By John Essien
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on their counterparts from Ghana, the Black Stars, in a crucial 2022 FIFA World Cup Playoff.
Both rivals will be looking to outwit each other when they take to the pitch to determine which one will be part of the countries representing Africa in the global showpiece slated for Qatar later this year.
Ghana will host Nigeria on Friday, March 25 before visiting the Super Eagles four days later on March 29.
It promises to be a high-octane occasion as both sides go for a victory that would see them qualify for the World Cup
As we countdown to the all-important cracker, here are five talking points ahead of the fixture.
Head-To-Head Put Eagles On Advantage
Both nations will relish the prospect of outdoing the other for a World Cup berth, claiming bragging rights in this regional derby represents one of the narratives heading into this double-header.
After a disappointing outing at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana and Nigeria seek a response to their early exits in Cameroon.
Picking the ticket to Qatar will undoubtedly soften the blow of the respective group stage and Round of 16 exits at the finals, but only one side can come out on top.
The West African giants have met six times in the World Cup qualification series with Nigeria picking two wins and three draws to claim a better head-to-head record.
The last time the two teams faced-off in a World Cup qualifier was on July 28, 2001 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos where Nigeria recorded an emphatic 3-0 win in the reverse fixture to pick one of Africa’s slot to the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.
Nigeria VS Ghana World Cup play-off is one of the most awaited qualifier matches as a result of the rivalry which exist between them.
Ghana remains Nigeria’s biggest rivals. Any football match involving Nigeria and their West African neighbors has always turned out a fierce battle that leaves behind bitter and sweet memories. It is sweet for the winners and bitter for the losers.
Rumoured Voodoo In Black Stars Camp
In what is anticipated to be a tense contest, reports making the rounds in the past few weeks suggests Ghana could be banking on their most potent voodoo for the clash.
Chairman of the Nigeria Supporters Club, Samuel Ikpea had accused Ghana for relying on voodoo to secure qualification to the 2022 World Cup, Ghana Football reports.
“We can’t wait to be in Qatar. The World Cup playoff against Ghana will be difficult based on the rivalry between both countries and we learnt the Ghanaian are banking on voodoo to pick the qualification ticket but as a God-fearing body, we’ll be venturing into three days of fasting and prayer to neutralize this,” Mr. Ikpea revealed.
In recent years, African countries have repeatedly confirmed their stand on the efficacy of voodoo ‘juju’ in football.
Barely 13 years after the Black Satellites’ unprecedented conquest of the globe at the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2009, had it surfaced that Ghana sacrificed “7 mad people” to achieve the feat.
Speaking on television programme, Black Stars Classic posted on YouTube, Joseph Langabel who has served as a moral leader for the male national teams at all levels, revealed that he and others made sacrifices in order for Ghana U-20 to win the World Cup.
Langabel said “they were told they could only win if they sacrificed seven mad people.”
He stated that, despite the fact that it was a herculean task, the process was completed with the assistance of a man identified only as Zakoko, who speaks Arabic and Ghana went on to become the first and only African side to be crowned champions after defeating Brazil via penalty shootout.
Coming back home to the game against the Super Eagles, it is no gainsaying that the Black Stars would be banking on black magic to beat Nigeria.
Indestructible Baba Yara Stadium Hands Black Stars Home Advantage
Also, losing at the Baba Yara stadium, venue of the first-leg happens ones in a blue moon for the Black Stars. Every Ghanaian player is reminded of the need to spill a blood and die for fatherland.
The first leg had initially been billed for the Cape Coast Sports Stadium, which was disapproved after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) complained to FIFA about the poor state of the pitch.
The journey to Kumasi, a land described as the ancestral slaughter ground of the Black stars of Ghana, should give Nigerians sleepless nights if we decide to take a trip down the memory lane. The last time both sides played in Kumasi – September 1990 – the Black Stars came out 1-0 winners, with Kwama Saara Mensah scoring the game’s sole goal in the 33rd minute.
In 2013, the 40,000 capacity stadium played hosts to the Black Stars as they thrashed seven-time African champions Egypt 6-1, en route to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Against Nigeria, the Ghanaians will hope they continue their good form in Kumasi as they will look to hurt their West African neighbours on hallowed ground this time.
Will Ghana’s Antics Win The Day?
While we expect the battle to be done on the field, the off-pitch skirmish came in full swing prior to the highly anticipated encounter after the Ghana Football Association refused to make public their squad list.
Nigeria’s Head Coach Austin Eguavoen had announced his squad list on March 4, but their counterparts, in what they termed a ‘tactical move’ delayed their announcement for further two weeks.
According to GFA, the decision to hoard list was strategic in the event to stop their perennial foes.
‘Jollof Derby’ And What It Means To Both Nations
The Nigeria–Ghana rivalry has been around for as long as both countries have existed. Both countries have dwelt together like the tongue and the teeth inside the mouth.
Politically, the British colonised both countries, leaving them with similar political ideologies and systems of governance. Thus, Nigeria and Ghana have a lot in common. Although, rivalry between Nigerian and Ghanian manner of preparing jollof rice is a (mostly lighthearted) clash among the West African diaspora.
The similarity in language, traditions, and shared cultures, some of which are a combination of European practices, has led to Nigeria and Ghana becoming sister nations.
Yet the feud over who has the best jollof is continuous and prevalent between Nigerians and Ghanaians. Both online and offline, people get riled up over the comparison of two dishes that are quite the same.
Thus, ahead of the crucial encounter, also tagged the ‘jollof derby’, the rivalry has already begun on social media with celebrities from the opposing sides getting involved in an early banter.
