The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has officially unveiled the fixtures for the 2024-25 Ghana Premier League Season.
Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng believes Stephen Appiah has the qualities needed to lead Ghanaian football as the Football Association president. Appiah, renowned for captaining Ghana to its first World Cup in 2006, is widely considered one of the country's greatest footballers.
In an interview, Boateng praised Appiah’s leadership skills and asserted that he is well-suited for the role of Ghana Football Association (GFA) president. "A calibre like Stephen Appiah is capable of running Ghana football as Football Association president and he will do it better," Boateng told Accra-based Kingdom FM. "Both former and current players have respect for him and he understands everything."
Boateng, who played alongside Appiah during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, highlighted Appiah’s work ethic and influence. "During our playing days at the Black Stars, the work rate of Stephen Appiah even during training was surprising and it pushed the entire playing body to do more," he said. "All the time, we were training as if we were fighting but we will be joking after the training session because the training session is so tough."
Since retiring from professional football, Appiah has continued to contribute to the sport, serving as the Black Stars' Team Manager and as a member of the technical team. His experience and understanding of the game have earned him great respect within the football community.
Appiah's illustrious career includes playing for clubs like Fenerbahçe and Hearts of Oak, as well as earning 67 caps and scoring 15 goals for the Black Stars. Boateng’s endorsement underscores Appiah’s potential to make a significant impact as the leader of the GFA.
Asante Kotoko has opened its doors to former Real Valladolid youth prospect Victor Asamoah for a one-week trial period.
Ghanaian winger Abdul Hakim Sulemana has shared his excitement about joining Danish Superliga club Randers FC, expressing eagerness to demonstrate his skills. Sulemana, a promising 19-year-old talent, signed a two-year contract with Randers FC after leaving French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais.
Sulemana, whose elder brother Kamaldeen Sulemana plays for Southampton, transferred from Lyon following his participation in the 2023 African Games. "First and foremost, I am very happy to have landed in Randers. It is a good club that is skilled at developing players," Sulemana remarked after his signing was announced.
The young winger feels at home at Randers, partly due to familiar faces. "I know Fatah from Right to Dream, so it's also nice to have people here that I already know and have worked with," he explained.
Sulemana is eager to make an impact at his new club. "I am really looking forward to showcasing myself at Randers FC. I have good speed and am strong in dribbling, which makes me very challenging in my play," he added, highlighting his strengths.
As a graduate of the Right to Dream Academy, Sulemana played a key role in the Black Satellites' gold-winning campaign at the African Games held in Accra in March, appearing in four matches. His move to Randers FC marks a new chapter in his promising career.
Former Ghana international Derek Boateng has expressed concerns about the Ghana Football Association's (GFA) efforts to attract European-born Ghanaian players to the national team. Despite the successful recruitment of players like Inaki Williams, Tariq Lamptey, and Antoine Semenyo, Boateng believes the GFA needs a more structured plan to engage young players born in Europe.
Boateng pointed to countries like Germany as examples of proactive scouting and nurturing of young players with German roots. "Certain things are happening which should not be done or allowed, and I believe there is a lot more that must be done," he told Accra-based Kingdom FM. He lamented seeing talented players of Ghanaian descent, such as Kobbie Mainoo, Jeremy Doku, Jeremie Frimpong, and Nico Williams, representing European countries instead.
Sharing his experiences from scouting trips in the USA, Boateng observed other countries' efforts to identify and develop young talent with roots in their respective nations. "I have been in USA for a scouting job multiple times and I have seen expatriates also joining to scout players but they are doing that for their country and I know Germany are doing that," he said. He highlighted Germany's approach of actively scouting young players with German heritage and bringing them into the fold early to foster a sense of national identity.
"I was told that they are doing that because they want to bring all young players with their roots from Germany and after identifying them, they will camp them and by doing that, the players will know where they are coming from," Boateng explained. He criticized Ghana's lack of similar efforts, stating, "In Ghana, we don’t know how to do these things, and we keep losing players because we are not paying attention to how we can get them."
Boateng also emphasized the importance of engaging players and their families from a young age, rather than waiting until they have already begun their professional careers. "We must do a lot more, and we shouldn’t wait until they are grown up and playing before we start talking to them. By then, their parents will not even allow it because we were not there from the beginning, so why now?" he argued.
Hearts of Oak have confirmed that midfielder Glid Otanga has been transferred to Qatari second division side Al Kharaitiyat Sport Club.
