The geographic engineering of Africa has Ghana and Nigeria split apart by thousands of kilometres but the truth is that both countries share more in common than they do realise.
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Preview of Ghana vs Nigeria: A rivalry underpinned by trash talks, jollof war and more
Relations between Ghana and Nigeria transcend sport, but a football rivalry was fashioned along the way and that rivalry will be renewed as both countries aim to book a ticket to the 2022 World Cup…
Preview of Ghana vs Nigeria: A rivalry underpinned by trash talks, jollof war and more
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The food, culture, movies, music and the Pidgin English are analogous and it’s why collaborations between citizens of these two countries have become a thing in recent years.
In these similarities, though, lie some unmistakable differences. For instance, while Ghana is known as a motherland, Nigeria prides itself as a fatherland. In short, Ghana and Nigeria are the innocent half-brothers that never got to share a roof due to a divorce beyond their control.
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Two countries – Togo and Benin – separate Ghana and Nigeria and yet if you ask any Nigerian which West African country they’d prefer to be in aside from theirs, they’d immediately pick Ghana and vice versa.
The relationship between the two West African powerhouses soured in the 1980s when Ghanaians who moved to Nigeria as economic migrants were chased out, leading to the now popular ‘Ghana Must Go’ shibboleth.
That, though, is now in the past. What is not, though, is the football rivalry that started in the colonial era and has only gotten more intense in the last seven decades.
Some of the results in this historic fixture can equally not be forgotten so easily: Nigeria’s 5-0 battering of Ghana (known as the Gold Coast then) in Lagos in 1951 is still talked about with great pride across the oil-producing nation, just as Ghana’s 7-0 thrashing of the Super Eagles four years later remains a ping.
As both teams prepare to face off once again, this time in the 2022 World Cup playoffs, hostilities will be renewed but only one side can be in Qatar.
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Ghana underdogs, Nigeria favourites
From an objective point of view, Nigeria are huge favourites for this tie. The Super Eagles are more stable and will be going into the game with a better squad.
Their AFCON performance may have been a bit disappointing after raising hopes with three straight wins in the group stages, only to lose to a COVID-19-stricken Tunisia side in the round of 16.
However, what Nigeria have is continuity. Augustine Eguavoen remains the interim coach and his backroom staff has been bolstered even further. Strikers Odion Ighalo, Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis are also back after missing the AFCON, while Leicester City’s Ademola Lookman has finally completed his nationality switch and is ready for action.
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The Super Eagles are, however, short in midfield, where Wilfred Ndidi’s injury-enforced absence will be a big blow. But in Joseph Ayodele-Aribo and Oghenekaro Etebo, they should have decent cover.
That the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, who was a starter at the 2021 AFCON, and Ogenyi Onazi are not even part of the squad highlights the quality and depth of this Nigerian team.
Ghana, on the contrary, can only cast jealous eyes and will be relying on a hurriedly assembled technical bench – led by Otto Addo as coach and former Newcastle United manager Chris Hughton as technical advisor – to upset their opponents.
Despite Ghana boasting a superior head-to-head record over Nigeria, the Black Stars are still underdogs going into the two-legged tie. Confidence is at an all-time low following the team’s worst-ever AFCON outing, where the finished bottom of a group that contained debutants Comoros.
Even worse, Ghana will be without the services of skipper Andre Ayew, whose sending off in Cameroon, has ruled him out of the playoff game against Nigeria. Otto Addo’s squad has four debutants and a quartet of forwards who have less than 10 goals between them this season.
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However, the Black Stars have a few game-changers too. Daniel Kofi Kyereh has been on fire in the Bundesliga 2, having reached double figures in both goals (11) and assists (11) for St. Pauli.
Meanwhile, Thomas Partey, who will captain the team against Nigeria, has also been in imperious form for Arsenal and is the Gunners’ reigning player of the month. Alexandre Djiku is another in-form player and his partnership with Leicester’s Daniel Amartey will be pivotal to Ghana’s chances.
In the end, though, it will come down to the finer margins. Nigeria has the talent and momentum on their side, but Ghana could upset the odds if they show up with the right temperament and character.
Thrash talks in full force
Just like all derbies, the build-up to the Ghana vs Nigeria game has been very interesting. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) may have killed a bit of the vibe with their weird decision to release their squad late, but it hasn’t stopped both sides from trash-talking each other.
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When Ghana was struggling to find a venue for the first-leg after the Cape Coast stadium was deemed unfit to host the game, Nigeria made sure to stick it in.
Super Eagles legend Daniel Amokachi was the first to stoke the flames by taking a swipe at Ghana’s poor preparations. In a video posted on social media after visiting the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, where the second leg will be played, Amokachi mocked: “We are at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. We are ready. Look at how beautiful the pitch is, look at how beautiful the stadium is.
“We are ready but some people are still looking for a venue. Some people are under confusion, you know who I’m talking about.”
His comments may have been on a lighter note, but that wasn’t the case of Nigeria’s Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, when expressed his views on the upcoming game.
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He was more direct and in a no-holds-barred mood when he said the Super Eagles will “beat the sh*t out of Ghana.” But as Newton’s Third Law of Motion states, to every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction and Ghana wasn’t going to let these trolling statements pass.
So, when GFA President Kurt Okraku, took his turn to deliver a goodwill message to the Black Stars and Ghanaians in general, he saw an opportunity to hit back at the ‘enemy’ and he took it.
“We have a common foe, the Super Eagles of Nigeria,” he rallied, before striking the killer blow: “They come across as our little babies, but they pretend to be the big boys.”
You can expect more trash talks till the matchday and the bottom line is that it is part of what makes this fixture one of the most anticipated in the world.
An endless jollof war
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Jollof rice is a West African cuisine and the interesting thing is that it doesn’t even originate from Ghana or Nigeria. However, both countries have become the modern ambassadors of this dish, with a whole ‘war’ over who prepares it better gaining international attention.
As Ghana and Nigeria prepare to lock horns, the endless jollof war has reared its head again. Even the neutrals have taken notice and can’t wait to appoint themselves as the jury.
“If you need an independent judge of the Ghana v Nigeria Jollof debate, I am available,” the BBC’s John Bennet declared when he touched down in Accra to cover the game.
Sports journalist Juliet Bawuah also took a swipe at Nigerian jollof by tweeting on a return from Lagos: “Tasted Nigerian Jollof over the weekend. For a minute I thought I was having 'Kwenkwen'. Why do you even compare it with the delicious Ghana Jollof?”
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The jollof war is expected to rage on even after the game between Ghana and Nigeria. Perhaps, we may never declare an undisputed winner. The upcoming World Cup playoff, however, needs a winner to represent the continent in Qatar.
And only time will tell which side it will be.
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