Tag: Ghana

Kudus pays tribute to Atsu — and referee lets him off without a yellow

“This is beyond football. We are talking about life and death”

Mohammed Kudus scored a free kick for Ajax against Sparta Rotterdam on Sunday, and proceeded to celebrate by lifting his jersey over his head.

According to the laws of the game, that would necessitate an automatic yellow card. But this wasn’t an ordinary celebration, and referee Pol van Boekel knew it.

Kudus scored late in Ajax’s 4-0 win and revealed a shirt with the message “R.I.P. Atsu” — a tribute to Christian Atsu, who was found dead under the rubble in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this month.

After a 12-day search, Atsu’s body was finally found on Saturday, the day before Ajax took the pitch.

Speaking to ESPN after the game, Kudus said that Van Boekel allowed his tribute to go unpunished because the message went beyond sport.

“We all know what’s going on in Turkey and that part of the world,” the 22-year-old said. “Atsu was the one close to me but I dedicate that goal to him and everyone who had families and all the people involved in the Turkey earthquakes.

“We are footballers but this is beyond football. We are talking about life and death. The ref told me this is not allowed but he understands because this is a bigger situation than just playing football.

“A big respect from me to the referee for understanding the whole situation.”

Kudus said that his fellow Ghanaian had served as a mentor to him.

“I learned a lot from watching him, he also regularly gave me advice. Everything I gave today was for him.

“If I hadn’t have scored, I would have shown the shirt after the game.”

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Mohammed Kudus said he’s as good as Neymar. That’s not looking totally nuts.

The 22-year-old is looking like one of the World Cup’s breakout stars

Mohammed Kudus came to this World Cup full of confidence. Two games in, it’s easy to see why.

Kudus has been one of the breakout stars in the early going, tallying an assist for Ghana in an opening loss to Portugal before scoring a pair of goals in a wild 3-2 win over South Korea on Monday.

The 22-year-old playmaker netted a first-half header to give his side a 2-0 lead. But South Korea struck back in the second half, with Cho Gue-sung scoring two quick goals to equalize.

Kudus was not done, however, and he swept home a 68th-minute goal to complete his brace and give Ghana the winner it so desperately needed after falling in its opener.

Prior to the World Cup, Kudus told The Guardian of Neymar, a player he and his teammates could see in the knockout round: “He’s not better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all,”

Kudus has made a name for himself at Ajax after his 2020 arrival from Danish side Nordsjælland. The 22-year-old operates as a No. 10 who is equally comfortable scoring goals or creating them. His exploits in the Netherlands has led to interest from big clubs abroad, which will only be amplified by his first two games in Qatar.

Kudus knows he hasn’t reached the heights that Neymar has during his career. But he’s making steady progress and as his first two World Cup games have shown, it may not be a good idea to bet against him.

“What makes [Neymar] better, for now, is that he has achieved a lot,” Kudus said. I’ll get there soon.”

Watch Kudus score two vs. South Korea

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Eagles awarded three international markets; First NFL team to enter Africa

Philadelphia Eagles awarded three international markets, and they’ll now be the first NFL team to have a presence in Africa

The Eagles are among the gold standards in the NFL and on Tuesday, they were rewarded for constant innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.

The NFL announced today that four new International Home Marketing Areas (IHMA) have been approved with the Philadelphia Eagles granted access to Australia, New Zealand, and Ghana – the first NFL club to enter a market in Africa.

The expanded program now includes 19 teams granted access to 30 International Home Marketing Areas across 10 different countries.

The organization is now allowed to market and hold engagement/commercialization efforts in those countries, with the hopes of organically growing fan bases in those areas.

In June, the NFL will host its first events in Africa with a developmental camp and fan event in Ghana. Full details to be announced at a later date.

The Eagles currently have two Australian-based players on the roster in Jordan Mailata and Matt Leo.

While Leo is still working to learn the NFL game, Mailata has developed into one of the top left tackles in the NFL.

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