Ghana national football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Football | |||
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| 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[5] (in 1963, 1965, 1978, and 1982), making Ghana the second most successful team in the contest's history.
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.
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[edit] History
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[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] Gold Coast Amateur Football Association
In 1952, the Government of the Gold Coast enacted Ordinance 14, establishing the Gold Coast Amateur Sports Council, which gave it legal authority to control all amateur Associations including Football. Indeed, as the popularity of the game spread throughout the entire country, the then existing clubs, towards the tail end of 1930, met and elected one Mr. Richard Akwei as their Chairman. However, towards the middle of 1950, the clubs, spearheaded by Mr. Ohene Djan accused Mr. Richard Akwei of maladministration, and a Chairman who was not up to the task of transforming Gold Coast Football to greater heights. They therefore addressed petitions to the Governor of the Gold Coast, Sir Gordon Arden Clerke and the Pioneer Sports Organiser, Mr. Joseph Ranadurai, a Jamaican born British on the mal-administration of the Amateur Football Association headed by Mr. Akwei. While the petition was being addressed, Mr. Ohene Djan spear headed a "Football Revolution" and succeeded in toppling the Richard Akwei Administration in 1957.
[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.
[edit] Early years
As Ghana celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2007, one of its first sporting heroes has been remembering 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." [6]
( 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.)
[edit] African Dominance in the 1960’s
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.[2] 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[7]. 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[8].
[edit] Charles Kumi Gyamfi Impact
As far back as September 1960, legendary Ghanaian International and later great Coach Charles Kumi Gyamfi was the first spectacular foreign import to Düsseldorf, Germany. Back then, he was the first African player in the German league. It all started on 2nd 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)[9].
[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 German Bundesliga Goal-king Anthony Yeboah among others Match Photo Here, Ghana shocked the World Champions by taking the lead through Prince Polley in the 44th min., 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 one minute - the 70th minute alone! - through Ulf Kirsten 70', Stefan Effenberg 70', Jürgen Klinsmann 70'. With the Ghanaian team in disarray, the World Champions added 3 more goals in the 82’, 86‘, and 88’, for a final score of 1-6[10].
It was later reported by the Ghanaian newspaper Daily Graphic 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 that the issue was still unresolved when the Ghanaians stepped out on the field to play the 2nd half. Nevertheless, the Ghanaian media coined the term ‘Bochum Disaster’ which stuck in Ghanaian footballing folklore, as the worst defeat of all-time by the senior National Team, the Black Stars.
Ghana’s U-23 Olympic Youth Team, the Black Meteors also lost 2-8[3] 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[4] 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 Sammy 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[11].. 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 & 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 Leoneans 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 favor 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).
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. (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[12])
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 tremendous 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 2 Superstars 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 back on its feet, ready to challenge for honors again[13].
[edit] Team honours
- African Cup of Nations runners-up: 3
- 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987
- All-African Games: 2 Bronze medals
- 1978, 2003
- Summer Olympic Games: 1 Bronze medal
[edit] World Cup record
- 1930 to 1958 - Did not enter
- 1962 - Did not qualify
- 1966 - Withdrew
- 1970 to 1978 - Did not qualify
- 1982 - Withdrew
- 1986 to 2002 - Did not qualify
- 2006 - Round 2
[edit] African Nations Cup record
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[edit] Most African Nations Cup Wins
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[edit] Most African Nations Cup Final appearances
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[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[14].
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[15].
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
| This article or section contains information about a future sporting event or team. It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the event approaches and more information becomes available. |
Ghana will host the 2008 African Cup of Nations from 20 January to 10 February 2008 in their 16th Appearance at the Tournament. They will be in Group A together with Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea, Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia and Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco. Check the official 2008 African Cup of Nations Website
[edit] 2008 ANC Group A
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ghana has no competitive games until the start of the .
| January 20, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
| January 24, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
| January 28, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
[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[16]. 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
| This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. |
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"[17].
