President Akufo-Addo Acknowledges Black Queens’ Success and Calls for Support.
President Akufo-Addo, in his State of the Nation Address, praised the senior women’s national team, the Black Queens, for their commendable performances, highlighting their recent achievements under Swiss trainer Nora Hauptle. Since Hauptle took over in January 2023, the team has shown significant improvement, losing only two games out of 12 and securing qualification for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for the first time since 2018.
The President acknowledged the team’s remarkable unbeaten streak of ten matches, broken only by a narrow loss to Namibia in December’s final qualifying round for the 2024 Women’s AFCON. Despite this setback, the Black Queens continue to show promise, particularly in the Olympic Games qualifiers for Women’s Football, where they face an uphill battle against Zambia, needing to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the second leg.
President Akufo-Addo highlighted the disparity in attention between the Black Queens and the men’s national team, the Black Stars, urging for more support and recognition for the women’s team. He also referenced the recent controversy over delayed bonuses owed to the Black Queens, which were reportedly paid on the eve of their crucial first leg against Zambia in Accra, following public outcry.
Looking ahead to the second leg against Zambia, Nora Hauptle expressed optimism about a turnaround, emphasizing the team’s plans to stabilize the game and score. The match is scheduled to take place at the Levy Nwanawasa Sports Stadium in Ndola at 4:00 pm local time.