Sudan assistant coach Ignatius Osei Fosu-Mensah has affirmed that onions were indeed found on the pitch after the Black Stars' training session ahead of the Sudan-Ghana AFCON qualifier.

Despite the affirmation, he could not categorically attribute the items to the Black Stars, stating that he was not part of the group that inspected the pitch after Ghana's training.

"I also have an assistant who, after receiving the training program from Kwasi, sets up everything before we arrive," Osei Fosu told Max TV.

He further explained that: "Before we got there, they had already picked up some items believed to be onions. When we arrived, Ghana was still training, and we actually met them in the tunnel after their session. Presumably, they said it was Ghana that brought it there. But I wasn't there to confirm."

The Black Stars were accused of engaging in black magic, commonly referred to as juju, before their second-leg AFCON qualifier against Sudan at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Libya.

According to Sudanese media reports, shreds of onions were allegedly found on the pitch after Ghana's mandatory training session, with photos of the materials shared online.

However, Sheikh Tophic Sienu, a member of the Ghana Football Association's communications team, dismissed the claims.

"The person who posted these pictures is a Sudanese journalist. And suddenly, Ghanaians are flying it everywhere. What is even the justification that it was done by Ghanaians?" he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Despite the controversy, Sudan emerged victorious, defeating Ghana 2-0 and securing second place in the group to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.



EE/EK