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Français (Afrique)Ghana Premier League: Kotoko coach Prince Owusu gives up on title chase
Asante Kotoko interim head coach Prince Owusu has expressed disappointment in his charges after their 1-2 loss against Samartex in Tuesday’s conclusion from Week 28 of the Ghana Premier League.
The game was scheduled for Monday, April 6 but heavy rains disrupted second half activities, pushing hostilities to Tuesday morning at the Baba Yara Stadium.
With the game continuing in the second half after a barren first, Samartex shot ahead in the 55th minute through the effort of Christian Agyenim Boateng.
Seven minutes from time, Emmanuel Mamah doubled the lead for the visitors, a result that almost put the game beyond Kotoko.
Elvis Kyei Baffour was brought down in the Samartex area two minutes to full time for Kotoko to snatch a goal back from the spot.
Defensive captain Samba O’Neil failed to convert his penalty but Albert Amoah arrived to provide a consolation for the Porcupine Warriors.
Coach Owusu was left distraught after the entire proceedings.
“It was so obvious, I felt bad after the game and it’s started from yesterday, the way they played the game yesterday, it didn’t go the way we wanted so I could see it coming but we tried to prevent it and we couldn’t do that,” Owusu said after the game.
“The boys were not playing to the system that we wanted them to play.
Owusu admits that the league title chase looks far from reach after the loss.
“It looks like it, but I don’t know, that’s football but right now if I look at the points and what we have, it doesn’t look good.
“The two goals that we conceded were just defensive blunders. If I say they didn’t play to the rhythm, they tried their best but it was not the way we wanted it.”
The defeat leaves the record Ghana Premier League holders in 4th on 43 points, three points behind rivals Hearts of Oak who beat Young Apostles 1-0 on Sunday.
They are eight points adrift of leaders, GoldStars, and will next turn their attention to the week 29 fixture away second place Medeama on Sunday, April 12.
For Samartex, the win lifts them to sixth place, strengthening their push for a top-four finish with seven games to end the campaign.
Updated Ghana Premier League table
Bibiani Gold Stars go back on top.
Who wins the league and who gets relegated?#GPL #GPLMW28 pic.twitter.com/0qw8kxpf3V
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Ghana Premier League (@GhanaLeague) April 7, 2026
Confirmed starting 11s: Orlando Pirates vs Golden Arrows
The two sides lock horns for the second time this season following Orlando Pirates’ 3-1 win in the first round at King Zwelithini Stadium on 5 November 2025.
STARTING LINE UPS
Orlando Pirates starting line up: Chaine, Sebelebele, Seema, Sibisi, Hotto, Nemtajela, Mbatha, Moremi, Mofokeng, Appollis, Mbuthuma.
Substitutes: 35. Buthelezi, 43. Chabatsane, 28. Maswanganyi, 23. Mbule, 21. Van Rooyen, 8. Makhaula, 3. Ndaba, 17. Makgopa, 14. De Jong.
Golden Arrows starting line up: Maova, Van Rooi, Dion, Mabaso, Jiyane, Dlamini, Sibiya , Maxwele, Mafuleka, Shezi, Zwane
Substitutes: Ngcobo, Maluleke, Sithole, Lukhele, Msomi, Nguse, Cisse, B.Cele, Gasa.
ORLANDO PIRATES AND GOLDEN ARROWS BOTH EXPECTED TO SCORE
Orlando Pirates come into this clash in red-hot form, fresh from a dominant 6-0 win over TS Galaxy just before the FIFA break on 22 March. As a result of that emphatic performance, coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has made only one change to his side.
Additionally, the Buccaneers are right in the thick of the title race, sitting on 51 points, just two behind log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns on 53. It’s been a season built on balance, with Orlando Pirates proving just as solid at the back as they are dangerous going forward.
They have conceded only nine goals in 22 matches, a clear reflection of Ouaddou’s defensive pedigree from his playing days, while scoring 40, just one shy of Sundowns.
Silverware has already been tasted, with Orlando Pirates lifting both the MTN8 and Carling Knockout earlier in the campaign.
