Video of the Week

Great campaign for a new Fantasy Football League based just on African players. We'll be playing this obsessively in the coming weeks. Click here to sign up and play against us!

Video of the Week

Great video produced by chocolate company Cadbury to promote their fair trade business in Ghana. Shows how good Ghana can look with a big video budget!

Democracy in Dakar

Looks well worth a watch. The fusion of hip-hop and politics in Senegal.

Democracy in Dakar Trailer from Nomadic Wax on Vimeo.

Ghana v Sudan Soundclash Part II

Last time we had the very talanted Emmanuel Jal for Sudan, this time we have some more traditional music. Good luck to the Black Stars in securing World Cup qualification today!

Video of the Week

Video of the Week

Video of the week back after a summer hiatus. Nice video.

Ghanaian Premier League (GPL) Lessons

Hearts of Oak were crowned champions of Ghana last month following an exciting finish to the Premier League programme but what have we learned about top-level Ghanaian football over the course of the season?

1. Asante Kotoko have the best infrasructure of any club in Ghana. They are backed by the financial clout of the Asantahene and MTN and boast an impressive fanbase.

2. Despite this Hearts of Oak won the league because their players worked harder on the pitch. The likes of Obed Ansah and rising stars Tawrik Djibril and Kofi Abanga are the talents in a generally average crop of players.

3. Hearts jeopardised their title charge by changing things too much during the mid-season break. No side needs 10 new signings at this stage - it will only disrupt morale - but this lack of continuity is all too common in the Ghanaian game.

4. Hearts and Kotoko will still lack the resources to compete on a continental level next season. Surprising in Kotoko's case given the strength of their infrastructure but the continental competitions really need to be taken seriously - the local game would benefit from a strong performance by Ghana's representatives.

5. Local sides need to do more to nurture a fanbase. The video clip below is from a game between relegated St. Mirren and new boys Bechem Chealsea. Played in the national stadium but there were only a couple of hundred supporters in attendance.



and more briefly:

6. Alex Asamoah of Kotoko is the best striker in the league. Ghana needs more good strikers.

7. Heart of Lions are now an established Premiership side.

8. The league programme needs to be better organised and should start at the same time every year.

9. Better players are emerging from the Premiership now.

10. Above all more sponsorship is required in the Ghanaian game to take it forward.

We look forward now to the start of the next season this October!

Video of the Week

Everton Cancel Ghana Trip

Everton this week cancelled their proposed trip to Ghana. Such a pity the game against Kotoko wasn't made to happen and organisational difficulties like this will only discourage clubs from visiting Ghana in the future. Ghanaian football would benefit from the experience and exposure of playing against top European sides and the Keta Sandlanders would gratefully receive any interested parties.

Howard Buffett Developing Farming in Africa

Wall Street Journal video following farmer and philanthropist Howard Buffett (son of billionaire Warren) through Ghana, Togo and Benin as he promotes sustainable farming techniques.

Sudan v Ghana Soundclash

Sudan take on Ghana in Omdurman tonight in the latest round of World Cup qualifying. Follow us on twitter for an update of the result. In advance we present another World Cup Soundclash and have this time chosen Sudanese rapper Emmanuel Jal and Ghana's Praye. Emma comes from Jal's Warchild album and Angelina was song of the year at the last Ghanaian Music Awards.

Surfing in Liberia

Click here for a BBC report on the waves to be found off the coast of a now peaceful Liberia. Long term facilities can hopefully be developed to accommodate surfers across the coast of West Africa.

Confederations Cup kicks off in South Africa

The Confederations Cup kicked off today in Johannesburg. The tournament will be a vital test of South Africa's infrastructure less than 1 year away from the start of the World Cup on 11 July 2010. Click here for a full BBC preview. In the opening game the hosts played out a disappointing 0-0 draw with Iraq while at the time of writing favourites Spain are 4-0 up against New Zealand before half time.