[edit] 2008 Olympic Games Qualifying African Group A
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[edit] Forthcoming Fixtures[18]
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- The three Olympic Qualifying Group winners from Africa qualify for the Football Tournament at the 2008 Beijing Games
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[19]. They reached the African Games after eliminating Nigeria's Olympic Team.
| Category | Team A | Result | Team B | Date | Venue | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Iran.svg Iran | 4-2 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg 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
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 RepublicGhana 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[23].
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 | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | 3-0 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 27 June | Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund | Brazil: Ronaldo 5, Adriano 45+, Ze Roberto 84) [4] First Half; Second Half |
| Group E | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2-1 | Image:Flag of the United States.svg USA | 22 June | Frankenstadion, Nuremberg | Ghana Dramani 22, Appiah 47+; USA: Clint Dempsey 43)[5] Pre-Match; 1st Half; 2nd half |
| Group E | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2-0 | Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic | 17 June | RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne | Ghana: Asamoah 2, Muntari 82) [6] 1st Half; 2nd half |
| Group E | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | 2-0 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 12 June | AWD-Arena, Hannover | Italy: Pirlo, 40 Iaquinta 83)[7] 1st Half; 2nd half |
[edit] Forthcoming fixtures
Ghana has no competitive games until the start of the 2008 African Cup of Nations, in January 2008, as they will host the competition. They will be in Group A together with Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea, Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia and Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco.
| January 20, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
| January 24, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
| January 28, 2008 | |||
| Ghana Image:Flag of Ghana.svg | v | Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra Ref: |
[edit] Recent results
| Category | Team A | Result | Team B | Date | Venue | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 4-2 | Image:Flag of Benin.svg Benin | 21 November 2007 | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana | Ghana: Agogo 47, Kingston 78, 86, Appiah 84; Benin: Sessegnon 25, Omotoyossi 46 [8] |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2-0 | Image:Flag of Togo.svg Togo | 18 November 2007 | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana | Ghana: Baffour 53, Kingston 63 [9] |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia | 5-0 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 11 September 2007 | King Fahd Stadium, Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia: Al-Qahtani 5,51, Kearairi 25, Harthi (pen.) 57, Tukar (pen.) 90 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2-0 | Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco | 8 September 2007 | Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France | Ghana: Agogo 47, Barusso 74 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 1-1 | Image:Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal | 21 August 2007 | New Den Stadium, London, England | Ghana: Asamoah 45+; Senegal: Diouf 74 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | 1-0 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 27 March 2007 | Råsunda Stadium, Stockholm, Sweden | Brazil Vagner Love 17 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Austria.svg Austria | 1-1 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 24 March 2007 | UPC-Arena, Graz, Austria | Ghana: Muntari 87; Austria: Rene Aufhauser 55 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 4-1 | Image:Flag of Nigeria.svg 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. [10] |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 1-1 | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Australia | 14 November 2006 | QPR's Loftus Road Stadium, London, England | Ghana: Agogo 75; Australia: Aloisi 27 Pen. [11] |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of South Korea.svg Korea Republic | 1-3 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 8 October 2006 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, Korea | Ghana: Asamoah 48,83 Essien 58; Korea: Kim Dong-hyun 62 |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Japan.svg Japan | 0-1 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 4 October 2006 | International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan | Ghana: Haminu Dramani 72; [12] |
