Sports
GFA outdoors new ambulance for Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence at Prampram
The Ghana Football Association (GFA), in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, outdoored a new ambulance for the GFA’s technical centre, Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence (GSCE), on Monday, August 26, 2024.
The fully equipped Ambulance, which will be stationed at the Technical Centre, will provide emergency support to the users of the facility, players and officials, in particular, and staff, in general.
The new Ambulance is expected to boost emergency healthcare services at the facility and also help to augment other efforts at improving health delivery at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence, which serves as the camping base for the country’s various national teams.
President Simeon-Okraku singled out Minister of Health, Dr. Okoe Boye, for massive praise, for the role he, together with the Chief Director of the Ministry, played in getting the ambulance for the GFA.
General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association, Prosper Harrison Addo, said the new ambulance will be put to good use to serve its purpose as its adds to ongoing efforts to secure livelihoods, while praising the Ghana Health Services for their support in securing the ambulance.
“This has been achieved by the kind courtesy of a partnership between the GFA and the Ghana Health Service, which is an agency under the Ministry of Health. We are extremely grateful to them for the immense support. This ambulance will be put to good use and serve its purpose for football here in Prampram.” he concluded
President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku was accompanied by General Secretary, Prosper Harrison Addo, Vice-President Mark Addo, members of the Executive Council, former Vice-Chairman of the GFA, Fred Pappoe, former General Secretary, Emmanuel Gyimah, delegates to Congress, and the media to officially outdoor the brand new ambulance.
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
