Jollof derby

Jollof derby is the moniker given to any encounter between the national football teams of Nigeria and Ghana. The derby takes its name from the nations' long-standing rivalry over who makes the best Jollof rice.[1] The sport has been played since prior to both countries' respective independence, and the match-up is among the oldest and most proliferate rivalries in African football. The football competition reflects the long-standing socio-economic rivalry between the two nations,[2] which are two of the five Anglophone nations in West Africa and home to the largest populations in the region.[3][4]

Jollof Derby
2008 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter-Final
LocationAfrica (CAF)
Teams
First meeting Ghana 1–0 Nigeria
Friendly
(16 October 1950)
Latest meeting
Statistics
Meetings total58
All-time series
  • Ghana: 25
  • Draw: 19
  • Nigeria: 12
Largest victory

The two sides often meet in African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, Olympic games, and WAFU tournaments. Apart from the AFCON Final, it is one of Africa's most important national football matches and one of the most watched annual sporting events.[5][6][7] The rivalry is considered one of the most intense in sports.[8][9] This high-octane match has seen remarkable goal celebrations from both teams, with the opposition frequently mocked[10].

Ghana leads Nigeria in competitive match head-to-head results with 25 victories and 19 draws. Nigeria has had more success at the World Cup, with a total of 21 points since their debut in 1994 in the United States. Ghana has accumulated 19 points since their first appearance at the tournament in Germany in 2006.[11]

History

The first official encounter between the two was a World Cup qualifier in 1960, according to FIFA. Both national teams, however, had already competed in several domestic friendlies and competitions against foreign nations since 1950.[12] Both of these West African countries' national teams were created when they were still British protectorates. The modern nation of Ghana was then known as the Gold Coast, and players of the Nigerian squad donned scarlet tops over white shorts and were known as the "Red Devils" before adopting their national colors of green and white.[13]

The Gold Coast Football Federation, established in 1920, was more than two decades older than Nigeria's, and its team was more well-known among Britain's colonies. The Gold Coast national team had already toured England, playing friendly matches against various clubs, prior to what is commonly considered to be the first official International "A" match in 1951. Nigeria, not to be outdone, followed suit, albeit with less success. Despite their disparate histories, Nigeria was able to defeat their fledgling opponents 5–0 at home.

For the rest of the 1950s, the two teams were fairly evenly matched, generally swapping victories on their own turfs, but Ghana would go on to dominate the tournament between the 1960s and the early 2000s, winning the Africa Cup of Nations four times to Nigeria's two. Meanwhile, Nigeria would have more success in intercontinental play, qualifying for the FIFA World Cup many times and reaching the greatest FIFA ranking in Africa of No. 5 in the world in 1994. In both that year and 1998, the team made historic trips to the knockout stages, defeating Spain and coming within minutes of overcoming world superpower and eventual 1994 finalists Italy.[14]

Regional Cup era

Until 1960 Egypt was the only African nation to ever participate in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Since decolonization had yet to begin in earnest, few nations on the African continent were able to assemble national teams that were internationally recognized and thus eligible for FIFA competitions. Various rivalry cups and tournaments were instituted instead. During the 1950s and 1960s, Nigeria and Ghana would compete in three cup competitions.

1951–59 Jalco Cup
Nigeria Red Devils - Jalco Cup Champions - 1956

There are various records of matches having been played between the national teams dating back to 1938. These unofficial matches list the scores and winners but, as with the match in 1938, specific details such as player lineups and often even the exact date that the match took place, are unknown. The first well-documented matches were organized under the banner of the Jalco Cup, a competition sponsored by the Ford Motor Company by way of a subsidiary, Joe Allen & Company (J.Allen & Co.) [15][16] for whom the cup was named. It is generally held to be the beginning of the rivalry's historical record.[17] The cup was contested between the two countries every year except 1952.

1959–67 Dr Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup

After Ghanaian independence the country's football officials harbored ambitions of competing in the Olympic Games. To this end they met with officials from the most prominent West African nations, including Nigeria, to create the West African Soccer Federation. The aim of the new federation was to sponsor a regional football tournament which would help to raise the level of the game in the respective nations for future participation in international tournaments. The result was the Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup, also called the West African Soccer Federation championship.

The tournament had middling success; it was plagued from the outset by organizational and funding shortfalls. In the initial tournament in 1959, the qualifying stages were only partially completed. In addition, Nigeria did not appear for the semifinal of that tournament, and the match had to be replaced with an exhibition game played as a stand-in. Also, the fourth and final tournament in 1967 was postponed following issues having to do with the lack of lighting during the qualifying matches and subsequent complaints on the issue by the Sierra Leone players. There is no record of the final tournament ever having been completed.

Despite these issues, the tournament would see two matches played between Ghana and Nigeria, the high point being when the two sides met in the final of the 1960 tournament in Lagos, Nigeria in which Ghana won 3–0. Both matches played between the two sides during the life of the tournament were won by Ghana by a combined score of 8–0.

