Ghana and Nigeria will renew their rivalry in a different setting on Saturday as members of the African community in Estonia come together for the African Unity Cup – Friendship Match in Tallinn.
The friendly, scheduled for 3 p.m. at Sportland Arena, Jalgpalli 21, Tallinn, aims to promote unity, community engagement and a positive representation of Africa in the diaspora.
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The event is being organised by African Expats MTÜ in collaboration with the Association of Ghanaians in Estonia (AGIE), with support from Afro Empire.
Speaking on the decision to support the initiative, the CEO of Afro Empire, Tamara Adu, said the event goes beyond the football rivalry between the two countries.
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“I decided to support this Ghana versus Nigeria friendly because it represents much more than football. It is about unity, identity, culture, and bringing our community together. As Africans living in the diaspora, events like this give us an opportunity to connect, celebrate our heritage, and create a stronger sense of belonging.
And for the Black community in Estonia, I believe this is a powerful moment. It creates visibility, encourages unity, and shows that we can come together to build meaningful platforms for our people. Football may be the reason we gather, but the bigger purpose is community connection and empowerment,” she said.
Ms Adu also expressed optimism that the initiative could become an annual event and eventually bring together more African communities in Estonia.
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“I truly believe this can grow into a yearly event. My vision is for it to become bigger than just Ghana versus Nigeria, and eventually include other African communities in Estonia.”
President of AGIE, Benny Baiden, said the event was intended to strengthen relations between the two communities rather than fuel the traditional football rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria.
“Nigeria is our brother any day, anytime. Even though our jollof rice is better, we just want to play and bond together as brothers that we are. This is not a competition, but the kind of friendly that we need here in Estonia,” Mr Baiden said.
He added that the Ghanaian community was prepared to turn out in numbers to celebrate the occasion with Nigerians.
The Media Coordinator of the event, Seun Agbabiaka of African Expats MTÜ, said the initiative was also designed to promote networking and challenge stereotypes about Africans in Estonia.
Mr Agbabiaka, a former Nigerian television editor who worked with Galaxy Television and Calivision under the umbrella of AIT “Livebeat”, and an organiser of the Nigeria Music Video Awards (NMVA), said football provided a platform for Africans who might otherwise have little opportunity to interact.
“The purpose is bigger than football. We want to promote unity among Africans in Estonia, fight stereotypes and show a positive image of Africa, and create networking. Many Nigerians and Ghanaians here don’t know each other. Football brings us together,” he said.
He also pointed to the presence of Nigerian and Ghanaian players in the Estonian league as an example of how football can transcend national rivalries.
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“What makes this special is the Estonian league itself. At FC Levadia Tallinn – current champions of the Estonian Premium Liiga who were recently eliminated from the Conference League by Swedish side IFK Göteborg – we have Nigerian players like Abraham Nwankwo and Victory Iboro Sunday playing side-by-side with Ghanaian winger Enock Otoo. In AFCON they are rivals, but in Estonia they wear the same jersey. That is the spirit we want to bring to Sportland Arena.”
Mr Agbabiaka also urged Nigerians living in Estonia to conduct themselves responsibly and remember that their actions could shape perceptions of the wider Nigerian community.
“Wherever we find ourselves, we carry Nigeria on our head. In a country like Estonia where we are few, what one Nigerian does, they say Nigerians did it. So we must be good ambassadors. Be disciplined, be punctual, respect the host country’s rules and play fair.”
The organisers said the arena has been booked from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with vendors, cultural exhibitions, music and other community activities planned around the match.
The event is open to Africans and friends of Africa living in Estonia.
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