Sports
Can Kotoko halt Karela’s run?
League leaders Karela United’s attempt to extend their lead at the top of the league will face fierce opposition today when they contend with Asante Kotoko in a match-day 13 Ghana Premier league clash.
Karela have taken the league by storm shocking many pundits with their early climb to the summit and their sterling performance that has seen them lose just two out of 12 games.
Impressively, the ‘Passion and Pride’ boys have won all six games at their dreaded CAM Park at Anyinase, dispatching off opponents with ease.
Despite this impressive run, Coach Evans Adotey’s boys may face the biggest threat to entrench their home invincibility against a Kotoko side who are yet to lose on the road in six outings and inflicted a 1-0 defeat on the homeside in a similar fixture at the CAM Park last year in the truncated league.
Both sides boast clinical arrowheads as Karela have in their fold the league’s top-scorer Diawiase Taylor whilst Kotoko striker Kwame Opoku would be eager to score after failing to hit the back of the net in three games.
At the Accra Sports Stadium, Hearts of Oak would pitch their strength against a resurgent Legon Cities in a local derby. Cities would be eager to continue their fine form that has seen them climb drastically out of the claws of relegation into 11th on the league log. This aim would be a long-shot with the ‘Phobians’ losing two Accra derbies against Allies and Olympics, they would be eager to reclaim some pride in the capital against Cities.
In other games, high-flying Olympics will be eager to maintain their momentum against Bechem United but would be required to produce double of their scintillating displays as Bechem United are undefeated at the Nana Gyeambour Park whilst WAFA’s quest to overcome their 3-0 loss in Dawu against Dreams would be a herculean ordeal against Aduana at Dormaa.
At the Len Clay Stadium at Obuasi, Ashantigold who are suffering a loss of form after going winless in three games face Liberty Professionals who like the ‘Miners’ have lost their way and must carve a winning plan as they battle with the threat of relegation.
Dreams FC, who are on the ascendancy, will face a difficult task trekking to Bechem to face XI Wonders, who despite a promising start have stuttered with a run of bad results with Elmina Sharks confronting Berekum Chelsea at the Nduom Park.
King Faisal would be hoping to repeat their splendid displays that saw them bounce back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 against Berekum Chelsea on Matchweek 11 against Medeama, despite losing to Olympics 3-1 in Accra on Wednesday, ‘Alhaji Gruzah’ boys have shown a determination to avoid the relegation drop with top marksman Kwame Peprah leading the charge.
Bottom-placed Inter Allies’ hopes to revive their season would have to pass the litmus test against stubborn Ebusua Dwarfs who have proven to be good travelers this season when the two sides clash in Accra.
Sports
Kotoko withdraws from Ghana Premier League
Kumasi Asante Kotoko has withdrawn from the Ghana Premier League until further notice.
This follows an incident of hooliganism which occurred during their match with Nsoatreman FC leading to the death of a fan, Nana Yaw Frimpong, better known as Pooley.
In a statement issued by the management, the added that “Finally, Asante Kotoko wishes to state that all footballing activities of the senior team are on hold until further notice. Our stance remains unchanged, we will not resume footballing duties until justice is served, and concrete steps are taken to prevent such barbaric acts from ever happening again.”
They added “In the meantime, management has decided to suspend all activities relating to football on the pitch until further
investigations into the matter.”
Against this backdrop, they called on their archrivals saying, “It is time to end the cycle of violence hooliganism, and lawlessness that threatens the integrity of our game. We call on all clubs to support this cause, especially our greatest rivals on the pitch, Accra Hearts of Oak, because this is bigger than competition–it is about securing the future of our domestic league once and for all.”
“Asante Kotoko remains deeply heartbroken by the tragic events that unfolded at the Nana Koramansah Park, leading to the senseless murder of our cherished supporter, Francis Yaw Frimpong,”they added.
“The pain of his loss still lingers, but in these trying
times, we stand united as a club, a family, and a force for positive change in Ghanaian football. While our grief is immeasurable, we take solace in the fact that justice is beginning to take its course,” he said.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read full statement below
Sports
FIFA Financial Governance Workshop: Share insights with local clubs- Abedi Pele
Former three-time African footballer of the year Abedi Ayew ‘Pele’ has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to share lessons from the three-day high-level FIFA financial governance workshop.
The workshop held recently was focused on the latest insights and tools for enhancing financial governance and accountability in football administration.
This, according to Abedi Pele, must be shared with local clubs to help them understand the importance and value of the best financial practices to save Ghana football from its present downward spiral.
He made this known at the closing ceremony of the workshop last Friday in Accra, which was organised for representatives from 10 African countries.
The Ghanaian legend, while applauding FIFA for selecting Ghana to host the high-level intensive workshop, noted that workshops like the just-ended one were what the continent, and especially clubs in Ghana, were crying for to help and position them well for sponsorship and support from institutions of great repute to raise the level of the game higher.
“Issues of financial mismanagement, lack of accountability, transparency, and efficient resource use within football organisations have always been our bane here in Ghana, and with a workshop like this providing participants with valuable insights and tools to fortify their organisations’ financial foundations, ensuring long-term sustainability, accountability, and effective resource management, Ghanaian clubs will begin a reset to proper football management,” he said.
According to him “It’s a feather in the cup of the GFA to have FIFA selecting Ghana for this leg of the workshop. Now I call on you, General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo, to make sure information from this workshop is spread across to all clubs in Ghana because these are the things they need to strengthen their governance framework and ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the clubs.”
Mr Harrison Addo noted that it was a call in the right direction, and although his outfit has long started reforms in terms of the club licensing regulations, a lot more would be done to help clubs gain a firm foundation for the future success of the game.
“The workshop has been extremely helpful and equipped us with the tools and knowledge to uphold the highest standards, fostering trust and integrity within our football community,” the Maestro added.
Head of the Financial Governance Programme at FIFA, Christoph Suppiger, said the three-day session emphasised the importance of accountability, transparency, and responsible financial management within the context of the FIFA Forward programme and also helped Member Associations to know how to prevent conflict of interest, planning and budgeting, and the procurement process, as well as the importance of having adequate supporting documentation.
The workshop held under the banner of the newly established FIFA Campus, which serves as the central football learning hub for all FIFA capacity development and education initiatives, had Abedi Ayew decorating all the facilitators and participants with customized sashes as well as presenting signed Black Stars jerseys.
By Raymond Ackumey