| Friendly | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana | 2-0 | Image:Flag of Togo.svg Togo | 15 August 2006 | Griffin Park, Brentford, England | Ghana: Pimpong 60; Tachie-Mensah 90 |
[edit] Ghana squad
Current Head coach: Frenchman Claude Le Roy, appointed on 13 Sept. 2006
Ghana Squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup
[edit] Current squad
| Most Recent Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date announced | 02 January 2008 28-man Pre-ANC squad | |
| Game(s) | Image:Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea, 20 January 2008, Image:Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia, 24 January 2008 Image:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco, 28 January 2008 | |
| Venue(s) | Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra, Ghana | |
| Competition | 2008 African Cup of Nations | |
| Dropped | Ransford Osei, Samuel Kuffour, Kofi Amponsah, JoeTex Frimpong | |
| Debutant(s) | Daniel Addo, Kwadwo Asamoah, Rabiu Mohammed Laud Quartey, Isaac Amoako Eric Bekoe, Nafiu Iddrisu, Sadat Bukari, Chris Dickson | |
| Injured | Illiasu Shilla, Baffour Gyan, Stephen Appiah, Laryea Kingston | |
| Called Up | Michael Helegbe, Bennard Kumordzi, Hamza Mohammed | |
| Notes | Mario Balotelli Excused | |
- Goalkeepers
| Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Kingson | June 13 1978 | Image:Flag of England.svg Birmingham City | 47 (0) | v Brazil, 27 March 1996 |
| Sammy Adjei | September 1 1980 | Image:Flag of Israel.svg FC Ashdod | 34 (0) | v Sudan, 25 February 2001 |
| Fatau Dauda | N/A | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ashanti Gold SC | 0 (0) | 2008 African Cup of Nations, 20 January 2008 |
- Defenders
| Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Pantsil | June 15 1981 | Image:Flag of England.svg West Ham United | 33 (0) | v Algeria, 5 December 2001 |
| Daniel Opare | October 18 1990 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ashanti Gold SC | 0 (0) | v Togo, 18 November 2007 |
| Hans Sarpei | June 28 1976 | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Bayer Leverkusen | 17 (0) | v Zimbabwe, 7 November 2000 |
| Nana Akwasi Asare | July 11 1986 | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg KV Mechelen | 2 (0) | v Morocco, 8 September 2007 |
| Francis Dickoh | December 13 1982 | Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg FC Utrecht | 9 (0) | v Saudi Arabia, 14 November 2005 |
| John Mensah (vc) | November 29 1982 | Image:Flag of France.svg Rennes | 44 (0) | v Algeria, 5 December 2001 |
| Eric Addo | November 12 1978 | Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg PSV Eindhoven | 17 (0) | v Tunisia, 9 February 1998 |
| Illiasu Shilla | October 26 1982 | Image:Flag of Russia.svg FC Saturn | 13 (0) | v Jamaica, 29 May 2006 |
| Afful Harrison | June 24 1986 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Asante Kotoko | 0 (0) | 2008 African Cup of Nations, 20 January 2008 |
- Midfielders
| Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Appiah (c) | December 24 1980 | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Fenerbahçe | 53 (13) | v Benin, 24 December 1996 |
| Michael Essien | December 3 1982 | Image:Flag of England.svg Chelsea | 31 (5) | v Egypt, 04 January 2002 |
| Sulley Ali Muntari | August 27 1984 | Image:Flag of England.svg Portsmouth F.C. | 31 (8) | v Slovenia, 17 May 2002 |
| Laryea Kingston | November 7 1980 | Image:Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian | 19 (4) | v Congo DR, 27 March 2005 |
| Haminu Dramani | April 1 1986 | Image:Flag of Russia.svg FC Lokomotiv Moscow | 17 (2) | v Saudi Arabia, 14 November 2005 |
| André Ayew | December 17 1989 | Image:Flag of France.svg Olympique de Marseille | 5 (0) | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| Anthony Annan | July 21 1986 | Image:Flag of Norway.svg Start | 6 (0) | v Austria, 24 March 2007 |
| Ahmed Barusso | December 26 1984 | Image:Flag of Italy.svg AS Roma | 4 (1) | v Rwanda, 6 July 2003 |
| Moussa Narry | April 19 1986 | Image:Flag of Tunisia.svg Étoile du Sahel | 2 (0) | v Togo, 18 November 2007 |
