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Sampson urges Ghana to learn from Ecuador defeat ahead of South Korea clash

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:37:12 +0000

The Black Princesses suffered a 3-0 loss to the South Americans, with Rosa Flores producing a standout performance, scoring a spectacular long-range effort before setting up Domenica Arboldeda for Ecuador’s second goal.

Arboldeda added her second with 20 minutes remaining to complete a convincing debut victory for Ecuador.

Sampson admitted Ghana were punished for defending naively, particularly when Ecuador found spaces between the lines.

“At this level, it is very difficult if you defend a bit naively. I think we were on them in the beginning and then the two times they came into our box, they could play a penetrating pass in between [our lines] and they scored the two goals,” Sampson said.

The coach was particularly disappointed with the manner in which the goals were conceded, including Flores’ remarkable effort from distance.

“Those goals were difficult to take, especially the first one from a long distance. We just have to accept it, we have two more games and we have to work on ourselves now.”

Ghana must now quickly regroup ahead of their second Group match against South Korea.

Ecuador lead the group, while France and South Korea have one point each. Ghana are bottom without a point and need a positive result against South Korea to keep their hopes of progressing alive.

The Black Princesses are making their eighth appearance at the U-20 Women’s World Cup and are yet to reach the knockout stage. They have also suffered consecutive group-stage exits in recent editions.

With two matches remaining, Sampson knows Ghana have little room for error as they look to keep their campaign alive and avoid another early exit from the competition.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet

2026/27 Ghana Premier League: Week 1 Match Report – Port City FC 1-1 FC Ashantigold

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:31:54 +0000

FC Ashantigold made the brighter start and took the lead in the 36th minute through Zak Musah, giving Karim Zito’s side a 1-0 advantage at the break.

The visitors had a golden opportunity to double their lead early in the second half after being awarded a penalty in the 52nd minute. However, Port City goalkeeper Abdul Aziz came to his side’s rescue with a superb double save to keep the deficit at just one goal.

Port City’s equaliser eventually arrived in the 66th minute, with captain Hamza Zakari making amends for the defensive error that had led to the penalty. The skipper showed great composure with a towering header to find the back of the net and restore parity for the home side.

The two debutants battled for the winning goal in the closing stages, but neither could find a breakthrough as the points were shared.

Port City coach Christopher Ennin will be satisfied with a point from his side’s historic Premier League debut, although Karim Zito will be left to rue the missed opportunity from the penalty spot, which could have given Ashantigold a two-goal cushion.

Port City will face another stern test in their next league outing when they travel to defending champions Medeama SC, while FC Ashantigold will return to Obuasi to host Vision FC.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet

Kotoko fans must back club’s ambitious rebuild, says ex-board member Abu Lamini

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:23:04 +0000

Lamini praised the direction taken by the club’s new administration, highlighting its recruitment strategy and key appointments as signs of a renewed ambition to restore Kotoko’s former glory.

The veteran football administrator pointed to the appointment of South African coach Erik Tinkler, the arrival of former Ajax and Netherlands goalkeeper Stanley Menzo as Director of Football, and the club’s transfer activity as evidence of a serious rebuilding project aimed at competing for major honours.

According to him, those investments must be matched by unwavering support from the club’s faithful as Kotoko seek to reclaim their status while bringing pride to the club’s Life Patron, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the entire Asanteman.

Lamini stressed that reconnecting with Kotoko’s traditionally large fan base would be vital to the success of the project, urging supporters to fill the Baba Yara Stadium and follow the team to away fixtures throughout the season.

“As supporters of the club, the least we can do is to turn up in our numbers at Kotoko matches and support our great club to win because our players get motivated and energised when they see the Kotoko faithful in their numbers at the stadium,” he told Graphic Sports.

He lamented the low attendance at recent matches, adding: “It is a sad reflection on this great club to see only a handful of supporters at Kotoko matches.”

Kotoko opened their 2026/27 Ghana Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw against Debibi United at the Golden City Park in Berekum and will now turn their attention to their first home league fixture of the season against Heart of Lions on Sunday.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet

Erling Haaland hails Ghana star Antoine Semenyo as ‘the perfect Premier League player’

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:19:31 +0000

The duo combined to power the Sky Blues to victory over Coventry City in week four of the Premier League campaign, held at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The Black Stars forward started and played the full throttle of the match as the Sky Blues cruised to a narrow victory over their opponents in matchday three of the English top flight.

Semenyo, who joined Manchester City last January, played a pivotal role, assisting the only goal of the much-anticipated clash held at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City opened the scoring in the 26th minute through their rampant attacker Erling Haaland, after being set up by Semenyo. Both teams put up a good performance throughout the game, but with no additional goals in the second half, the hosts cruised to victory to secure maximum points.

