West Ham Star Michail Antonio Arrives in Ghana, Receives Rapturous Welcome from Fans

West Ham Star Michail Antonio Arrives in Ghana, Receives Rapturous Welcome from Fans

  • Jamaica and West Ham United player Michail Antonio is in Ghana for a working visit ahead of the international break
  • The West Ham United star is expected to travel to Kumasi and visit a football academy he has established in Ghana
  • Antonio, who is teammates with Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus, will return to Jamaica for the Nations League games against the USA

West Ham United striker Michail Antonio has arrived in Ghana for a short visit following the international break.

The Jamaica forward touched down on Sunday evening and was received by West Ham fans in Ghana at the Kotoko International Airport.

Antonio reportedly owns a football academy in Ghana, which he is in the country to visit.

Michail Antonio visits Ghana ahead of international break.
West Ham Star Michail Antonio arrives in Ghana to inspect football academy. Photo: Justin Setterfield.
Source: Getty Images

The academy, named Samba Stars, is based in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Antonio will be travelling to Kumasi on Monday to inspect the progress of the football academy.

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“I’ve come here to do my work. We’ve started an academy here in Kumasi, Bompata,” he told the media, as quoted by Ghana Soccernet.
“We know about all the talent here; we’ve seen Mo [Kudus] is at the club (West Ham) right now.
“We just want to give the boys over here the opportunity to break through to the Premier League.”

Meanwhile, in a video shared on social media, a number of West Ham fans, known as the Ghanaian Hammers, were at the airport to receive their star.

Antonio has been included in Jamaica's squad for the CONCACAF Nations League games against the United States.

Ghana becomes major talent hub

In the past few years, the West African nation has been one of the leading exporters of football talents on the continent.

With the emergence of several academies in the country, top European clubs have stationed their scouts there to identify budding talents.

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The Right to Dream Academy has been a frontrunner in producing stars, with Mohammed Kudus, Kamaldeen Sulemana, and AFCON winner Simon Adingra all graduating from the Ghana-based academy.

Kudus apologises after red card

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Ghanaian midfielder Mohammed Kudus has opened up on his red card in the game between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspurs.

The 24-year-old has been slapped with an extra two-game ban and fined £60,000 by the English FA for acting in an improper manner and using violent conduct against Spurs on October 19, 2024.

In a moment of madness, Kudus kicked and slapped defender Micky Van de Ven before pushing midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, which resulted in his red card.

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Source: YEN.com.gh

Authors:
Lukman Mumuni avatar

Lukman Mumuni (Sports Editor) Lukman Abdul Mumin is a CAF-accredited Sports Journalist based in Accra, Ghana. He has been writing for the past eight years. Lukman has worked with some of Ghana's big media houses like GMA and was a regular pundit on GTV. He started his journalism career as a presenter and a writer after studying at the Gee Way Media School. Lukman has covered several international competitions including AFCON 2023. Email: lukmanevergreen2g15@gmail.com