{
  "id": 327153,
  "title": "She’s my extra arm – Björkegren hails Black Queens Captain Portia Boakye",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/shes-my-extra-arm-bjorkegren-hails-black-queens-captain-portia-boakye",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-07T17:29:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghanaian Times",
    "slug": "ghanaian-times",
    "url": "https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/shes-my-extra-arm-bjorkegren-hails-black-queens-captain-portia-boakye/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Black Queens' head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has commended his captain, Portia Boakye, referring to her as his \"extra arm\" both on and off the field after Ghana's qualification for the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The Swedish coach attributes much of the team's progress in the tournament to Boakye's leadership, which stems from her ability to communicate effectively with the players and lead by example on the pitch. \"She means so much. She's like the extra arm for me, really helpful. Sometimes I don't need to say too much. She can do it for me,\" Björkegren stated. The coach also highlighted Boakye's exceptional work rate and mental toughness, describing her fighting spirit as something infectious within the Black Queens squad. \"But also, the most important is how she's leading on the pitch with her fighting spirit. I mean, she's brutal. I mean, she really puts her body there. And she's a real fighter,\" he added. Boakye's influence is evident in the team's respect for her, demonstrated when she was named Player of the Match in a group game. \"And the way she's playing, of course, everybody needs to respect her and everybody does. And as you said, you can see when she is the player of the match that everybody is so happy for her because it's so well deserved,\" concluded Björkegren. Ghana is now one win away from advancing to the quarterfinals of the WAFCON and qualifying for the FIFA Women's World Cup.",
  "summary": "Black Queens head coach Kim Lars Björkegren has showered praise on his captain, describing her as his extra arm on and off the pitch after Ghana’s qualification to the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The Swedish coach says the captain’s leadership has been crucial to the team’s progress in the tournament, … The post She’s my extra arm – Björkegren hails Black…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Starr FM",
        "title": "Black Queens reach WAFCON quarter-finals after hard-fought draw with Mali",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/black-queens-reach-wafcon-quarter-finals-after-hard-fought-draw-with",
        "published": "2026-08-07T09:03:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Adom Online",
        "title": "2026 WAFCON: Kim Lars Björkegren warns of Malawi threat as Black Queens chase semi-final spot",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/2026-wafcon-kim-lars-bjorkegren-warns-of-malawi-threat-as-black",
        "published": "2026-08-08T15:02:16.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}