Speaking in an interview, Haaland highlighted Semenyo’s physicality and all-round qualities, while jokingly comparing the Black Stars forward to himself.

“Good guy, top guy! He’s the perfect Premier League player, physical, just the total package… a bit like me!” he said.

For Semenyo, receiving such glowing praise from one of world football’s most prolific strikers is another indication of his growing stature at the Etihad Stadium.

Semenyo has now provided two assists for Manchester City after three matches into the 2026/27 Premier League campaign, signalling his growing influence in the team.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet

I’m back – Ghana winger Ernest Nuamah celebrates long-awaited Ligue 1 goal

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:15:48 +0000

The pacey Black Stars winger delivered an impressive performance at the Groupama Stadium, contributing a goal and an assist as Lyon triumphed over AJ Auxerre in a highly competitve clash.

Nuamah set up Felix Bacher to open the scoring in the 28th minute, rewarding Lyon’s early dominance after Loïs Openda had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

The 22-year-old then got on the scoresheet himself eight minutes into the second half, finishing to restore Lyon’s two-goal advantage after Cameron Archer had pulled one back for Auxerre shortly before half-time.

His outstanding performance earned him the Man of the Match award, further underlining his growing importance to coach Paulo Fonseca’s side.

Speaking after the game, Nuamah admitted that his journey back to full fitness and form had not been easy following his injury setback.

“I’m happy to have scored my first Ligue 1 goal in a long time. It’s been a long journey since my injury to get back to this point… but now I’m back.” He said.

Nuamah will now be hoping to build on his encouraging performance and establish himself as a key figure for Lyon as the season progresses, while also giving Ghana’s Black Stars a timely boost ahead of their upcoming assignments.

His goal and assist performance could mark the beginning of a new chapter for the talented winger, who appears determined to put his injury struggles behind him and return to the level that made him one of Ghana’s most exciting young players.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccornet

I am sure we will continue this path – Kapor Nebojsa after Hearts of Oak’s big win over Chelsea

Tonaldo — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 14:11:27 +0000

The Phobians began their campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Berekum Chelsea at the University of Ghana Stadium on Sunday.

The win was particularly significant for the Accra-based club, as it marked the first time they had won their opening league fixture in six years.

Nebojsa was delighted with the performance and believes Hearts can build on their strong start.

“The feeling is good. We are very happy with our opener, and I am sure we will continue this path,” he said after the match.

The emphatic victory puts Hearts of Oak at the top of the Premier League table after the opening round of fixtures.

Their attention now turns to a difficult away challenge against Bibiani GoldStars this weekend.

Nebojsa has urged his players to remain calm and focused as they look to extend their winning start.

“We have to be calm and start preparing for our next game. We will face GoldStars with the full force of our power,” he added.

Source:Fiilasports/ghanasoccernet

What different world maps get right – and what they get wrong

Issahaku Walkiyatu — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:40:11 +0000

The UN has just called for the predominant world map to be replaced with one that more accurately reflects the true size of continents such as Africa.

The “Correct the Map” resolution adopted by the General Assembly aims to fix the discrepancy with the Mercator map, in which the African continent is shown as being of similar size to Greenland – even though it is in reality about 14 times larger.

The UN adopted a new map, the Equal Earth projection, which better represents the true sizes of landmasses – but comes with problems of its own.

There have been many prominent attempts over the years to solve the problem of accurately representing the surface of a sphere on a flat rectangle, each with its own benefits and drawbacks.

Mercator map

Getty Images

The Mercator projection has been around since the 16th Century and was vital for navigating the oceans

The now widely used Mercator map was created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator.

Its main purpose was to help European sailors navigate the oceans, as cartography Professor James Cheshire at University College London explained.

“He wanted a straight line to be drawn on a map to look like a straight line in reality if you followed a compass bearing,” he told the BBC. “That was what it was intended to do, and that’s what it does brilliantly well.”

To keep those angles correct on a flat map, Mercator had to stretch the grid lines wider as they moved away from the equator toward the poles.

His map accommodates for the curvature of the Earth by making countries near the equator seem much smaller than they are and countries nearer the poles appear stretched.

The distortion is a result of it being impossible to accurately represent the surface of a globe on a two-dimensional chart.

More than 450 years on, Mercator’s creation is still the basis for many of the maps we see in classrooms, on TV and online, including Google Maps.

But critics of the Mercator map say there is a psychological effect to viewing some places as smaller than they actually are and others as larger, as we instinctively view bigger things as more important.

For Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo, this has implicitly downplayed Africa’s vast resources, population and investment opportunities.

“Maps are more than just guides for travellers – they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically,” he told the BBC.

Equal Earth map

The Equal Earth map aims to represent landmasses’ area more fairly

The Equal Earth map aims to address this problem with the Mercator projection.