Soccer City Johannesburg

With the World Cup less than 1 year away work continues on the stunning Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. According to the stadium website "The design of the stadium is based on the calabash or African pot, this being the most recognisable object to represent the African continent. Otherwise known as the ‘melting pot of cultures’, the design is being constructed on a raised podium, referred to as the ‘pit of fire’, to lend the appeal of the pot being fired. The fiery pit demarcates the security and turnstiles line separating the outer areas and the secure inner areas". Click here for more pictures. This is great stadium design with a distinctly African appeal. One day the Sandlanders hope to have an arena which will tell our own story, support us and be a part of this dream!

Video of the Week

Ma Kwan by Kwaw Kese feat. Ayigbe Edem. Ayigbe Edem is everywhere at the moment.

Mali v Ghana Soundclash

Ahead of Ghana's vital World/African Nations Cup qualifying game in Bamako (tomorrow @ 7pm GMT), our soundclash showcases music from each of the West African nations. Mali is renowned for its music and artists such as Ali Farka Toure and Salif Keita have achieved global acclaim. Amadou & Mariam are the latest sensation to come out of Mali and we love their music. Against Amadou & Mariam we have put 2 giants of the Ghanaian music scene - Reggie Rockstone and Tic Tac. Rockstone is credited as being the 'godfather' of hiplife which is Ghana's interpretation of hip hop. We hope you enjoy, comment to let us know which you think is best.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying

Ahead of the next round of matches in the combined World and African Nations Cup Qualifiers this weekend click here for a run down of the results and group standings so far. We can't wait for Mali v Ghana and Malawi v Burkina Faso in particular.

Video of the Week

Ghanaian beats and videos are still getting better and this is not a bad effort from OJ Blaq feat. Asem and Captain Planet. A-S-E-M Asem!

Confederation Cup Shocks

Holders CS Sfaxien and 6 times African champions Al Ahly crashed out of the Confederation Cup this weekend after penalty shoot-out defeats. Defeat heaped further misery on Al Ahly after they were eliminated earlier this season from the African Champions League and forced to play in the African continental equivalent of the UEFA Cup/Europa League.

Ahly took a 3-0 lead into the return match against Santos of Angola and even the absence of star midfielder Mohamed Aboutraika was not expected to prevent them reaching the group phase in Manuel Jose's last game in charge before stepping down to take control of the Angolan national side.

But a Santos team competing in Africa for the first time this year had other ideas and triumphed 3-0 in Luanda to level the aggregate score before winning the fourth-round tie 6-5 on penalties.

Success for Santos completed a wonderful weekend for the oil-rich southern Africa nation in the second-tier African club competition, as Primeiro Agosto eliminated holders CS Sfaxien in Tunisia on Saturday, also after a shoot-out. Elsewhere Stade Malien of Mali outplayed Al-Ittihad Khemisset of Morocco 3-1 in Bamako to advance 4-2on aggregate.

Nigerian side Bayelsa United are also through to the group stage after defeating Kampala City Council of Uganda 4-0

SOURCE: BBC

Ghana v Uganda Soundclash

The Black Stars face the Cranes of Uganda in a friendly match in Tamale in the north of Ghana on Sunday. Check our Twitter page for an update of the result. Below we have attached videos by popular musicians from Ghana and Uganda. Ayigbe Edem is from Keta's Volta Region and is currently Ghana's foremost Ewe musician. Bobbi Wine is a Ugandan musician with a controversial reputation but his very own foundation supports the community in which he lives.

Sandlanders New Season Preview

Our much anticipated Division 2 programme is finally underway tomorrow. Frustrating delays to the the start of the campaign have made planning very difficult for us over the last few months but at last we are ready to go. The squad has a number of new faces since last season as the team builds for an assault on the Middle League and we will introduce all of these players to you in the coming weeks.

For those who don't know how the league system works, the 48 Division 2 teams are split into 8 groups of 6 teams each. We will play every team in our group twice and after these initial 10 games the winner of each group will advance to Middle League to play-off against the winners of the other 7 groups for a single place in Division 1.