| Bennard Yao Kumordzi | March 21 1985 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Panionios | 3 (1) | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
- Strikers
| Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Debut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asamoah Gyan | November 22 1985 | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Udinese | 23 (12) | v Somalia, 19 November 2003 |
| Quincy Owusu-Abeyie | April 15 1986 | Image:Flag of Spain.svg Celta Vigo | 0 (0) | v Nigeria, 07 February 2007 |
| Manuel ‘Junior’ Agogo | August 1 1979 | Image:Flag of England.svg Nottingham Forest | 9 (4) | v Japan, 4 October 2006 |
| Baffour Gyan | July 2 1980 | Image:Flag of Russia.svg FC Saturn | 28 (5) | v Sudan, 25 February 2001 |
| Matthew Amoah | October 24 1980 | Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg NAC Breda | 25 (7) | v Morocco, 21 January 2002 |
| Kwadwo Asamoah | N/A | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Liberty Professionals | 0 (0) | 2008 African Cup of Nations, 20 January 2008 |
[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 | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Internazionale Milano | 0 (0) | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| FW Ransford Osei | December 5 1990 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Kessben FC | 0 (0) | v Togo, 18 November 2007 | v Togo, 18 November 2007 |
| DF Samuel Kuffour | September 3 1976 | Image:Flag of Italy.svg AS Roma | 59 (3) | v Sierra Leone, 28 November 1993 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| DF Kofi Amponsah | April 23 1978 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg Apollon Kalamarias | - (0) | v Greece, 14 December 1999 | v Benin, 21 November 2007 |
| FW Joetex Asamoah Frimpong | April 17 1982 | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg BSC Young Boys | 12 (1) | v Burkina Faso, 5 June 2005 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| FW Prince Tagoe | November 9 1986 | Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Al Ittihad | 4 (0) | v Togo, 11 January 2006 | v Saudi Arabia, 11 September 2007 |
| FW Moses Sakyi | March 12 1981 | Image:Flag of Portugal.svg Estrela Amadora | 2 (0) | v Togo, 14 June 2004 | v Saudi Arabia, 11 September 2007 |
| DF Yahaya Mohamed | February 17 1988 | Image:Flag of France.svg OGC Nice | 0 (0) | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| MF Michael Helegbe | September 15 1985 | Image:Flag of France.svg En Avant Guingamp | 3 (0) | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| MF Nafiu Idrissu | June 12 1986 | Image:Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg ASEC Mimosas | 0 (0) | v Togo, 18 November 2007 | v Togo, 18 November 2007 |
| FW Razak Pimpong | December 30 1982 | Image:Flag of Norway.svg Viking F.K. | 10 (1) | v Nigeria, 15 December 2002 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| FW Sadat Bukari | April 12 1989 | Image:Flag of Tunisia.svg Étoile du Sahel | 0 (0) | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| DF Isaac Vorsah | June 21 1988 | Image:Flag of Germany.svg 1899 Hoffenheim | 0 (0) | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 | v Senegal, 21 August 2007 |
| MF Derek Boateng | May 2 1983 | Image:Flag of Israel.svg Beitar Jerusalem | 17 (3) | v Mali, 25 December 2001 | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
| MF Ekow Benson | April 23 1989 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Hearts of Oak | 1 (0) | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
| FW Peter Ofori-Quaye | March 21 1980 | Image:Flag of Greece.svg OFI Crete | N/A | N/A | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
| FW Alex Tachie-Mensah | February 15 1977 | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg St. Gallen | 11 (1) | v Mali, 25 December 2001 | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
| DF Alfred Arthur | December 25 1986 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ashanti Gold | 1 (0) | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 | v Brazil, 27 March 2007 |
| FW Ibrahim Salou | May 29 1979 | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Club Brugge | 0 (0) | v Nigeria, 6 February 2007 | v Nigeria, 6 February 2007 |
| FW Derek Asamoah | May 1 1981 | Image:Flag of England.svg Shrewsbury Town | 2 (0) | v Korea, 8 October 2006 | v Nigeria, 6 February 2007 |
| FW Isaac Boakye | November 26 1981 | Image:Flag of Germany.svg FSV Mainz | 18 (5) | v Zimbabwe, 3 June 2001 | v Nigeria, 6 February 2007 |
