup of Nations
  • Ghana Squad - 1965 African Cup of Nations
  • Ghana Squad - 1968 African Cup of Nations
  • Ghana Squad - 1970 African Cup of Nations
  • Ghana Squad - 1978 African Cup of Nations

[edit] Famous players

Ghana has had great players in their rich history from the early 1950s, through the 1960s ANC Championship sides to 1970 when CAF instituted a new African Footballer of the Year Best player Awards to the 1990s when Abédi Pelé and Tony Yeboah received FIFA World Player of the Year top ten nominations and the 2000s when Sammy Kuffour and Michael Essien became FIFA World Class Players and received Ballon d'Or nominations. Ghana has never been short of talent. Abédi Pelé is one of the "FIFA 100" greatest living footballers of all-time.

On 13 January 2007, the Confederation of African Football voted Abedi Pele, Michael Essien, Tony Yeboah, Ibrahim Abdul Razak and Samuel Kuffour as members of the CAF Top 30 Best African Players of all-time. In addition, Abedi and Yeboah were voted as members of the Africa Best Player of the Century in 1999 by IFFHS.

[edit] Other Heroes

  • Kwesi Owusu
  • Seth Ampadu
  • George Alhassan
  • John Essien
  • Haruna Yusif
  • Acquaye McLean
  • John S. Bannerman
  • Ben Acheampong
  • Owusu Mensah
  • Kofi Badu
  • Joseph K. Carr
  • Oliver Acquah
  • Edward Acquah
  • Sampson Lamptey
  • Isaac Paha
  • Offei Ansah
  • Windsor Kofi Abbrey
  • Thomas Hammond
  • Prince Polley
  • Akwasi Appiah
  • Emmanuel Ampiah
  • Nii Darko Ankrah

[edit] Technical staff

Head Coach Vacant
Assistant Coach Flag of Ghana Akwasi Appiah
Fitness Coach Vacant
Goalkeeping Coach Flag of Ghana Edward Ansah
Psychologist Flag of Ghana Dr. Yao Mfodwo
Physiotherapist Flag of Ghana Charles Botchway
Team Doctor Flag of Ghana Dr Percy Annan
2nd Team Doctor Flag of Ghana Dr Allan Akaba
Welfare Officer Flag of Ghana Opoku Afriyie
Protocol Officer Flag of Ghana Alex Asante
Spokesman Flag of Ghana Randy Abbey
Kit Manager Flag of Ghana Sherif Bobo Musah

[edit] Head coaches

All Head Coaches of Ghana and the dates they were appointed. Everything you need to know about Ghana's new coach Le Roy

Date appointed Manager name
2008 - present TBA
2006 - 2008 Flag of France Claude Le Roy
2004 - 2006 Flag of Serbia and Montenegro Ratomir Dujković
2004 Flag of Ghana Sam Arday (interim)
2004 Flag of Portugal Mariano Barreto
2003 Flag of Germany Ralf Zumdick
2003 Flag of Germany Burkhard Ziese
2002 Flag of Ghana Emmanuel Akwasi Afranie
2002 Flag of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milan Živadinović
2001 - 2002 Flag of Ghana Fred Osam-Duodu
2001 Flag of Ghana Cecil Jones Attuquayefio
2000 Flag of Ghana Fred Osam-Duodu
1999 - 2000 Flag of Italy Giuseppe Dossena
Date appointed Manager name
1997 - 1998 Flag of the Netherlands Rinus Israël
1996 - 1997 Flag of Ghana Sam Arday
1996 Flag of Brazil Ismael Kurtz
1995 Flag of Romania Petre Gavrilla
1995 Flag of Denmark Jørgen E. Larsen
1994 Flag of Ghana E.J. Aggrey-Fynn
1993 Flag of Ghana Fred Osam-Duodu
1992 - 1993 Flag of Germany Otto Pfister
1990 - 1992 Flag of Germany Burkhard Ziese
1988 - 1989 Flag of Ghana Fred Osam-Duodu
1986 - 1987 Flag of Germany Rudi Gutendorf
1984 Flag of Ghana Herbert Addo
Date appointed Manager name
1984 Flag of Ghana Emmanuel Akwasi Afranie
1982 - 1983 Flag of Ghana C. K. Gyamfi^
1978 - 1981 Flag of Ghana Fred Osam-Duodu^
1977 - 1978 Flag of Brazil O. C. Sampaio
1974 - 1975 Flag of Germany Karl Weigang
1968 - 1970 Flag of Germany Karl Heinz Marotzke
1967 Flag of Brazil Carlos Alberto Parreira
1963 - 1965 Flag of Ghana C. K. Gyamfi^
1963 Flag of Hungary Josef Ember
1959 - 1962 Flag of Sweden Adreas Sjolberg
1958 - 1959 Flag of England George Ainsley