This is a tough qualification process and our target this season is to make Middle League. Last season we finished second in our initial group and failed to qualify but this year we are hoping to go one step further. We have been helped by avoiding Red Bull Soccer Academy (back in Division 2 after being disqualified from Middle League for fielding an unregistered player) in the initial stages this time around but still face some tough opposition.

Tomorrow's game away at Agbozume United will be an interesting first assignment and an indicator of how our new signings are settling in. High turnover of players is a frustration we have talked about earlier and again this season we will have a number of new signings who will need time to establish themselves. In the long term we aim for continuity but this will take time to achieve. Keep following the website for profiles on all of these new players in the coming weeks. Live text updates on our games will be posted on Twitter and more in depth reports and analysis will the fetaure on the website and this blog. We will endeavour to post as much video as possible to give you an insight into the town and the team. Please be patient with us as we develop the technology as quickly as possible and above all enjoy the season!

Ugandan Football Tournament

Article on a community football tournament organised as part of the Guardian's excellent Katine Project. 48 teams will compete in the tournament which aims to promote unity amongst the local communities and which will also offer an excellent platform to sensitise the community on wider issues such as healthcare. Sponsored by Barclays and administered by Amref, the project seeks to develop the Katine area of Uganda in the same way we are looking to develop Keta in Ghana. Recent articles on the scheme cover topics including microfinance and HIV testing. Photograph by Dan Chung.

Nigeria could lose U-17 World Cup

FIFA has criticised Nigeria ahead of October's U-17 World Cup tournament which is due to be held in the West African nation. An inspection team from world football's governing body found only the venues in Lagos and Abuja to be ready to host and condemned the seven other candidate areas as unfit at the current time. The build-up to what is recognised as a key FIFA event has been beset with problems with Nigeria pulling out as host altogether at one stage claiming that the tournament could not be prioritised in its budget. If things do not improve, a stand-in host has been identified and would be ready to step in at short notice. We find this to be a disappointing development and the level of disorganisation shown can only discredit African nations in the future when the opportunity to host big tournaments arises. Used properly the opportunity can be used to stimulate tourism and develop infrastructure but a bad job can do as much harm as good. This does at the moment appear to be an example of the administrative disorder which stops African football from developing as quickly sa it should.

Ghana name 32-man squad for World Cup qualifiers

Ghana Coach Milovan Rajevac has named a strong squad for next month's World Cup qualifying matches. The Black Stars face Mali in Bamako on June 7 before heading to Omdurman to take on Sudan on June 20. Aside from the usual suspects (Mensah, Essien and Muntari) we predict strong showings from Samuel Inkoom, Kwadwo Asamoah and Prince Tagoe.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Richard Kingson (Wigan Athletic, England), William Amamoo (Etasaalat, Egypt) and George Owu (Al Masry, Egypt)

Defenders : John Paintsil (Fulham, England), Samuel Inkoom (Asante Kotoko, Ghana), Harrison Afful (Asante Kotoko, Ghana), John Mensah (Lyon, France) Jonathan Mensah (Free State Stars, South Africa), Jonathan Quartey (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Eric Addo (Roda JC, Holland)

Midfielders : Daniel Yeboah (Heart of Lions, Ghana), Rahim Ayew (Eleven Wise, Ghana), Isaac Vorsah (Hoffeinham, Germany),Moussa Narry (Auxerre, France), Stephen Appiah (Unattached), Michael Essien (Chelsea, England), Anthony Annan (Rosenborg, Norway), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan, Italy) Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese, Italy), Bernard Kumordzi (Panionios FC, Greece) Samuel Kyere (Ittihad Alexandria, Egypt) Prince Buabeng (Dundee United, Scotland) Yusif Chibsah (Gefle, Sweden) Dereck Boateng (FC Koln, Germany) Opoku Agyemang (Al Sadd, Qatar) Haminu Draman (FC Locomotiv Moskva, Russia)

Strikers: Asamoah Gyan (Rennes, France), Mathew Amoah (NAC Breda, Holland), Samuel Yeboah (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Prince Tagoe (Al-Ittifaq, Saudi Arabia) Joe Tex Frimpong (BSC Young Boys, Switzerland) Papa Arko (El Geish, Egypt)

Prince Tagoe for Hoffenheim

Prince Tagoe will become the latest member of a growing Ghanaian contingent at Bundesliga side Hoffenheim having secured a 2 year contract with the club. The 22 year-old joins from Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittifaq having enhanced his reputation with goals for his club in the Asian Champions League and for Ghana's national side. He will join fellow Ghanaians Isaac Vorsah and Ibrahim Ayew at the Rhein Neckar Arena. Story from the website of the Ghana Football Association.

