Sports
A call on security services
• Lawyer Kwame Asuah-Takyi
Recruitment into the security services was a period a lot of athletes – footballers, runners and boxers especially, looked forward to with hope.
These athletes were usually unemployed and rode on their participation in sports to get the attention of selectors into the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) comprising Army, Navy and Airforce; Ghana Police Service (GPS), Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the then Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), now referred to as Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
For these services, the period represents one to strengthen their respective sports teams to show their prowess at the Security Services Sports Association (SESSA) games.
Those were the days sports enthusiasts would abandon a Ghana Premier League game at the sports stadium to watch a handball clash between Police and Prisons or Fire Service with any of the previous two.
Sports was exciting not only at the professional level but even at the amateur level where institutions aimed to be dominant.
That period appear to have gone with the wind. Currently, the SESSA games, which a few referred to as ‘Security Services Olympics’ has been put on hold for how long only God knows.
It has affected sports competition among the services, talent production as well as the few faithful that hopes to get into their preferred services through the power of sports.
In female football, the GIS female team, for instance, was one of the teams that dazzled fans because they had star-studded team comprising top players including onetime Ghana’s finest female midfielder, Florence Okoe.
In handball, Prisons, Police and Fire were able to create a vibrant atmosphere at the Prisons Sports Complex area in Cantonment.
They did same with volleyball and hockey.
Customs had no massive competitor in basketball where the Braves dominated not only in Ghana but the West African sub-region.
The latter parts of SESSA games saw a Prisons interest in boxing. That led to the recruitment of boxers like Musah Rahman Lawson, Jesse and Jerry Lartey, former captain of the Black Bombers Sulemana Tetteh and others.
Prisons suddenly became a force in boxing and overshadowed the Army which had a few professional boxers and were thought to be the real force.
The obvious decline of sports at this level should be a matter of concern for all.
However, one could say a return to that era is in sight if a pledge by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to recruit the five civilians on Team Ghana’s victorious arm-wrestling team at the 13th Africa Games in Accra was to come to pass.
During a call on the Comptroller General Immigration (CGI), ‘Vandal’ Lawyer Kwame Asuah Takyi to present some of the medals won by the team, the Service minced no words about its intention to recruit the five civilians in the visiting party.
Two of the armwrestlers were GIS staff and a third, a Deputy Coach of the gold medal winning Black Princesses, Anita Wiredu Mintah.
That obviously makes it incomplete when the history of Ghana’s armwrestling at the Games is written without the mention of the GIS.
This must be a shining example the various services must emulate because indirectly, it will boost Ghana sports.
This is not a story for armwrestling alone. It cuts across the many sports disciplines/federations that raise teams comprising of talented but unemployed athletes who are unable to focus on their chosen endeavour because of ‘bread and butter’ issues.
Some of these sportsmen and women may never find themselves on protocol lists of the political elites but could stand on international podium to highlight the achievement of the state in sports in big international events.
Like the Immigration boss put it, the Service has enjoyed free branding, free publicity just because its staff excelled in armwrestling. This should be a challenge to all the services and revisit the era where the recruitment of sports personnel was a priority.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Samartex up for Raja challenge
Coach Nurudeen Amadu
CAF Champions League campaigners, Samartex FC, will tomorrow face Moroccan giants, Raja Casablanca, in the second round preliminary stage first leg match at the Accra Sports Stadium at 3pm.
Samartex secured passage to the second round after beating Cameroonian champions, Victoria United, 1-0 in both home and away fixtures.
Raja qualified to this stage after ‘dismantling’ Nigerien side, Association Sportive de la Garde Nationale Nigérienne, (AS GNN) 7-1 on aggregate.
Samartex is reminiscing a chance to battle one of Africa’s greatest sides en route to playing at the group stages of the competition.
Ghanaians are well aware of the daunting task that face the current league champions but remain hopeful Samartex has what it takes to combat Raja.
Coach Amadu says they are unfased by the fire power of the visitors and has a plan to deal with the visitors.
Speaking ahead of the game, coach Amadu stated that, “Raja Casablanca scoring seven goals does not scare us; this is football and anything can happened. We know that it is going to be a very tough game, but we are ready for the task.”
Having drawn blank in their first league game which served as preparation for tomorrow’s game, Coach Amadu would be hoping Baba Hamadu Musa, Emmanuel Mamah, Michael Ephson and Isaac Afful have a good day in front of goal to take their chances.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
Sports
Up your game, Stars
Black Stars players celebrate a goal
Four days after Ghana’s pride as a football nation was punctured badly at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, fans kept hopes alive, believing that the Black Stars would bounce back with a victory over Niger at a neutral venue.
But that was not to be as the team stumbled again, conceding a late goal by the Nigeriens to deny the Black Stars a vital three points to revive their campaign to Morocco 2025 AFCON.
The two heartbreaks contributed to make the week one that football fans would want to erase from their memories.
Without any major achievement in recent years from the Black Stars, Ghanaians have guarded jealously a striking, remarkable and enviable record of making the Baba Yara Stadium venue a fortress for over 20 years.
Statistically, Ghana has been unbeaten in the last 24 years at the venue. That should be enough confidence booster for any faint-hearted fan.
But to see that record torn into pieces by a country not considered as a powerhouse is certainly a bitter pill to swallow.
The fans reacted aggressively following the shock defeat by causing destruction to facilities in the stadium, an action that cannot be justified but it is important to also state how unacceptable it was.
With those points lost, attention switched to a do-or-die battle against Niger at a neutral ground.
Despite the poor show in the first game, a bit of confidence prevailed ahead of the Niger game.
That stemmed from the blame game by officialdom on the quality of the pitch at the Kumasi Stadium. Photos and videos of the Berkane pitch suddenly dominated social media space, giving the hope that fans were about to see the Black Stars all expected.
Indeed, they showed glimpses of that but like it is always said, the end justifies the means.
Despite taking a first half lead from defender Alidu Seidu, the Stars went to sleep while the Nigeriens took over and stunned with the equaliser.
That was a blow too heavy for the fans to take and exposed what looks like a team lacking quality on the field and the bench.
Truth be told, watching the Black Stars is becoming a hell of a task for a lot of fans. Getting good pitches to play on has become a challenge. That is compounded by the poor display from the same players that performs incredibly with their respective teams abroad.
For Otto Addo, he is fast losing the confidence fans had in him and the earlier he ends the trend, the better would it be for him.
Struggling with AFCON qualifiers is not a good signal because it is the same matches all other countries are using to test their strength ahead of the World Cup qualifiers which would demand far more than what is at stake now.
By Andrew Nortey
