The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Accra Sports Stadium to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Ghana and Sudan.

The Black Stars face the Falcons of Jediane on match day three of the qualifying series for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.

Prior to the approval, CAF had directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to select an alternative venue for the game after the temporary approval of the Baba Yara Stadium was lifted.

CAF inspected both the Cape Coast Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium last week before eventually turning down the former.

A statement from CAF on the approval read:

‘’Following a comprehensive review of the reports of the CAF independent inspection regarding the Cape Coast and Accra Sports Stadia, we are pleased to inform you that the Accra Sports Stadium has been approved to host the AFCON Qualifiers for Morocco 2025. Specifically, it will host the Group F – Matchday 3 encounter between Ghana and Sudan, which is scheduled for October 11, 2024.

“In light of this approval, we kindly request that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the stadium management team prioritise the necessary enhancements to the pitch and other critical areas of the stadium leading up to the match day to ensure an optimal experience for both teams and the attending fans.

“Please note that CAF will continue to closely monitor the readiness of the stadium for this match, as well as for future CAF-sanctioned events.”

The Black Stars are hoping to get their qualifying campaign back on track after failing to win any of their opening two games against Angola and Niger.

This fixture is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024.

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is no longer focused on being the best player in the world or chasing records.

Instead, the 39-year-old Portuguese star emphasised his desire to help his team and enjoy the game.

Speaking after Al-Nassr’s 2-1 AFC Champions League win against Al-Rayyan, where he scored his 904th career goal, Ronaldo reflected on his current priorities.

“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that,” Ronaldo said. “I am used to breaking records, and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my team-mates to win.”

Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United, has already left an indelible mark in Saudi football, setting a new league scoring record with 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League last season.

Despite his personal achievements, Ronaldo’s focus now seems to have shifted towards his team’s success rather than individual accolades.

Looking ahead, Ronaldo hinted that he could retire with Al-Nassr, stating in August, “I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al-Nassr.”

While Cristiano Ronaldo has helped Al-Nassr lift the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, he has yet to secure domestic or continental silverware with the club.

Despite this, the Portuguese legend has set a personal target of reaching 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.

Havertz may be flourishing in front of goal now, but his finishing is a world away from when he first arrived in England to sign for Chelsea in 2020.

Signed by then Blues boss Frank Lampard, he arrived as an attacking midfielder but during his time at Stamford Bridge he also played as a false nine and as a centre-forward as they tried to establish his best position.

“I think when he came to Chelsea it wasn’t quite clear,” Lampard said on Amazon Prime.

“He was a very talented player, his position wasn’t quite clear.

“He’d been a number eight more of a midfield player, he’d been a number nine and we never got to the end of his story at the Chelsea. What was his best position?”

In his three years at Chelsea he never scored more than eight Premier League goals in a season.

Havertz did score the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2021, but he also missed some pretty big chances throughout his time at the club and when Arsenal paid £65m to sign him last summer, it raised a few eyebrows.

Initially, his struggles in front of goal continued and it took him 10 games to score his first goal for the club.

But Arteta’s faith in Havertz as a striker eventually paid off and he finished last term with a respectable 13 Premier League goals.

Against PSG, he displayed all the facets to his game likely picked up from having played a number of positions before finally setting into the striker role.

His touch map showed him dropping deep to help start attacks, drifting wide and in the box he showed just how clinical he can be by scoring from one of just five touches he had in the area.

“He plays that hybrid role where he is in midfield and then he is arriving [in the box],” Lampard added.

“He is really getting to grips with that competitive edge which gives him another layer.

“There is a natural talent and he has always had it.”