Meanwhile, visitors Golden Arrows, also known as Abafana Bes’thende, have shown flashes of brilliance but struggled for consistency. Under coach Manqoba Mngqithi, they sit eighth on the table with 28 points from 22 matches, recording eight wins, four draws, and ten defeats.
Also read: Reports: Seven Kaizer Chiefs contracts expire in June, who stays, who leaves?
Their standout moments this season include impressive wins over Kaizer Chiefs and Sundowns. Going forward, Arrows have been productive, ranking among the league’s top scorers with 28 goals. However, they’ve conceded the same number, highlighting a defensive vulnerability Pirates will look to exploit.
Even so, Mngqithi has placed his trust in youth at the back tonight, handing responsibility to a young defensive unit featuring Mafuleka (20) at left-back, Mabaso (21) in left central defence and captain Jiyane (23) in central defence.
Récompense : Arthur Avom nominé pour un prix spécial !
Les trois joueurs nominés pour le prix dénommé la ''Pépite du mois de mars'' sont désormais connu. Il s'agit d'Arthur Avom de Lorient, Aladji Bamba de Monaco et Nidal Celik de Lens. En effet, ils ont marqué ce mois de leur empreinte avec de belles performances à la clé. Mais, ils n'ont pas disputé le
L’article Récompense : Arthur Avom nominé pour un prix spécial ! est apparu en premier sur Camfoot.com.
Coupe du Monde 2026 – Etats Unis : Patrick Agyemang forfait pour la compétition
L’attaquant américain Patrick Agyemang manquera la Coupe du Monde 2026 après une grave blessure au tendon d’Achille lors d’un match de Championship avec Derby County. Un coup dur pour le joueur de 25 ans et pour les États-Unis. Une blessure qui stoppe net la préparation Lors de la première mi-temps du match contre Stoke City, Agyemang a été contraint de quitter le terrain après avoir ressenti une douleur intense au tendon d’Achille. Le club a confirmé la gravité de la blessure, mettant fin à sa participation à la compétition mondiale sur le sol américain. Le joueur reçoit le soutien de ses coéquipiers et de ses fans, tous espérant un rétablissement rapide et complet. La perte de l’attaquant constitue un vrai coup dur pour Derby County, mais surtout pour la sélection américaine. Patrick Agyemang, auteur de 6 buts en 14 sélections, était l’un des fers de lance offensifs des USA pour cette Coupe du Monde. Son absence oblige l’encadrement technique à revoir ses plans pour l’attaque de l’équipe nationale. Un défi pour la sélection américaine Sans Agyemang, les États-Unis devront trouver de nouvelles solutions offensives pour continuer à espérer aller loin dans la compétition. Le sélectionneur Mauricio Pochetino devra miser sur l’expérience et la polyvalence des autres attaquants pour compenser le départ de son buteur. Si l’absence de Patrick Agyemang est un coup dur, elle pourrait également offrir à d’autres talents la chance de se révéler sur la scène mondiale.
L’article Coupe du Monde 2026 – Etats Unis : Patrick Agyemang forfait pour la compétition est apparu en premier sur AfricaFootUnited.
Dota 2 needs more stadium events: I’m a diehard fan and can’t even remember the last five offstage winners
The Dota 2 esports scene is in a healthy place if we’re looking at the sheer number of S-Tier events. We have million-dollar tournaments almost every month, but the issue is — the majority of them are either played in a closed studio or entirely online.
And, even though I’m a hardcore Dota fan, these tournaments can feel pretty dull at times. What’s missing? A crowd.
Offstage Events Left and Right
There are simply way too many offstage events. Excluding The International and the Esports World Cup, there are three main tournament organizers pumping out events in the scene: ESL, PGL, and BLAST — all of which produce two or three Dota 2 events throughout the year.
The issue is that most of these tournaments are conducted online or in a studio. Apart from one stadium event per year, ESL hosts DreamLeague, an entirely online tournament series. On the other hand, PGL and BLAST tend to stick to studio formats, though BLAST has implemented stadium tournaments a few times.
Though Dota fans will pretty much always have constant action to watch, these games just don’t bring the same spark as those played in front of a crowd. You might see cinema-tier games here and there, but for the most part, these events just don’t feel as engaging.