It was developed by a team of cartographers in 2018 to present the size and shape of landmasses more accurately, and was inspired by the 1963 Robinson projection – a map that shows the entire globe’s surface at once.

As a result, the Equal Earth map was adopted by African Union members in February, before it was adopted by the UN.

But it sacrifices the straight lines that made the Mercator projection perfect for navigating with – and it cannot be used for measuring the true distance between different places.

“You can preserve area, or you can preserve shape, or you can preserve distance and direction, but not everything at once perfectly, because otherwise you’d be back to a sphere,” Cheshire said.

Peters map

The Peters map projection gives a fairer idea of land area but distorts shape

The Peters world map was designed by German historian Arno Peters in the early 1970s. The rectangular map is based on the projection first described by Scottish cartographer James Gall in 1855.

The projection sacrifices accuracy of shape in favour of accuracy of scale. So, polar regions are squished, while the bits near the equator are stretched.

This fixes the Greenland-Africa size issue, allowing those who use it to get a sense of the comparative size of different landmasses, all while preserving straight lines of longitude and latitude.

However, the map severely distorts the shapes of Earth’s landmasses, making them all look slightly off. Russia, for instance, looks much smaller than it actually is.

The straight lines on the Peters map also do not represent true constant compass bearings and so are useless for navigation.

Flipped and shifted maps

Universal Images Group via Getty Images Images

This Mercator projection puts the Americas front and centre instead of Europe and Africa

In the same way the apparent size of a landmass can influence its perceived importance, so can its prominence on a map.

Some cartographers have attempted to orient the map so the south is at the top, to counter the psychological bias that comes from the global south being viewed as less imporant because it’s lower down.

And depending on where you are in the world, which continent is placed in the centre of a map can vary.

While these alternate maps offer a different perspective on the world to the one we may be familiar with, they don’t solve the issue of prominence, but rather simply change the focus of a map.

Polar-oriented maps

NurPhoto via Getty Images

The UN flag is centred on the North Pole so no one continent is the primary focus

One way of resolving the issue of which landmass is at the centre of a map – and therefore the most prominent – is putting none of them at the centre.

This is what the map in the UN logo does: the world is centred around the North Pole, with the continents radiating outward from it.

It’s known as an “Azimuthal equidistant projection”, placing world regions on a circular map around a focal point. The further away from that point on the globe, the bigger the circle.

On this type of map, all points are at the correct “azimuth” – or horizontal direction – from the centre point.

But to fit the entire surface of a sphere onto a circle, the map becomes more distorted the further away from the centre it gets.

On the UN map, for instance, areas near the South Pole appear squished and stretched as what would be a ring of the same circumference as one around the North Pole becomes much larger.

Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC

Zelensky says he expects war to continue into winter after talks with US envoys

Issahaku Walkiyatu — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:38:20 +0000

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he expects the war with Russia to continue into the winter, following talks with Donald Trump’s top envoys in Kyiv.

The discussions finished without an announcement of a major breakthrough, after Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Ukraine for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The previous day, the pair had held talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Witkoff said he was “encouraged” by what he called “substantive” and important talks in Kyiv.

Zelensky stressed that he wanted a just peace with no opportunity for renewed aggression by Russia.

Following rounds of talks on Sunday, which lasted several hours behind closed doors, Zelensky told reporters they had agreed officials from Ukraine, Europe and America would meet in the near future to continue discussions. He also called for a trilateral meeting with Russia and the US.

“We’re confident there’ll be a good resolution here,” Witkoff said, adding the negotiators had “made a lot of progress in Moscow”, referring to the pair’s discussions on Saturday.

When asked about the talks in Moscow, Kushner said the US team “went through a lot of the ideas that hadn’t worked to date” and “tried to think about” what elements are needed for “durable peace”.

“It was a very good dialogue, he [Putin] asked a lot of questions, we asked a lot of questions.”

Witkoff said the envoys had met the Russian leader prior to travelling to Kyiv as they “needed to hear where he stood”.

Zelensky emphasised that should the war continue into the winter – “which is what it looks like for now” – Ukraine would need air defence and energy support.

Ukraine has relied on American-made Patriot interceptors to combat Russian ballistic missiles, but the US has used many of its stockpiles during its war with Iran.

In past years, Russia has focused its attacks on energy infrastructure during winter months.

Zelensky said Ukraine needs to develop its own anti-ballistic system, but added the Americans will be increasing production next year, which they are “counting on”.

The US envoys had travelled to Kyiv by train after flying to Poland – Zelensky told the media that it was not possible for them to land their plane despite preparations.

Putin and Zelensky agreed to halt strikes on each other’s capitals for three days while the negotiators carried out their trip.

Zelensky greeted Witkoff and Jared Kushner at Kyiv’s St Sophia Cathedral, near where a Russian drone hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s security services on Friday.