^Won African Cup of Nations during tenure

[edit] Competitive Statistics

FIFA World Cup Record
FIFA World Cup Record GP W D L GF GA GD Success
World Cup Finals 4 2 0 2 4 6 -2 50%
World Cup Quals (H) 29 19 8 2 55 17 +38 79.31%
World Cup Quals (A) 28 7 8 13 31 36 -5 39.28%
World Cup Total 61 28 16 17 90 59 +31 59.01%

FIFA World Cup Record by team

Ghana versus GP W D* L GF GA GD Success
Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Italy Italy 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0%
Flag of Brazil Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0%
Flag of the United States USA 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100%
Total 4 2 0 2 4 6 -2 50%

____

African Cup of Nations Record
Nations Cup Record GP W D L GF GA GD Success
Nations Cup Finals 66 37 13 16 91 56 +35 65.90%
Nations Cup Quals (H) 31 22 6 3 69 23 +46 80.65%
Nations Cup Quals (A) 31 11 8 12 42 31 +11 48.39%
Nations Cup Total 128 70 27 31 202 110 +92 65.23%

Nations Cup Record by team

Ghana versus GP W D* L GF GA GD Success
Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire 8 5 1* 2 17 11 +6 68.75%
Flag of Tunisia Tunisia 6 5 1 0 10 4 +6 91.67%
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Congo DR 5 3 0 2 8 5 +3 60%
Flag of Nigeria Nigeria 6 2 1 3 6 7 -1 41.67%
Flag of Senegal Senegal 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 87.50%
Flag of the Republic of the Congo Congo 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 100%
Flag of Guinea Guinea 4 3 1 0 5 2 +3 87.50%
Flag of Zambia Zambia 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 66.66%
Flag of Algeria Algeria 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 50%
Flag of South Africa South Africa 3 0 1 2 0 4 -4 16.67%
Flag of Egypt Egypt 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 75%
Flag of Morocco Morocco 3 1 1 1 2 1 +1 50%
Flag of Sudan Sudan 2 1 0 1 3 1 +2 50%
Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina Faso 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 100%
Flag of Cameroon Cameroon 3 0 2 1 1 2 -1 33%
Flag of Libya Libya 2 0 2* 0 3 3 0 50%
Flag of Togo Togo 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 50%
Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Uganda Uganda 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Malawi Malawi 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Flag of Mozambique Mozambique 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Namibia Namibia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Flag of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0%
Total 66 37 13 16 91 56 +35 65.90%

*Denotes draws including the 1982 & 1992 Final matches

decided on penalty kicks v Libya (8-7p) & Ivory Coast (10-11p).

______

West African Nations Cup [SCSA Zone III] Record

Year Venue Round Position GP W D* L GF GA GD Success
1982 Flag of Benin Benin Final Winner 5 3 2 0 14 8 +6 80%
1983 Flag of Côte d'Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire Final Winner 4 3 1 0 7 2 +5 87.5%
1984 Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina Faso Final Winner 5 2 3* 0 9 5 +4 70%
1986 Flag of Ghana Ghana Final Winner 6 5 1 0 12 2 +10 91.70%
1987 Flag of Liberia Liberia Final Winner 5 5 0 0 14 2 +12 100%
1988-2000 Not Held - Not Held - - - - - - - -
Total 5/5 5 Finals 5 Championships 25 18 7 0 56 19 +37 86%

*Denotes draws including the 1984 Final match decided on

penalty kicks v Togo (4-3p).