1961–67 Azikiwe Cup

The figurative successor to the Jalco Cup, the Azikiwe Cup was named for Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was Nigeria's first postcolonial president. The tournament was initially contested under the same rotating, single match, format as the Jalco Cup, but was later switched to an aggregate home and away setup with each team hosting one match apiece.

Unlike the Jalco Cup, the teams did not share the cup in the event of a tie under the single leg format, but rather the cup returned to the nation that had held it. This only occurred in 1962 when Ghana secured a 0-0 result in Lagos and were able to retain the cup that they initially won in the competition in 1961. Ghana won or retained the cup in every year that it was contested, continuing a dominance in the rivalry stemming in the early 1960s broken only during a brief period in the mid-1970s and 1980s and lasting until early 2000s.

Honours
Ghana Competition Nigeria
4[18]African Cup of Nations3[19]
8[20]Jalco Cup/Dr Kwame Nkrumah Gold Cup/Azikiwe Cup8
2[21]West African Football Union Nations Cup1
14Aggregate12

Statistics

Overall

Nigeria and Ghana have played 56 times in all tournaments, including friendly matches. Ghana has defeated Nigeria 25 times, with Nigeria winning only 12 of the matches. On 19 occasions, matches between the two have finished in a tie.[22] Nigeria has had more success at the World Cup, with a total of 21 points since their debut in 1994 in the United States. Ghana has accumulated 19 points since their first appearance at the tournament in Germany in 2006. Nigeria's 21 points were earned over six competitions, whereas Ghana's 19 were earned in just three. After reaching the quarterfinals in South Africa in 2010, Ghana has progressed further in a World Cup than Nigeria. Nigeria has only ever advanced to the second round three times, in 1994, 1998, and 2014.[23]

Matches  Ghana
Total Wins		 Draws  Nigeria
Total Wins		 Goal
Difference
56 25 19 12 91:57
 Ghana
Home Matches		 Wins Draws Losses Last Defeat
23 16 6 1 15 Dec 02
 Nigeria
Home Matches		 Wins Draws Losses Last Defeat
20 8 9 3 10 Feb 73
Neutral Venue Matches Won by  Ghana Draws Won by  Nigeria Latest Result
13 6 4 3 11 October 2011
0-0 Draw

List of matches
# Date Competition Venue Home team Score Away team
1 16 October 1950 Friendly Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Gold Coast Gold Coast* 1–0 Nigeria
2 20 October 1951 Jalco Cup Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria 5–0 Gold Coast*
3 11 October 1953 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Gold Coast Gold Coast* 1–0 Nigeria
4 30 October 1954 Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria 3–0 Gold Coast*
5 28 May 1955 Friendly Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Gold Coast Gold Coast* 1–0 Nigeria
6 30 October 1955 Jalco Cup Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Gold Coast 7–0
7 27 October 1956 Lagos, Lagos State, NigeriaNigeria Nigeria 3–0 Gold Coast*
8 27 October 1957 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 3–3 Nigeria
9 25 October 1958 Lagos, Lagos State, NigeriaNigeria Nigeria 3–2 Ghana
10 21 November 1959 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 5–2 Nigeria
11 27 August 1960 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana 4–1
12 10 September 1960 Lagos, Lagos State, NigeriaNigeria Nigeria 2–2 Ghana
13 9 October 1960 1960 Nkrumah Cup Final (West African Soccer Federation championship) Lagos, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 0–3 Ghana
14 29 October 1960 Independence Cup Nigeria 1–1 Ghana
15 8 April 1961 1963 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers 0–0
16 30 April 1961 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 2–2 Nigeria
17 1 June 1961 WAC Ghana 3–0 Nigeria
18 17 December 1961 1961 Azikiwe Cup 5–1
19 3 January 1962 1963 African Cup of Nations Preliminary Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Ethiopia Nigeria 1–1 Ghana
20 10 November 1962 1962 Azikiwe Cup Surulere, Lagos State,  Nigeria 0–0
21 24 February 1963 1961-63 Nkrumah Cup Semifinal Kumasi, Ashanti Region,  Ghana Ghana 5–0 Nigeria
22 30 October 1965 1965 Azikiwe Cup Surulere, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 0–4 Ghana
23 7 November 1965 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 3–0 Nigeria
24 28 January 1967 1966 Azikiwe Cup Lagos, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 2–2 Ghana
25 12 February 1967 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 2–0 Nigeria
26 21 October 1967 1967 Azikiwe Cup 2–1
27 23 December 1967 Lagos, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 2–2 Ghana
28 10 May 1969 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification Nigeria 2–1 Ghana
29 18 May 1969 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 1–1 Nigeria
30 8 January 1973 All African Games Group A Surulere, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 4–2 Ghana
31 10 February 1973 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification Nigeria 2–3 Ghana
32 22 February 1973 Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 0–0 Nigeria
33 31 August 1975 Friendly Ghana 3–0 Nigeria
34 8 March 1978 1978 African Cup of Nations Ghana 1–1 Nigeria
35 21 July 1978 All African Games Group B Algiers, Algeria Algeria Nigeria 0–0 Ghana
36 1 May 1983 Friendly Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 1–0 Nigeria
37 5 March 1984 1984 African Cup of Nations Bouaké, Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire Ghana 1–2 Nigeria
38 27 July 1986 CEDEAO Cup Monrovia, Liberia Liberia Ghana 2–0 Nigeria
39 6 February 1987 ZONE 3 Semi-final 3–1
40 1 September 1990 1992 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers Kumasi, Ashanti Region,  Ghana Ghana 1–0 Nigeria
41 13 April 1991 Surulere, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 0–0 Ghana
42 2 November 1991 CEDEAO Cup 3rd place match Abidjan, Ivory Coast Côte d'Ivoire Ghana 1–0 Nigeria
43 23 January 1992 1992 African Cup of Nations Dakar, Senegal Senegal 2–1
44 9 March 1994 Friendly Lagos, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 0–0 Ghana
45 28 August 1999
46 10 March 2001 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana Nigeria
47 28 July 2001 Port Harcourt, Lagos State,  Nigeria Nigeria 3–0 Ghana
48 3 February 2002 2002 Africa Cup of Nations Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako Mali Mali 1–0
49 15 December 2002 Friendly Accra, Greater Accra Region,  Ghana Ghana 0–1 Nigeria
50 23 February 2003 Friendly Warri, Delta State,  Nigeria Nigeria 0–0 Ghana
51 30 May 2003 LG Cup Semi-final Abuja National Stadium, Abuja,  Nigeria Nigeria 3–1 Ghana
52 23 January 2006 2006 Africa Cup of Nations Port Said, Egypt Egypt 1–0
53 6 February 2007 Friendly Griffin Park, London, England England Ghana 4–1[24] Nigeria
54 3 February 2008 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Ohene Djan Stadium, Accra,  Ghana 2–1
55 28 January 2010 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Luanda, Angola Angola 1–0
56 11 October 2011 Friendly Vicarage Road England England Ghana 0–0 Nigeria
57 25 March 2022 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Baba Yara Stadium Ghana Ghana 0–0
58 29 March 2022 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory,  Nigeria Nigeria 1–1 Ghana

