Ghanaian village Juaben to celebrate Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph with street parade

Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph is set to trigger celebrations far beyond Birmingham, with fans in the Ghanaian town of Juaben preparing a parade to mark the club’s latest European success.

For supporters in the Ashanti Region community, Villa’s victory over Freiburg carried emotional significance after years of unwavering loyalty passed down through generations.

The bond between Juaben and the Premier League club traces back to Daniel, the grandfather of local fan Boakye, whose fascination with Villa began during his time with a football-loving family in Birmingham.

That connection eventually spread across the community and transformed Juaben into an unlikely stronghold for Villa supporters in Ghana.

“When we were kids he used to tell us stories and history about Aston Villa,” Boakye told the BBC. “He used to talk about a certain player called ‘God’.”

The player Daniel idolised was former Republic of Ireland defender Paul McGrath, one of Villa’s most celebrated figures.

McGrath made more than 250 appearances for the club between 1989 and 1996 and helped the side win the League Cup in 1996, their last major trophy before the latest European breakthrough.

A new generation witnesses its own history

For years, younger supporters in Juaben lived on stories of Villa’s glorious past, including the club’s 1982 European Cup triumph. Many had never experienced a major success of their own until Villa’s Europa League final victory.

Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emi Buendía and Morgan Rogers against Freiburg finally delivered the moment supporters had been waiting for.

“It was amazing. What a time to be alive - the whole community coming together to support Aston Villa,” Boakye said.

“During 1982, when we won our first European Cup, most of the fans here yesterday, we were not born. We were waiting for our own history yesterday.”

With celebrations now being planned in Juaben, Villa’s European success has become more than just a football achievement. For one Ghanaian town, it is the fulfilment of a dream nurtured across generations.