| DF Habib Mohamed | December 10 1983 | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Ankaragucu | 8 (0) | v Jamaica 29 May 2006 | v Nigeria, 6 February 2007 |
| DF Issah Ahmed | May 24 1982 | Image:Flag of Denmark.svg Randers FC | 11 (0) | v Burkina Faso 5 June 2005 | v South Korea, 8 October 2006 |
| DF Daniel Quaye | December 25 1980 | Image:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Chongqing Lifan | 7 (0) | v Sierra Leone 5 May 2001 | v South Korea, 8 October 2006 |
| DF Emmanuel Pappoe | March 3 1981 | Image:Flag of Cyprus.svg AEK Larnaca | 29 (0) | v Sierra Leone, 19 October 2002 | v Togo, 15 August 2006 |
| MF Otto Addo | June 9 1975 | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Hamburg SV | 15 (1) | v Eritrea, 28 February 1999 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| GK George Owu | July 7 1982 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Ashanti Gold | 6 (0) | v Somalia, 19 November 2003 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| FW Baba Adamu | October 20 1979 | Image:Flag of Turkey.svg Sakaryaspor | 8 (2) | v Jamaica, 7 August 1999 | v Mexico, 1 March 2006 |
| FW Patrick Agyeman | September 29 1980 | Image:Flag of England.svg Preston | 3 (1) | v Nigeria, 30 May 2003 | v Mexico, 1 March 2006 |
| FW Elvis Hammond | October 10 1980 | Image:Flag of England.svg Leicester City | 1 (0) | v Mexico, 1 March 2006 | v Mexico, 1 March 2006 |
| MF Abubakari Yakubu | December 13 1981 | Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Vitesse Arnhem | N/A | N/A | 2006 African Nations Cup |
| MF Owusu Benson | March 22 1977 | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg SC Kriens | N/A | N/A | |
| MF Mark Edusei | September 29 1976 | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Catania Calcio | N/A | N/A | |
| FW Addoquaye Addo | December 0 0 | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Heart of Lions | N/A | N/A |
[edit] 2006 World Cup squad
See 2006 FIFA World Cup - Ghana Squad.
[edit] Other Players
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[edit] Players with Ghanaian roots
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[edit] Previous Nations Cup squads
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[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.
- Arthur Wharton - English Football Hall of Fame 2003, first black association professional footballer though he preceded the 'Black Stars' era and played mainly in England.
- Abédi Pelé - FIFA 100, WPOY Nom.1991, 9th 1992, 1991, 1992, 1993 APOY Winner, APOY Nom. 85,86,87,88,89,90, 5th Best African Player of All-Time
- Karim Abdul Razak - 1978 APOY Winner, 6th 1983, 26th Best African Player of All-Time
- Ibrahim Sunday - 1971 APOY Winner
- Samuel Kuffour - Ballon d'Or Nom. 2001, APOY Runner-up 1999,2001, 27th Best African Player of All-Time
- Tony Yeboah - WPOY 9th 1993, Ballon d'Or 23rd 1995, APOY Runner-up 1993, 3rd 1992, 6th 1991, 10th 1996, 24th Best African Player of All-Time
- Michael Essien - WPOY 23rd 2006, 22nd 2005; Ballon d'Or 27th 2006, 22nd 2005, APOY 3rd 2006, 3rd 2005, 11th Best African Player of All-Time
- Robert Mensah - APOY Runner-up 1971, 9th 1970
- Adolf Armah - APOY Runner-up 1979
- Opoku Nti - APOY Runner-up 1983
- Mohammed Polo - APOY 4th 1977
- Nii Lamptey - APOY 5th 1991, FIFA U-17 Golden Ball, Silver Shoe1991
- Yaw Sam - APOY 6th 1973
- Malik Jabir - APOY 7th 1972
- Albert Asaase - APOY 7th 1982
- Charles Akunnor - APOY 7th 1998
- Osei Kofi - APOY 8th 1970
- Opoku Afriyie - APOY 8th 1982
- Stephen Appiah - APOY 8th 2003
- Daniel Addo - FIFA U-17 Golden Ball 1993
- Ishmael Addo - FIFA U-17 Golden Shoe 1999
- Owusu Afriyie - FIFA U-17 Bronze Shoe 1997
[edit] Other Heroes
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- The annual Confederation of African Football (CAF) awards took place for the first time in the Ghanaian capital Accra, Ghana, on March 1, 2007 officials have disclosed. The Initial five nominees for the prestigious individual awards were Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon/FC Barcelona), Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria/Portsmouth F.C.), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/Chelsea F.C.), Michael Essien (Ghana/Chelsea F.C.) and Mohamed Aboutreika (Egypt/Al Ahly). Read Fab five to fight it out. On December 31, 2006 CAF the released the names of the top three nominees [ Eto'o, Drogba, and Essien ] for the award[13]. Drogba won the award, becoming the first Ivorian Player to do so.