* Ghana was organized under the Gold Coast Football Federation from this time until its independence

  • Table lists only senior team competitions. Olympics, underage competition and African Nations Championship matches are excluded
  • Matches which go which are won after extra time with penalty kicks are listed as draws, per official FIFA designation.

References
  1. "The Jollof Rice Derby: Nigeria Vs Ghana World Cup Qualifier". The News Chronicle. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  2. "Letter from Africa: Behind Ghana and Nigeria's love-hate affair". BBC News. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  3. "Ghanaians vs Nigerians: Sibling Rivalry". 11 January 2014. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  4. "Biggest Rivalry In Africa: Ghana vs. Nigeria". 2 February 2008. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  5. "Jollof derby Archives - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  6. "Nigeria-Ghana - West Africa's fierce rivalry". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  7. "Jollof Derby Statistical Review: What the numbers reveal about Ghana's performance against Nigeria". Citi Sports Online. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  8. "Ghana-Nigeria 'Jollof' derby ends goaless". Angel Online. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  9. "SuperSport". supersport.com (in Zhuang). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  10. Fajana, Adekunle (29 March 2022). "Ghanaian entertainers Shatta Wale, John Dumelo mock Nigeria for failing to qualify for 2022 World Cup". Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  11. "Jollof derby: Some things to know about Nigeria-Ghana rivalry". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  12. "#GHANIG: History, seasons, lessons | Premium Times Nigeria". 25 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  13. "SuperSport". supersport.com (in Zhuang). Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  14. "Spain". SBNation.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  15. "Nigeria/Ghana: Today in History!!! (CyberEagles)". 20 October 2006. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  16. "Nigeria Red Devils celebrate victory against Ghana, 1956. Holding the cup is captain Dan Anyiam". 18 July 2017. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  17. "History favours Ghana". 25 July 2001. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  18. Association, Ghana Football. "History". www.ghanafa.org. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  19. "Who has won the most Africa Cup of Nations tournaments - past victors and 2022 odds". www.nationalworld.com. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  20. "Jalco Cup 1951-1959". RSSSF. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  21. "WAFU Cup of Nations: Ghana becomes first double Champions — Ghana Sports Online". 26 September 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  22. "Nigeria vs Ghana Head to Head - AiScore Football LiveScore". www.aiscore.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  23. "Jollof Derby Statistical Review: What the numbers reveal about Ghana's performance against Nigeria". Citi Sports Online. 30 March 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  24. "Football: Glorious Ghana trounce Super Eagles". the Guardian. 7 February 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
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