*The Tournament was not held in 1985.

FIFA U20 World Cup Record
FIFA U20 World Cup Record GP W D L GF GA GD Success
World Cup Finals 25 15 6 4 39 21 +18 72.0%
Africa U20 Quals 55 32 12 11 78 36 +42 69.09%
U20 Total 80 47 18 15 117 57 +60 70.55%

FIFA U20 World Cup Record by team

Ghana versus GP W D* L GF GA GD Success
Flag of Brazil Brazil 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 50%
Flag of Argentina Argentina 2 1 0 1 1 3 -2 50%
Flag of Ireland Republic of Ireland 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 50%
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 25%
Flag of Portugal Portugal 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Russia Russia 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100%
Flag of England England 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100%
Flag of Chile Chile 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50%
Flag of the United States USA 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 100%
Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100%
Flag of Germany Germany 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 50%
Flag of Japan Japan 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100%
Flag of Croatia Croatia 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50%
Flag of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100%
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100%
Flag of Spain Spain 1 0 1* 0 1 1 0 50%
Flag of Paraguay Paraguay 1 1 0 1 2 1 +1 100%
Flag of Iran Iran 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Flag of France France 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 50%
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Flag of Egypt Egypt 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Total 25 15 6 4 39 21 +18 72.00%

*Denotes draws including the 1999 Quarter-Final match

decided on penalty kicks v Spain (7-8p).

_____

FIFA U17 World Cup Record
FIFA U17 World Cup Record GP W D L GF GA GD Success
U17 World Cup Finals 43 27 10 6 86 35 +51 74.42%
U17 Africa Quals 58 38 8 12 108 44 +64 72.41%
U17 Total 101 65 18 18 194 80 +115 73.42%

FIFA U17 World Cup Record by team

Ghana versus GP W D* L GF GA GD Succ.
Flag of Spain Spain 5 2 2 1 6 5 +1 60%
Flag of Brazil Brazil 5 3 1* 1 9 7 +2 70.00%
Flag of Japan Japan 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Cuba Cuba 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1 75%
Flag of Bahrain Bahrain 2 1 0 1 5 1 +4 50%
Flag of Mexico Mexico 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 100%
Flag of Uruguay Uruguay 2 2 0 0 5 2 +3 100%
Flag of the United States USA 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4 100%
Flag of Oman Oman 2 2 0 0 7 2 +5 100%
Flag of Costa Rica Costa Rica 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 75%
Flag of Scotland Scotland 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 50%
Flag of Ecuador Ecuador 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100%
Flag of Portugal Portugal 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 100%
Flag of Argentina Argentina 1 0 1 0 0 0 +0 50%
Flag of Thailand Thailand 1 1 0 0 7 1 +6 100%
Flag of Qatar Qatar 1 0 1* 0 0 0 0 50%
Flag of Italy Italy 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 100%
Flag of Australia Australia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100%
Flag of Chile Chile 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 100%
Flag of Peru Peru 2 1 1 0 3 1 +2 75%
Flag of the People's Republic of China China PR 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50%
Flag of Nigeria Nigeria 1 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0%
Flag of Germany Germany 2 0 0 2 3 5 -2 0%
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3 100%
Flag of Colombia Colombia 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100%
Total 43 27 10 6 86 35 +51 74.42%

*Denotes draws including the 1991 & 1999 Semi-Final matches

decided on penalty kicks v Qatar (4-2p) & Brazil (2-4p).