[edit] Technical staff
| Head Coach | Image:Flag of France.svg Claude Le Roy |
| Assistant Coach | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Sellas Tetteh |
| Fitness Coach | Image:Flag of France.svg Hervé Renard |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Edward Ansah |
| Psychologist | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Dr. Yao Mfodwo |
| Physiotherapist | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Charles Botchway |
| Team Doctor | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Dr. Martin Engmann |
| 2nd Team Doctor | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Dr Allan Akaba |
| Welfare Officer | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Opoku Afriyie |
| Protocol Officer | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Alex Asante |
| Spokesman | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg Randy Abbey |
| Kit Manager | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg 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
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^Won African Cup of Nations during tenure
[edit] Competitive Statistics
FIFA World Cup Record by team
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Nations Cup Record by team
*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
*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 by team
*Denotes draws including the 1999 Quarter-Final match decided on penalty kicks v Spain (7-8p). _____
FIFA U17 World Cup Record by team
*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[24].
- In the final of the 1992 African Cup of Nations on 26 January 1992, Ghana was defeated 11-10 by the Côte d'Ivoire in the highest-scoring penalty shoot-out in International football competition at the time- the 24-shot shoot-out, when Ghana played their record 7th African Cup of Nations final game. Ghana captain and influential playmaker Abédi Pelé, who won the best player of that tournament was suspended for the final because of yellow card accumulation from the 2-1 semi-final win over Nigeria.
- Of the 32 countries which participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ghana was ranked the 13th Best Nation by FIFA.
- Kwesi Owusu, former Black Stars captain, was the first footballer to score a goal at the Munich Olympic Stadium during the 1972 Olympic Games. His photograph still stands erect at one of the Olympic Villages in Olympiapark, Munich, Germany.
[edit] See also
- 1963 African Cup of Nations - Host
- 1978 African Cup of Nations - Host
- 2000 African Cup of Nations - Co-Host
- 2008 African Cup of Nations - Host
- African Footballer of the Year
[edit] References
- ^ All-Stars clash kick off in Bari. Meridian Cup. UEFA (1 February 2001). Retrieved on 2007-04-06.
- ^ a b Kenya International Matches. Kenya International Matches. RSSSF (1 February 2000). Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
- ^ a b BLACK METEORS HUMILIATED 8-2 BY BRAZIL. Ghanaian News Runner. newsrunner.com (3 April 1996). Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ a b 1996 INTERCONTINENTAL MATCHES. Author: Neil Morrison. srcf.ucam.org (1 February 2001). Retrieved on 2001-02-01.
- ^ "African Football: The early years", bbc.co.uk, 2004-01-16. Retrieved on 2004-01-16.
- ^ "Ghanaian football's early years", bbc.co.uk, 2007-03-06. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ "Congolaises Football National", Congo Sports, CongoSports, 2 January 2001. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ "African Nations Cup upsets", bbc.co.uk, 2006-01-10. Retrieved on 2006-01-10.
- ^ "50 years of Ghana National Football - The German Connection", ghana.diplo.de, 2007-04-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
- ^ 1993 INTERCONTINENTAL MATCHES. Author: Neil Morrison. srcf.ucam.org (1 January 2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-20.
- ^ "Brazil moves closer to Olympic gold", jsonline.com, 1996-07-28. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
- ^ "World Cup 1966 qualifications: Africa", rsssf.com, 2000-04-01. Retrieved on 2007-04-01.
- ^ "Essien eyes Nations Cup title", namibia.com.na, 2007-06-26. Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
- ^ "African Football: ANC winners from 1957 to 2002", panapress.com, 2004-01-01. Retrieved on 2004-01-01.
- ^ "ANC winners from 1957 to 2002", panapress.com, 2004-01-01. Retrieved on 2004-01-01.
