CAN GHANA STILL QUALIFY FOR THE 2014 WORLD CUP?

 BY: PATRICK OWUSU ANSAH

The journey to 2014 World Cup in Brazil has just become a bit more complicated for the Ghana Black stars .FIFA have ruled that Zambia are awarded a 3-0 victory for the June 2 game they lost 0-2 in Sudan because the Sudanese fielded Saif Ali, who was ineligible because he should have been serving suspension for a red card received in their previous competitive game against none other than Zambia at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

FIFA ruled “lost by forfeit by Sudan” whilst also hitting the Sudanese with a US$6,430 fine. It means that Zambia, who already beat the Black Stars, now have maximum 6 points to Ghana’s 3 and also have the easier set of matches ahead, at least on paper. In fact, the Black Stars need to win all matches to ensure Zambia do not win the group before the match day 6 qualifier in Accra.

Ghana Blackstars have qualified for the Fifa World Cup on two consecutive occasions, and can’t stand the chance of missing out this time round. The only team that would be a threat in Ghana’s group is Zambia, who also leads the group after Fifa’s decision to award them, three points and three goals in the Sudan game. They are now three points clear of the Blackstars. Zambia has never qualified for Fifa World Cup before, and would want to qualify this time after winning the 2012 African Cup of nations.

Ghana has a chance to outwit the Zambians, by scoring them when they meet in the leg return of their 2014 World Cup qualifier in Accra. After they lost one goal to nil in Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. The last time that Ghana lost a home game, was against Cameroun in the 2008 African Cup of nations. This shows that the Ghana Blackstars are a force to reckon with when it comes to home games .The other team in Ghana’s group is Lesotho, who hasn’t been impressive so far.

Football is a game of win, lose or draw. Are we going to witness something dramatic at the end of the World cup qualifiers? Will Ghana qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time? Will Zambia qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever? All these questions will be answered by the end of the qualifiers because anything can happen on the way. 

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Remember The Name: Emmanuel Boateng

By Patrick Owusu.

From Batama to California.

Emmanuel Boateng is a young talented and tactically disciplined footballer. Emmanuel resided at Bantama, a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti region during his days in Ghana. He started his football career at Ebony FC, which is a colts team in Kumasi. Emmanuel Boateng’s story starts thousands of miles away on the dusty fields in Ghana, but where it may end is what makes his tale so fascinating.

Boateng went to the United States in 2009 as part of the Right to Dream Academy, which helps athletes in Ghana explore opportunities [both in education and sports] all around the globe.

The brilliant midfielder’s first stop in the States was Cate School, a small, private boarding school in the foothills of Santa Barbara, California. Boateng’s high school career hit a high point during his junior year with the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys Soccer High School Player of the Year award .“It has been great,” Boateng told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “To be part of something that the school can look back on and be proud of is special.”

The 18-year-old is the first athlete from Cate (which Boateng became the first American) to win the Gatorade award in the school’s 102-year history, to earn MVP honors in the 30-year history of the Milk Cup when he led the South Coast Strikers to fourth place in the 2011 Premier Section at the tournament in Northern Ireland. Boateng is only the underclassman to the Gatorade Player of the Year award in its 27-year history. Boateng joins Wayne Rooney, David Beckham and Giovanni Dos Santos as the youngest athletes to have won the Milk Cup MVP honors.

The Ghanaian has brought other honors unto the school as well including a pair of California High School Division VII titles during his three years on campus, but his junior year will be his final in high school as he decided earlier this year to enroll at UC Santa Barbara in 2012, having maintained a 3.75 GPA at high school.

“It was a tough choice,” Boateng said. “I wrestled with it a lot, but at the end of the day I thought it was the best choice for me.” For Boateng, the choice was not simply about returning to Cate for his senior season or enrolling early at UCSB, there were other professional clubs also in the mix.

Manchester City has been closely monitoring the star for the past few years after inviting him on trial in 2010 and was poised to sign him this summer .“I considered it,” Boateng said about joining the English Premier League Champions. “Thinking about leaving [to join City] in mid-July . . . but I think I made the right choice right now to wait and get the collegiate experience."

 Boateng’s role model is Steve Gerard of Liverpool. Boateng enjoys playing central midfield and is also a utility player. He is eligible to play for either Ghana or USA national team. He is one player that I really admire and won’t be surprised to see him rise to be the best in Africa and subsequently in the world in future.

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