Let’s not get started with DreamLeague. I believe this tournament series has many flaws. Matches are played online and have an extremely draining format. The event uses two group stages to whittle down 16 participants to just four, stretching it to nearly two weeks. After dozens of games and effort, the playoffs are surprisingly short, only requiring four matches to determine the winner.
With these events, it just feels like we’re watching the same thing over and over again. We have the same teams, the same players, the same patch, the same heroes, and the same talent showing up event after event. And though these events are produced by different organizers, it just feels like none of them have any identity. There really isn’t anything unique about these events, aside from maybe different formats.
I’m a diehard Dota fan who’s been watching tournaments since I was 13. I’ve barely missed any pro games. But a decade later, I’ve started getting a little lazy when it comes to tuning in. I legit couldn’t tell you who won the 25th season of PGL Wallachia or the 70th iteration of DreamLeague.
Even two-time TI winner Yaroslav “Mipsohka” Naidenov is in agreement. According to Hawk.Live, he mentioned on stream: “I honestly don’t know how you don’t get tired of Dota. There are so many tournaments every single day. You constantly watch the same picks and the same teams. It’s just boring.”
Feeding Off the Breadcrumbs of Stadium Events
However, Dota’s magic never fails when there’s a crowd in play. The most recent LAN was ESL One Birmingham 2026, which was an absolute treat to watch. Sure, it cheated a little with a new patch being dropped in the middle of the tournament, but it was still a very fun event overall. We had the crowd cheering every time Satanic took a sip of his drink.
Dating back to 2025, we also had BLAST Slam IV held in Singapore in November. We were treated to one of the best grand finals we’ve seen in recent years, with Tundra and Falcons getting peer pressured by the crowd to pick the exact same drafts in the fourth and fifth games. I remember this match more vividly than the grand final of PGL Wallachia Season 7, even though that one happened less than a month ago.
And, of course, we had The International 14, which produced crazy games and insane storylines.
LAN Dota just hits differently, as the pros play under pressure. You have thousands of fans sitting in front of you. When the nerves start kicking in, you make mistakes that can open the door for insane comebacks or back-and-forth games. These are the matches where Dota is at its best.
The worst part? We only get these kinds of events three or four times a year when there are 15 to 20 tournaments in total.
We Need Dota 2 Events That Mean Something Again, And It’s Possible
With ESL One Birmingham 2026 already out of the way, we’re only expecting two more stadium events: the Esports World Cup and The International. Unless BLAST comes in clutch and announces a stadium event later in the year, we just don’t have very many arena LANs to look forward to, which, in all honesty, doesn’t feel like enough for me.
What if each of the big tournament organizers pitches in one stadium event per year? ESL already does its share with yearly arena LANs, and BLAST doesn’t seem opposed to the idea. Now, we’re left with PGL. These guys host Counter-Strike tournaments all the time, surely they can spare a single larger-scale Dota tournament per year? And if Valve sprinkles one Major per year, that’d be even better.
Let’s take this scenario. ESL, BLAST, and PGL each contribute one arena event. Valve runs The International and adds a Major in between. Then, we have the Esports World Cup. We now have six arena events per year, spread roughly every two months.
This should be enough Dota to look forward to. These events will mean something, and each tournament organizer will have the opportunity to implement something unique to make them stand out.
And of course, tournament organizers can still host their studio LANs or online tournaments. People who want to watch those still can, and fans who don’t can simply skip them and wait for the bigger events.
I mean, what’s really stopping this idea? One argument could be player fatigue, where competitors would be too exhausted to play this many events. But… they’re flying to these studio events already, so why not have more fun in an arena while they’re there?
Are financial constraints from tournament organizers another issue? Honestly, I don’t really see the need for them to slap $1 million prize pools at every single tournament. Surely they can shave it down to something like $800,000 and use the rest for running costs. People will still watch, and teams will still participate. For reference, Valve Majors from 2021 to 2023 had prize pools of only $500,000, and nobody really complained.
Surely, many cities would welcome a big Dota LAN with open arms. There are several passionate regions, like South America and Southeast Asia, that would love to host one. Events like these could also possibly attract new players from around the world.
But, until any tournament organizers or Valve step in, I’ll just look forward to yet another season of PGL Wallachia, I guess…
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