Black Stars friendly in Tangier falls through after two straight qualifying defeats

Pinned summary · as of 15:38

The Black Stars will no longer play Morocco on Sunday, 4 October, at the Grand Stade de Tanger, after the friendly was dropped from the international break. The match was meant to help Ghana prepare for their next Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in November, following defeats by Côte d'Ivoire and The Gambia.

What we know

• A friendly between Ghana and Morocco set for Sunday, 4 October, at the Grand Stade de Tanger has been called off, according to Adom Online, SportsWorldGhana and YEN.com.gh.
• Ghana have begun their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with two defeats: 2-0 against Côte d'Ivoire, and then a loss to The Gambia in Group C.
• Adom Online and YEN.com.gh both report that the Gambia result was 4-2.
• Ghana's next qualifying matches are due in November, and the squad is being prepared by coach Carlos Queiroz, according to Adom Online and SportsWorldGhana.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

• ?
  The reason for the cancellation is unclear. Adom Online says the Moroccan Football Federation gave none, and SportsWorldGhana says GFA Communications Director Henry Asante confirmed the cancellation without explaining it. YEN.com.gh, however, reports that the Ghana Football Association pointed to a shortage of fit players because of injuries.
• ?
  Reports also differ on who pulled out. Adom Online says Morocco cancelled, SportsWorldGhana says the two sides jointly called it off, and YEN.com.gh says the GFA cancelled and told the Moroccan federation the team would not travel.
• ?
  SportsWorldGhana cited Moroccan media suggesting that disagreements over players' financial entitlements affected preparations and that some players were unwilling to travel; the GFA has not confirmed this.
• ?
  YEN.com.gh reported that the GFA apologised to Morocco for the late withdrawal, and that Mali will take Ghana's place in Tangier at 6:00pm GMT after their own friendly against Tunisia was cancelled; neither point has been reported elsewhere.
• ?
  Adom Online reported that a separate friendly against Tanzania was also cancelled because the two football associations could not settle an agreement; no other report mentions this.
• ?
  The timing of the Somalia games is reported differently: Adom Online says Ghana meet Somalia twice in October at Accra's Sports Stadium, while YEN.com.gh puts the fixtures in November.
• ?
  YEN.com.gh reported that Ghana were 2-0 ahead at half-time against The Gambia before conceding four second-half goals in total; this detail has not been confirmed elsewhere.

Why it matters for Ghana

For Ghana supporters in Accra, Kumasi and beyond, the lost match removes one of the few chances to test the squad before the November qualifiers, at a time when the team has no points from two Group C games. YEN.com.gh notes that four matches remain and a maximum of 12 points is still available, so the margin for error is small. The unresolved explanation also leaves questions for the GFA over how it manages fixtures and its relationship with players.