[edit] Trivia

  • Ghana hosted and won the Original African Cup of Nations Trophy (Known as The Abdelaziz Abdallah Salem Trophy) for Keeps in 1978 as they became the first Country to win three Nations Cup titles[27].
  • Of the 32 countries which participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ghana was ranked the 13th Best Nation by FIFA.[28]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "LeRoy out of Ghana job", BBC Sports, 2008-05-08. Retrieved on 2008-05-08. 
  2. ^ All-Stars clash kick off in Bari. Meridian Cup. UEFA (1 February 2001). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
  3. ^ Ghana 7:0 Nigeria - How the 'Daily Graphic' in 1955. Ghanaian Daily Graphic. myjoyonline.com (30 October 1955). Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  4. ^ a b Kenya International Matches. Kenya International Matches. RSSSF (1 February 2000). Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
  5. ^ a b BLACK METEORS HUMILIATED 8-2 BY BRAZIL. Ghanaian News Runner. newsrunner.com (3 April 1996). Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
  6. ^ a b 1996 INTERCONTINENTAL MATCHES. Author: Neil Morrison. srcf.ucam.org (1 February 2001). Retrieved on 2001-02-01.
  7. ^ "African Football: The early years", bbc.co.uk, 2004-01-16. Retrieved on 2004-01-16. 
  8. ^ "Ghana: The crucible of African soccer", SoccerBlog.com, 2007-01-24. Retrieved on 2008-01-24. 
  9. ^ "Ghanaian football's early years", bbc.co.uk, 2007-03-06. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
  10. ^ "Congolaises Football National", Congo Sports, CongoSports, 2 January 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-01. 
  11. ^ "African Nations Cup upsets", bbc.co.uk, 2006-01-10. Retrieved on 2006-01-10. 
  12. ^ "50 years of Ghana National Football - The German Connection", ghana.diplo.de, 2007-04-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-01. 
  13. ^ 1993 INTERCONTINENTAL MATCHES. Author: Neil Morrison. srcf.ucam.org (1 January 2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
  14. ^ "Brazil moves closer to Olympic gold", jsonline.com, 1996-07-28. Retrieved on 2007-04-01. 
  15. ^ All 15 African teams who entered the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualifying, including Ghana, withdrew after seeding due to FIFA reserving one place for both Africa and Asia ("World Cup 1966 qualifications: Africa", rsssf.com, 2000-04-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-01. ).
  16. ^ "Essien eyes Nations Cup title", namibia.com.na, 2007-06-26. Retrieved on 2007-06-26. 
  17. ^ "African Football: ANC winners from 1957 to 2002", panapress.com, 2004-01-01. Retrieved on 2004-01-01. 
  18. ^ "ANC winners from 1957 to 2002", panapress.com, 2004-01-01. Retrieved on 2004-01-01. 
  19. ^ "Games of the XXII Olympiad, Football Qualifying Tournament", rsssf.com, 2002-01-01. Retrieved on 2002-01-01. 
  20. ^ "Burkinabe win over Ghana revoked", bbc.co.uk, 2007-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-02-07. 
  21. ^ "CAF Men's Football Olympic Games 2008", sportscheduler.co.sz, 2007-06-02. Retrieved on 2007-06-02. 
  22. ^ "All-Africa Games' fixtures", bbc.co.uk, 2007-04-10. Retrieved on 2007-04-10. 
  23. ^ "Brazil 3-0 Ghana", bbc.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27. 
  24. ^ "Ronaldo tops the charts as rocky Brazil roll on", guardian.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27. 
  25. ^ "Ghana's brave run broken by Brazilians", independent.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27. 
  26. ^ "Ghana going forward", BBC Sports, BBC Sports, 27 June 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-01. 
  27. ^ "African Nations Cup trophy revealed", bbc.co.uk, 2001-09-25. Retrieved on 2001-09-25. 
  28. ^ Yahoo News. Defunct Link. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.

http://www.ghanafa.org/blackstars/200801/2586.asp

[edit] External links

Preceded by
1962 Ethiopia Flag of Ethiopia
African Champions
1963 (First title)
1965 (Second title)
Succeeded by
1968 Congo DR Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Preceded by
1976 Morocco Flag of Morocco
African Champions
1978 (Third title)
Succeeded by
1980 Nigeria Flag of Nigeria
Preceded by
1980 Nigeria Flag of Nigeria
African Champions
1982 (Fourth title)
Succeeded by
1984 Cameroon Flag of Cameroon
Preceded by
Inaugural Champions
West African Champions
1982 (First title)
1983 (Second title)
1984 (Third title)
1986 (Fourth title)
1987 (Fifth title)
Succeeded by
Defunct