Egyptian Championship goes to the wire

African giants Al Ahly and Ismaili are level on points going into the final round of games in the Egyptian Championship and if both sides win their respective matches a play-off between the two will decide the champions. Al Ahly are the most successful side in African football history and their outgoing coach Manuel Jose will hope to claim a 19th trophy before stepping down to manage Angola. Domestic Egyptian football is generally the strongest and best organised in Africa. This dominance is reflected in the number of Champions League titles collected by the likes of Al Ahly and Zamalek and also in the ability of the clubs to hold onto their best players.

Confederation Cup Update

Tunisian holders CS Sfaxien were well beaten by Primeiro Agosto in the first leg of their fourth round Confederation Cup tie on Saturday in Angola. Elsewhere African Champions Al Ahly, recently dumped out of the Champions League, had better luck against Angolan opposition beating Santos 3-0. Click here for all the fixtures and results from this weekend.

Adebayor Laments Arsenal Criticism

Emmanuel Adebayor this week expressed his anger at criticism directed towards him by some Arsenal fans in a BBC interview that could hasten his departure from the club. Adebayor was born in Kodjoviakope close to the Togo-Ghana border (under an hour's drive from Keta) and is a hero to as many Ghanaians as Togolese. He has however become increasingly unpopular in recent weeks as rumours persist about his future and his commitment to Asenal appears to wane.

Jubliee FM Available Online

Keta radio station Jubliee FM is now available to listeners all over the world via their new website. This is great news for Keta and will allow Ewe's in the diaspora and friends of Keta in general to hear about the area and to engage with its people. Jubilee will offer full coverage of the upcoming Sandlanders season and we will provide details of the dates and times of the sports programmes to allow you to tune in.

Barca ruin Essien's night

Michael Essien looked to have sent Chelsea into the Champions League final with this stunning strike until an equaliser well into injury time sent Barcelona through at their expense. Barcelona will now face Manchester United in the Rome final later this month, United having conquered Emmanuel Adebayor's Arsenal yesterday evening.

African Champions League Shocks

Holders Al Ahly and ASEC Mimosas both suffered shock defeats at the hands of Nigeria's Kano Pillars and Zimbabwe's Monomotapa respectively and have been eliminated before the lucrative group stage of this year's Champions League.

Countdown to Angola 2010

Ghana continue their qualification campaign for Angola/South Africa 2010 next month against Mali. For those considering travelling to Angola for the African Nations Cup next January, information on arrangements is worryingly hard to come by at the moment. We came across this brief but helpful blog on Angola which offers 5 good reasons to go. Great music is one of those reasons, check out this incendiary track by Buraka Som Sistema.

INSIGHT: Return of the GPL

The Ghanaian Premier League returned today after a one month hiatus and Accra Hearts of Oak immediately re-asserted their dominance with victory over Heart of Lions. The Phobians (as Hearts of Oak are known) strengthed during the break with 11 new signings to see them through the remainder of the season. Dramatic mid-season rebuilding is commonplace in Ghananian football and we have to ask whether this is damaging to a clubs prospects in the long term? Taking the English Premiership as an example the most successful sides are generally based on core groups of players and coaches who have been given the time and resources to establish themsleves(think Manchester United and Alex Ferguson, Arsenal and Arsene Wenger). There is a lot to be said for allowing players and coaching staff time to adjust, building for the future with patience and forsight.
Unfortunately such forsight can be expensive particularly in African football where economic pressures frequently condemn clubs to lead a hand-to-mouth existence. If results do not come quickly then immediate changes must be made because resources are drained with every passing day. Just this week Sharks FC of the Nigerian Premiership have slashed salaries in the wake of poor results. The pressure from management, fans and the media is felt as keenly in African football as it is anywhere else. It is against this backdrop of short-term plans, tight financial margins and incessant turnover of personnel that the Sandlanders are looking to move forward. A challenge for us all.