- ^ "Games of the XXII Olympiad, Football Qualifying Tournament", rsssf.com, 2002-01-01. Retrieved on 2002-01-01.
- ^ "Burkinabe win over Ghana revoked", bbc.co.uk, 2007-02-07. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
- ^ "CAF Men's Football Olympic Games 2008", sportscheduler.co.sz, 2007-06-02. Retrieved on 2007-06-02.
- ^ "All-Africa Games' fixtures", bbc.co.uk, 2007-04-10. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
- ^ "Brazil 3-0 Ghana", bbc.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27.
- ^ "Ronaldo tops the charts as rocky Brazil roll on", guardian.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27.
- ^ "Ghana's brave run broken by Brazilians", independent.co.uk, 2006-06-27. Retrieved on 2006-06-27.
- ^ "Ghana going forward", BBC Sports, BBC Sports, 27 June 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ "African Nations Cup trophy revealed", bbc.co.uk, 2001-09-25. Retrieved on 2001-09-25.
[edit] External links
- [14]-The No.1 Site For Ghana Soccer
- Ghana Football Association - Official website
- Ghana Football Forum - Official Fan Forum
- 2008 African Cup of Nations website- Official Tournament Home
- Ghana Premier League website
- Ghana's 2006 FIFA World Cup Profile
- Ghanaweb Sports Page
- RSSSF Archive of all Ghana Matches
- History of Ghana at the African Cup of Nations
- Latest Ghana Soccer News
- Ghana CAN 2008 - African Cup of Nations News
| Preceded by 1962 Ethiopia Image:1897 Ehiopia flag.svg | African Champions 1963 (First title) 1965 (Second title) | Succeeded by 1968 Congo DR Image:Flag of Congo Kinshasa 1966.svg |
| Preceded by 1976 Morocco Image:Flag of Morocco.svg | African Champions 1978 (Third title) | Succeeded by 1980 Nigeria Image:Flag of Nigeria.svg |
| Preceded by 1980 Nigeria Image:Flag of Nigeria.svg | African Champions 1982 (Fourth title) | Succeeded by 1984 Cameroon Image:Flag of Cameroon.svg |
| Preceded by Inagural Champions | West African Champions 1982 (First title) 1983 (Second title) 1984 (Third title) 1986 (Fourth title) 1987 (Fifth title) | Succeeded by Defunct |
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2006 FIFA World Cup finalists
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Ghana squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
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| 1 Adjei • 2 Sarpei • 3 Gyan • 4 Kuffour • 5 Mensah • 6 Pappoe • 7 Shilla • 8 Essien • 9 Boateng • 10 Appiah • 11 Muntari • 12 Tachie‑Mensah • 13 Mohamed • 14 Amoah • 15 Paintsil • 16 Owu • 17 Quaye • 18 E. Addo • 19 Pimpong • 20 O. Addo • 21 Issah • 22 Kingson • 23 Dramani • Coach: Dujković | Image:Flag of Ghana.svg |
ca:Selecció de futbol de Ghana cs:Ghanská fotbalová reprezentace de:Ghanaische Fußballnationalmannschaft et:Ghana jalgpallikoondis es:Selección de fútbol de Ghana fr:Équipe du Ghana de football ko:가나 축구 국가대표팀 hr:Ganska nogometna reprezentacija id:Tim nasional sepak bola Ghana it:Nazionale di calcio del Ghana he:נבחרת גאנה בכדורגל lv:Ganas futbola izlase lt:Ganos vyrų futbolo rinktinė hu:Ghánai labdarúgó-válogatott mk:Национален фудбалски тим на Гана nl:Ghanees voetbalelftal ja:サッカーガーナ代表 no:Ghanas herrelandslag i fotball pl:Reprezentacja Ghany w piłce nożnej pt:Seleção Ganesa de Futebol ru:Сборная Ганы по футболу sk:Ghanské národné futbalové mužstvo sl:Ganska nogometna reprezentanca sr:Фудбалска репрезентација Гане fi:Ghanan jalkapallomaajoukkue sv:Ghanas fotbollslandslag tr:Gana Millî Futbol Takımı zh:迦納國家足球隊
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