By Wale Mustapha
Ghana head coach Otto Addo has downplayed the friendly nature of his team’s upcoming match against Nigeria, emphasizing the significance of the rivalry ahead of the Unity Cup encounter on Wednesday.
The Black Stars and the Super Eagles will face off at the GTech Community Stadium in Brentford, rekindling one of African football’s fiercest rivalries in a match officially billed as a friendly.
Despite the exhibition tag, Addo made it clear that Ghana is approaching the game with full competitive intent.
“I think everyone knows what it’s about. Surely, it’s a friendly game, but it’s not really a friendly game,” Addo told the Ghana Football Association’s official website.
“We want our people to be proud of us, and we want them to talk from a certain perspective. It’s always about who has the better team.”
Ghana will be looking to avenge their 2-1 loss to Nigeria in a friendly match played in Marrakech, Morocco last year.
Kick-off for Wednesday’s Unity Cup clash is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Nigerian time.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
