lit a candle 3h agoMy sister called from Accra to tell me. Didn't know the man but she said all of Obuasi stopped. 34 is nothing.
Their story
Joshua Tijani, known to Ghanaian football fans as Tijani Joshua and to friends and teammates as TJ, was a Ghanaian professional footballer who played as a left back in the Ghana Premier League and represented Ghana's home-based national team, the Black Galaxies. He captained AshantiGold, the Obuasi club known as…
Joshua Tijani, known to Ghanaian football fans as Tijani Joshua and to friends and teammates as TJ, was a Ghanaian professional footballer who played as a left back in the Ghana Premier League and represented Ghana's home-based national team, the Black Galaxies. He captained AshantiGold, the Obuasi club known as the Miners, and was part of the squad that won the Ghana Premier League title in the 2014/15 season. He died on the morning of Saturday, 14 November 2026, at his residence in Obuasi, after reportedly battling an illness. He was 34.
Born on 21 April 1992 in Ghana, Tijani came through the domestic game. Over his career he played for Sekondi Hasaacas, Wa All Stars (the club now known as Legon Cities), AshantiGold SC and Aduana FC. He made his top-flight debut with Wa All Stars in the 2012 to 2013 Ghana Premier League season and joined AshantiGold on 1 July 2013, ahead of the 2013 to 2014 campaign.
A natural left back who could also play at centre back, he was valued for his versatility and dependability. That form earned him a call-up in November 2013, when coach Maxwell Konadu named him in Ghana's squad for the 2013 WAFU Nations Cup. Ghana won the tournament, beating Senegal 3 to 1 in the final. Tijani was then part of the Black Galaxies squad at the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in South Africa, where Ghana reached the final and finished runners-up after losing to Libya on penalties.
AshantiGold was the defining chapter of his career. He was part of the Miners' 2014/15 Ghana Premier League title win and rose to become club captain. By May 2018 he was speaking for the club as skipper, including on the arrival of Zylofon Cash as headline sponsor of the league, which he believed would help ease the financial strain on clubs. After years in Obuasi he moved to Aduana FC in 2020. Persistent injury problems cut that spell short, and he sought the early termination of his contract in 2021.
News of his death was first shared on X on 14 November 2026 by Ghanaian sports journalist Nuhu Adams, and sources close to his family confirmed it to Ghanaian media. A local journalist reported that he died that morning at his residence at Brahabebome in Obuasi. The cause of death has not been made public beyond reports of an illness. Tributes followed from Ghanaian football media, fans and FC AshantiGold, whose message read: "TJ, you gave your all to the game. You will never be forgotten. Obuasi will never forget you."
He is remembered as a WAFU Nations Cup winner, a CHAN silver medallist and a Ghana Premier League champion who served the domestic game, and the club he captained, with steady commitment.
Biography adapted from Ghana Sports Central, YEN.com.gh, Modern Ghana, GhanaWeb, Wikipedia. Wikipedia ↗
In their own words
“TJ, you gave your all to the game. You will never be forgotten. Obuasi will never forget you.”
Tribute from FC AshantiGold on X, 14 November 2026
“Tijani Joshua won the Ghana Premier League with Ashantigold in 2015. A CHAN silver medalist in 2014 and a member of the 2013 WAFU winning team. Man had some bright moments to be referenced with pride. Served the league with his best.”
Tribute from a Ghanaian football fan on X, 14 November 2026
Photos
3by People Forever
Joshua Tijani
by People Forever
Tijani Joshua in AshantiGold kit beside the club bus
by People Forever
Obuasi felt it hard, he captained AshantiGold for years here.