Ghana can become the first-ever nation to win both women’s and men’s football competitions in the same edition of the African Games if the Black Satellites emerge victorious in the 2023 Ghana vs Uganda African Games final on Friday.
The African Games, formerly known as All-Africa Games was first played in 1965 including men’s football , but it was not until the 2003 edition that women’s football was introduced.
The Black Princesses defeated Nigeria 2-1 to win the women’s football gold medal on Thursday in Cape Coast as their male counterparts eye a quick-fire double for the country in Friday’s men’s football final against Uganda.
It is worth noting that no team has ever won gold in both the men’s and women’s football tournaments in the same edition of an African Games event.
Cameroon won the men’s football tournament in 2003 while Nigeria cliched gold medal in the women’s category. During the next edition at Algiers 2007, the trend repeated with Cameroon and Nigeria winning the men’s and women’s football competitions respectively.
In the next African Games that followed, the Black Meteors defeated South Africa 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 outcome during regular play as James Kwesi Appiah and his men won gold for Ghana on 17th September 2011 in Maputo. In the women’s competition, however, the Black Queens were losing finalists as Cameroon imposed a 1-0 defeat against the Ghanaian team.
Furthermore, the 2015 African Games held in Congo-Brazzaville, saw two different countries win the male’s and female’s football competitions, with Senegal claiming the men’s tournament while the Black Queens of Ghana edged out hot favourites Cameroon 1-0 to win the women’s football gold medal with Yussif Basigi as their head coach.
The 2019 African Games was unsuccessful for the West African nation as the Ghana men’s Olympic team were eliminated from the football tournament after group play and the women’s team did not participate.
In the 2023 African Games that is being held in 2024, the Ghana U20 women national team produced a stunning performance, coming from a goal down in the first half to win 2-1 against Nigeria after extra time in the women’s football final, with Basiqi picking his second gold medal in this specific tournament.
Nigeria dominated the opening 30 minutes of the final and took the lead thanks to Afi Amenyeku’s goalkeeping error in the 23rd minute.
The Ghanaian team, however, fought back to equalize through Trace Twum in the 77th minute before the talented Abdulai Mukarama netted the winner in the 98th for the Black Princesses.
The Ghana U20 men’s national team take on Uganda in the 2023 African Games football final at the Accra sports stadium. If the Satellites are able to win the final to add to the women’s success, it will be an all-time African Games record set by Ghana.
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