By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Soccer fans in Ghana have urged the country’s male senior national team, the Black Stars, to thrash Comoros convincingly in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifier on Sunday.
With one foot already there at the World Cup, the fans say Comoros, nicknamed “The Coelacanths” or “Les Coelacantes” in French, is the only side that has beaten Ghana in the Group I qualifier; hence, avenging the defeat is what will complete their joy.
The fans have urged the Black Stars to approach the match as if their very existence depends on it and tasked the coach to deploy the best to wallop their opponents in the final qualifier.
A physical education instructor in a senior high school, Joshua Mantey, observed that even though Ghana needs just a point to make it to the next FIFA World Cup, it is important for the Black Stars to avenge the 1-0 they suffered when they played Comoros away.
“As for the World Cup, no miracle can prevent us from going; we are already in Canada, Mexico, and the USA, but we need to teach Comoros some soccer lessons for them to know that Ghana is a big name when it comes to football,” said Mantey to Ghana Eye Report.
Thomas Boakye, a professional footballer with one of the lower-tier clubs in Ghana, emphasized the need for the Black Stars to use the game to build their confidence, having already almost secured qualification to the next World Cup.
He said, “Even if Ghana should lose this match by 5-0, we will still qualify for the next World Cup, so I want the coach to deploy players who are tactically disciplined and will do the needful. They should score as many goals as they can to boost their confidence to lift the image of Ghana as a strong football country.”
A former Vice President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), George Afriyie, has expressed confidence that the Black Stars’ technical team will be determined to avenge past defeats when they face Comoros.
“I am 100 percent sure that the technical team will go for revenge against Comoros,” he told Accra-based Asempa FM on Thursday.
Ghana and the Comoros have met four times, with the latter winning two of those encounters, the former winning one, and the other ending in a draw.
Most Ghanaian soccer fans have not forgotten how Comoros beat Ghana 3-2 in the group stages in the Africa Cup of Nations on Jan. 18, 2022, and a 1-0 defeat to the Black Stars in the first leg of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Nov. 21 two years ago.
Ghana is seeking to make a fifth at the FIFA World Cup and walloped the Central African Republic (CAR) 5-0 away in Morocco in match day nine of the qualifier.
The West African country currently sits on top of Group I with 22 points and a 16-goal difference after nine matches, with Madagascar occupying second position with 19 points and a goal difference of eight.
Mali, Comoros, and the CAR follow with 15, 15, and five points, respectively, while Chad sits at the bottom of the group with one point.
Ghana will play its final qualifier against Comoros at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, where a draw will confirm the Black Stars’ place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Meanwhile, the country is taking steps to manage crowd control at the venue and indicated to close ticket sales four hours before the start of the game at 1900 GMT, or 7 p.m. local time.
The Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Yaw Ampofo Ankrah, told the media at a press conference on Thursday that the decision comes in response to crowd management challenges observed during Ghana’s Sept. home fixture against Mali.
“It is worth noting that on match day, tickets will not be sold after 3 pm. The match is at 7 pm, and the reason for this is that we don’t want the challenges we had the last time, where fans were crowding around the stadium looking to purchase tickets,” he said. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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