Sports
Hasaacas Ladies, good one there!
The twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi had sat on anxious expense. They were on tenterhooks. They were extremely expectant as their brave ladies dashed for battle – a combat to conquer the continent at the club level. It was a remarkable moment of gold.
That grandiose occasion was the grand finale of the maiden edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League finale in Egypt where the Ghanaian ladies were facing South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. The game had a lot at stake. For many Ghanaians, it was more than a mere final. You will know why.
A week or so earlier, Ghana’s senior men team – Black Stars had deflated the Qatar 2022 World Cup aspirations of their South African counterparts Bafana Bafana, beating them 1-0 at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium. That slender win was enough to send the Stars to the play-off stage of the campaign. Andre Dede Ayew, captain of Ghana, had poked home a spot-kick to put the Stars through.
Sadly, what was to follow was phlegmatically pathetic – the South Africans dragging the Stars to the ‘gutter’ – as they unleashed a litany of unwarranted attacks that suggested that Ghana had bribed the Senegalese Referee Maguette Ndiaye to award us what they claimed was a soft penalty, after Daniel Amartey had been ‘soiled’ in the area.
Among many others, SA President Danny Jordaan, had claimed a huge suspicion that the match was fixed – saying he had evidence of betting spikes before major refereeing decisions were made.
As expected, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) 24 hours later issued a stinging rebut of what was visibly a mammoth indictment to the Ghanaian game.
“It is shocking, irresponsible and outright disrespectful to note that our colleagues from SAFA (with whom we have good relationships with and mutual sporting respect) have chosen to spread falsehoods to the media rather than project the real picture of events before, during and after the game,” the statement partly read.
These were the antecedents leading to the Sundowns v Hasaacas finale.
Sadly, the unbeaten Mamelodi Sundowns girls – who never conceded a single goal in the tournament, on the day proved superior as they upstaged Hasaacas Ladies 2-0 to win the title in its inaugural edition.
But whatever be the case, Hasaacas Ladies had made a big statement. They were league and FA Cup champions at home before proceeding to Cote d’Ivoire to annex the WAFU Cup ahead of the campaign in Egypt.
That Hasaacas’ Evelyn Badu swaggered away with two awards on the night – Overall Best Player and Golden Boot Award winner showcased the quality of representation they possessed. They live to fight another day.
In a post-match interview, Hasaacas Ladies Coach Yussif Basigi said: “It’s unfortunate that we did not win. We came in with the intention of wining, but it was almost impossible. We will be ready to win the next edition of WCL.”
In all fairness, our ladies have made a gripping case for greater spotlight and investment in women’s football, beginning with respectable cushioning funds for each club before the season begins and decent prize money for the league winner.
Indeed, everyone associated with the team needs a special pat at the back – from club president Nanabanyin Eyison to the Board and the entire technical team. Matter-of-factly, Hasaacas Ladies have given women’s football in Ghana a incalculable boost-up, which all stakeholders and potential sponsors must pounce on to nirvana.
By John Vigah
Sports
GFA, SWAG discuss devt of Ghana football
The Ghana Football Association, led by its President, Mr Kurt Okraku, has called on the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) as part of efforts to strengthen the corporate bond between the two institutions.
The delegation, made up of some executive members and regional football heads, were warmly received by the leadership of SWAG.
Mr Okraku in his speech said the visit was key following the new path the GFA was taking to revive the football fraternity, and to officially present himself after being elected as an Executive Member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
He stated that SWAG, with over 1,000 members, had been at the forefront in promoting Ghana sports, hence the need to work together in achieving its target.
The President urged the leadership of SWAG to continue its task of ensuring members keep some level of credibility and fairness during their reportage.
He said adequate preparations had been made to ensure the Black Stars put up a good show in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar.
“We’ve spoken to the team, and they have assured us they are ready for the game.” Stephen Appiah, who is the Vice Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee has confirmed, adding that “Otto Addo and the rest of the team have also assured wins in the two games.”
Responding, Mr Kwabena Yeboah, President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, thanked the delegation for the long-lasting relationship with SWAG which he described as being fruitful.
“We have one agenda and that is to develop football. Even Though we have not fared well in recent times, I believe the football association still has some plans laid down and that is what we are seeing today,” he noted.
He congratulated Mr Kurt Okraku on his new role as an executive member of CAF, reiterating his hard work over the years.
The GFA President’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership, serving as the sixth Ghanaian to achieve that height.
He said despite this success; the poor performance of the Black Stars had written off the good works of his administration as President of the football body.
Mr Kwabena Yeboah assured the Ghana Football Association of SWAG’s commitment to keep high level professionalism in its dealings.
He thanked the delegation and urged them to call on the association for help anytime.
Sports
Okraku’s rise to CAF ExCo
The rise of Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, may come as a sucker punch to many of his critics in Ghana especially.
For those critics, nothing good can be identified with his administration. It has been stretched to the extent that any negative occurrence in the game is quickly attributed to him or his administration.
In fact, Kurt Okraku’s name in some quarters has become the definition of any negative occurrence in the game in Ghana.
However, it beats the imagination of all how such a person, who is often the most criticised, maybe apart from government officials, continue to earn international recognition.
The Black Stars have failed to shine; climaxing that catastrophe with a failure to qualify for the next edition of AFCON. The other national teams have all struggled under him.
For this reason he has been chastised.
But in the face of these failures, Kurt Okraku was elevated to an Executive Member position at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at its congress held recently.
One would then ask the obvious question whether it is the case of a dislike for him that has shrouded the efforts he is putting in to develop the game in Ghana.
In a rare encounter with him recently, one of the questions I asked was why is he criticised on daily basis for the work he’s doing?
But his response was quite instructive.
Drawing an analogy from good old book – Bible, he practically preached to me about the story of the Lord Jesus Christ who was not accepted in his own home but was accepted outside his jurisdiction.
“My brother, I have no idea why people criticise me that much. They may have their reasons for doing that but I look beyond them. Even our Lord Jesus was despised by his own people. I am focused on doing the best for Ghana football. Maybe, if I don’t get the recognition today, a future generation may recognise my effort,” he said.
He may be true in a certain sense. Many times, people do not treasure the good things they have until they lose it. This is very common in many facets of life.
Irrespective of where one stands, his elevation to the high office of a CAF Executive Member is one Ghanaians cannot intentionally ignore.
Mr Okraku is the sixth Ghanaian to be occupying that office and faces the challenges of keeping the flag of Ghana high and improve the image built for the country by his predecessors.
Perhaps the efforts at the WAFU Zone ‘B’ level were so minute that it escaped the lenses of his critics but obviously, a top post at CAF is too big to be ignored.
He deserves the commendations of every Ghanaian. What he needs is the support of all but that is not to suggest that he has grown about criticism. Ayekoo Mr Okraku!
By Andrew Nortey