Overnight, Russian and Ukrainian forces continued to exchange strikes, with Ukraine confirming they struck an oil refinery, an airfield, and two air defence systems.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia attacked Ukraine with 108 long-range drones and small cruise missiles.

The country’s air defences downed 82 drones and six missiles, but 11 locations were hit, with debris falling at a further seven sites.

Saturday’s talks in Moscow lasted three hours and were held behind closed doors in the Kremlin, according to Russian state media.

Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “constructive, extremely frank”.

He said they spoke about resolving the war, economic issues, and potential “mutually beneficial Russian-American projects”.

Ushakov also said “note was made of the Russian army’s tangible advances in the combat zone” and that there was acknowledgement that talks needed to address “the root causes of the conflict”.

Despite an escalation of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Russian ground forces have made very slow advances for most of the conflict, incurring enormous casualties. Russia still controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory – areas that it seized back in 2022.

The talks come after Russia and Ukraine have intensified aerial attacks in recent months.

Source:Fiilafmonline/BBC

Ato Forson Thanks Constituents for 18 Years of Support

Issahaku Walkiyatu — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:34:57 +0000

Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Essiam, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has thanked his constituents for their trust and support over the past 18 years of his service in Parliament.

Speaking at the Enyan Abaasa Akwambo Festival durbar, Dr. Forson expressed gratitude to the people for standing by him and for their understanding as he balances his parliamentary duties with his responsibilities as Finance Minister.

“Every time I come home, my heart is full of love,” he said.

“I came, first and foremost, to thank the people of Enyan Abaasa for your understanding and for trusting me to serve you all these years.”

Dr. Forson acknowledged that the responsibility President Mahama had entrusted to him had made it more difficult to visit the constituency as often as he previously did.

He said he had drawn comfort from the counsel of the Paramount Chief of the Enyan Abaasa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Kwamena Akonu, who encouraged him to focus on his work, represent the constituency well and stay away from wrongdoing.

The chief, he recalled, had assured him that the people at home would be well cared for.

“Nana, you advised me to concentrate on the job, knowing that our people were in your care. Since my return, I have seen for myself that all is indeed well,” Dr. Forson said.

Source:Fiilafmonline/Adomonline

Christian Apologetic Alliance rejects calls to alter mission schools’ religious identity

Issahaku Walkiyatu — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 06:32:59 +0000

The Christian Apologetic Alliance says Christian mission schools should not be made to alter their religious identity to accommodate the practices of Muslim students, arguing that these institutions have a right to preserve the Christian ethos, traditions and worship on which they were founded.

In a press statement responding to an earlier release by the Ghana Muslim Students Association on the rights and welfare of Muslim students in mission schools, the Alliance said the protection of religious rights and dignity is itself a Christian principle, but argued this does not extend to permitting individual religious preferences to override the institutional character of schools that students voluntarily choose to attend.

The group said mission schools predate the modern Ghanaian state, crediting nineteenth-century Basel, Wesleyan and Catholic missionaries with pioneering literacy, formal education, vocational training and healthcare in the country. It said these institutions “apologise to no one” for their Christian identity, describing it as core to their character rather than an incidental feature.

According to the Alliance, uniformity, order and discipline in mission schools have historically been tied to participation in Christian worship, and it maintained that exempting students of other faiths from such activities would undermine the educational model itself. It cited hypothetical scenarios, including a Hindu student remaining behind during worship or a traditionalist student defying dress codes, to illustrate what it called disruptions to institutional uniformity and discipline.

The statement argued that religious freedom protects individuals but does not grant them the right to “redesign” an institution founded on a different religious identity, and rejected the argument that public funding obliges mission schools to alter their Christian character. It said the state inherited an educational foundation built by Christian missions and owes those institutions a historical debt rather than grounds to dismantle their ethos.

Referencing Nigeria, the Alliance warned against what it described as prolonged state interference diluting the ethos of mission schools, pointing to disputes over Islamic head coverings in Osun and Kwara States in 2013 and 2021 that it said escalated into confrontations, including assaults on school staff. It said the comparison was meant as a cautionary lesson rather than to inflame tensions.

The group outlined its position in a series of affirmations, stating that Muslims have the right to practise their faith, Christians have the right to maintain Christian institutions, and mission schools have the right to preserve their founding traditions, worship and disciplinary frameworks. It added that students from other religious backgrounds should be welcomed and treated with dignity, but said religious tolerance should not be confused with institutional religious identity.

The Alliance called on the Government of Ghana, the Ghana Education Service, churches, school authorities, parents and other stakeholders to protect what it termed the historic and distinctive character of mission schools, describing them as “Ghana’s crown jewels.”

Source:Fiilafmonline/3News