Groups drawn for U-20 World Cup

The Black Satellites - recently crowned Champions of Africa - will face a tough assignment in September's U-20 World Cup in Egypt. They have been drawn to face England, Uruguay and Uzbekistan in the tournament which runs from 24 September-16 October later this year. Follow the tournament with the Keta Sandlanders.

Sandlanders beat Fire FC 3-1 in Aflao

Sandlanders today recorded an impressive friendly victory in Aflao against fellow Division 2 competitors Fire FC. Julius Caesar scored 2 of the goals with Ambrose Etsey grabbing the other. Photos and video will be posted on the website shortly.

Kotoko out of African Champions League

The slump in form currently being experienced by Champions Asante Kotoko continued as they were dumped out of African competition by Ittihad Khemisset of Morocco. The North Africans won 2-0 to level the tie at 3-3 and advance courtesy of the away goals rule.

Division One League Preview

The third round of matches will be played out this weekend in Ghana's Division One League.

CHAN Final - Ghana 0-2 DR Congo

Ghana have been defeated in the inaugural CHAN final played today in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. See a video below showing how Congo's Leopards made it to the final. Ghana will be disappointed but they have shown in flashes the strength of their domestic league. There are many lessons to be learnt from the tournament which has provided a terrific platform for local African football.

CHAN Final - Ghana v DRC

Following a sensational 7-6 penalty shoot out victory over Senegal in their semi-final (see the penalties below), Ghana will tomorrow face DRC in the first-ever CHAN final. They go into the match as favourites having already beaten their opponents 3-0in the group stages.

Ghana v Senegal and Zambia v DRC

BBC report ahead of tomorrow's CHAN semi-finals. Our money is on Ghana to win through against a tough Senegalese side and for Zambia to come out on top over DRC in the other semi. The exclusion of foreign based players has made for a refreshingly open tournament and it is encouraging to hear that CAF have planned to expand the format to 16 teams next time around. This celebration of grassroots development and domestic football can only benefit Africa's local leagues and emerging clubs such as the Sandlanders.

Ghana through at CHAN

The Black Stars come good with a crucial 3-0 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo at CHAN. They will now face Senegal in the semi-finals. Please see below video highlights of the first and third goals from Charles Taylor and captain Edward Owusu-Ansah respectively. Accra Hearts of Oak talisman Taylor strikes his free-kick beautifully but the keeper must feel responsible for his howler.

Sandlanders season to start end March

An official announcement is expected in the next few days concerning the start date for our Division 2 campaign. Our understanding is that there will be 23 teams competing for a place in Division 1 and that the league will kick-off at the end of next month. Confirmation will be posted first on the blog and then on the website as soon as we receive it. Once the season begins we will be showing fans footage of goals scored, interviews with players and management and other match highlights such as the shot below from midfielder Tibo in a recent friendly.

Ghana 2-2 Zimbabwe at CHAN

Ghana's local Black Stars side came from 2 goals down to draw with Zimbabwe in their opening game at the inaugural CHAN Championship for domestic based players. Rahim Ayew (son of legendary the legendary Adedi 'Pele' Ayew) scored both goals. Elsewhere Zambia shocked hosts Ivory Coast, Senegal beat Tanzania and DRC triumphed over Libya.

http://www.cafonline.com/competition/african-nations-championship_2009/news/2285-ghana-hold-zimbabwe-in-four-goal-thriller.html

SOURCE: CAF http://www.cafonline.com/

Zambia stun hosts Ivory Coast at CHAN

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/7901949.stm

SOURCE: BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/