Marked for Daniel Partey
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad20 Jan 2031
Bernard Essien damages knee ligaments — 24 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 24 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market20 Jan 2031
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Wa All Stars waiting with a shirt. Nobody at WAFA is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Match20 Jan 2031
WAFA are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 32 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Market20 Jan 2031
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at WAFA, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets20 Jan 2031
Everything agreed with Asante Kotoko, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad20 Jan 2031
A falling-out at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match18 Jan 2031
Three points for WAFA, 1‑0 the final word against Medeama in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings20 Jan 2031
Marked 7.63 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, WAFA had the best player on the pitch.
The dugout20 Jan 2031
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Nana Schlupp could afford to be generous.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match21 Dec 2030
WAFA cannot stop winning
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad23 Dec 2030
A falling-out at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Dec 2030
Words at WAFA training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nana Amoah is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout23 Dec 2030
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match21 Dec 2030
It finished 1‑0, and it was Andre Acquah’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to WAFA.
Player ratings23 Dec 2030
Ninety minutes of Andre Acquah at his very best
Marked 8.05. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at WAFA.
Player ratings23 Dec 2030
A defender's afternoon for Nana Amoah
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
The dugout23 Dec 2030
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 1‑0, Nana Schlupp could afford to be generous.
Market23 Dec 2030
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Daniel Partey has his answer from WAFA; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Oct 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at WAFA this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Oct 2030
A row about effort at WAFA
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nana Amoah was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Oct 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market14 Oct 2030
The name of Andre Acquah keeps appearing in other people's back pages. WAFA say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad14 Oct 2030
Nana Paintsil has seen what the next man earns
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at WAFA that is a harder question to answer.
Squad14 Oct 2030
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
In brief
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The dugout
Amos Baba knocks on the manager’s door
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Looking ahead
Home comforts ahead for WAFA
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The dugout
Amos Ofori keeps his manager's vote
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Aug 2030
Nana Paintsil hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what WAFA can pretend not to have heard.
Squad12 Aug 2030
A row about effort at WAFA
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nana Amoah was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets12 Aug 2030
WAFA asked and Asante Kotoko said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Transfer targets12 Aug 2030
A loan move for Haqi Osman is in the works
WAFA have made the call to Asante Kotoko. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
The dugout12 Aug 2030
The manager has not finished forgetting Osman Nuhu's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
Market12 Aug 2030
The Andre Acquah talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. WAFA know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 Jun 2030
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Wa All Stars waiting with a shirt. Nobody at WAFA is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Transfer targets10 Jun 2030
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. WAFA have done the hard part with Berekum Chelsea, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad10 Jun 2030
Words exchanged at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad10 Jun 2030
Nana Amoah falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets10 Jun 2030
WAFA asked and Asante Kotoko said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad10 Jun 2030
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Baba Adjei and WAFA agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Jun 2030
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at WAFA, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market3 Jun 2030
The phone has started ringing about Bernard Acquah again, and this time the name on the line is Wa All Stars. WAFA are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Words exchanged at WAFA
Nana Amoah and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout3 Jun 2030
This is not rotation. Abdul Kyereh has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at WAFA is pretending otherwise.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Francis Paintsil falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout3 Jun 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom3 Jun 2030
WAFA can sign again
The window is open, and with it the only month of the year when a supporter’s hopes are limited by nothing but arithmetic. The board know the arithmetic; the supporters know the hopes.
The dugout3 Jun 2030
Nana Appiah knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at WAFA, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Abraham Addo is put on a programme of his own
Individual work, away from the group, aimed at one specific thing the coaches think is holding him back. It rarely makes the news and it is how most improvement actually happens.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Apr 2030
Words exchanged at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad15 Apr 2030
A row about effort at WAFA
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nana Amoah was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match13 Apr 2030
It finished 2‑0, and it was Thomas Atiemo’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to WAFA.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
The afternoon belonged to Nana Amoah
A mark of 7.97, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
The dugout15 Apr 2030
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Nana Schlupp kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
Market15 Apr 2030
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Andre Acquah beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 13. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Somebody watched every match in the division at the weekend and decided he was the best thing in any of them. A small honour, and most careers end without one.
The dugout15 Apr 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The dugout10 Dec 2029
This is not rotation. Andrew Owusu has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at WAFA is pretending otherwise.
Squad10 Dec 2029
Nana Amoah falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout10 Dec 2029
Osman Nuhu gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout10 Dec 2029
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑3 Nana Schlupp left the room before anybody could ask which.
Player ratings10 Dec 2029
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Looking ahead10 Dec 2029
Heart of Lions next, and one man in the WAFA dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
Market10 Dec 2029
The Samuel Owusu talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. WAFA know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout10 Dec 2029
Abdul Kyereh asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Dec 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad3 Dec 2029
Words exchanged at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Player ratings3 Dec 2029
The game went through Abdul Yakubu — 6.88
Marked 6.88 on 13 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
Squad3 Dec 2029
A row about effort at WAFA
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nana Amoah was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match1 Dec 2029
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Thomas Atiemo. 2‑0 against New Edubiase United, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings3 Dec 2029
A performance of 8.24 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings3 Dec 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad3 Dec 2029
Nana Amoah makes the team of the month
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout3 Dec 2029
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Nana Schlupp kept it short after the 2‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom23 Jul 2029
The silence upstairs is getting loud at WAFA
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Market23 Jul 2029
Francis Amoah hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what WAFA can pretend not to have heard.
Squad23 Jul 2029
A falling-out at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Words at WAFA training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nana Amoah is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad23 Jul 2029
Abdul Kyereh is not the player he was
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 34 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
Squad23 Jul 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jeffrey Sulemana commits to WAFA for another 3 years.
The dugout23 Jul 2029
The manager has not finished forgetting Francis Paintsil's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout23 Jul 2029
Bernard Acquah asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market23 Jul 2029
The Samuel Owusu talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. WAFA know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Jul 2029
Tempers go at WAFA
Thomas Atiemo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Words at WAFA training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Nana Amoah is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Transfer targets9 Jul 2029
WAFA asked and Liberty Professionals said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market9 Jul 2029
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jeffrey Sulemana has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market9 Jul 2029
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Daniel Addo has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market9 Jul 2029
One of our own: Andre Mohammed joins the WAFA first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Andre Mohammed is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market9 Jul 2029
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Daniel Partey has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Transfer targets9 Jul 2029
Ashanti Gold have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
The dugout9 Jul 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Salim Uzair Baafada, and the manager let it.
In brief
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The dugout
Emmanuel Afful knocks on the manager’s door
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Boardroom
The WAFA production line keeps running
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Match
Mid-table, and WAFA know it