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 Let Offei chart his own path

Desmond Offei

 The appointment of African Games 2023 men football gold medalist, Desmond Offei as one of the assistants for Black Stars Coach Otto Addo will continue to be debated by football faithful.

Offei’s elevation has been hailed in certain quarters due to his tactical nous.

For others, the young coach should have been left alone to chart his own path, having commenced a burgeoning career with a feat chalked just twice in Ghana’s Africa Games history.

He was one of the new faces in the revamped Black Stars technical team announced this week by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

He has been working behind the scenes for some time until his exploits at the Accra 2023 African Games with the national U-23 team, the Black Satellites brought him to the limelight.

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The feat marked a resurgence of a young coach that was tipped to become the Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp or Carlo Ancelotti of Ghana because of the way he sets up his team as well as the way they played.

That also earned Offei, perhaps his biggest honour in Ghana football as he was awarded the Coach of the Year 2024 gong by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG).

In a few months’ time, he would commence work in the new role as assistant Black Stars coach in a totally new environment. That will add up to his experience in the game; no doubt about that.

The difference, however, is that he would not be the main man. Otto Addo, whose continuous stay as the Head Coach of the team has left Ghanaians in a state of uncertainty regarding Ghana’s qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, would be the main man.

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What it means is that Offei’s role and what he brings to the table on the team would just be complimentary. It would be strictly subjected to Otto Addo’s scrutiny.

So, in effect, Offei’s ‘stamp’ may not be seen or felt on the team’s output unless Addo can easily accept superior arguments and be humble enough to admit Offei’s way is how to go.

From the all-conquering squad he selected, fine talents like Remember Adomako, David Amuzu, Aziz Issah, Emmanuel Adjei, Asamoah Tuffuor, Kelvin Nkrumah, Aziz Misbau and Jerry Afriyie emerged as stars for the future.

And even when it was obvious a number of the senior Black Stars players performed poorly, resulting in the failure to earn an AFCON qualification, these youngsters were ignored.

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Jerry Afriyie was later considered but even with that, he was kept on the bench until when Ghana trained 1-0 against Kwesi Appiah’s Sudan in Accra.The young chap delivered by getting an equaliser and gave a pass that put Kudus Mohammed in a scoring range before he was fouled for a penalty which Kudus wasted.

A number of these players may have featured from the onset if Offei was in charge but one can also not blame Otto Addo since he would bear the brunt of the fans when they fail to perform.

From my point of view, Coach Offei must be allowed to be his own man to improve his trade, identify and stick to his own philosophies and master it.

He should be given more responsibilities with the juvenile teams rather than rushing him to a team full of troubles. The outcome, if not positive can shatter his hopes and affect his confidence. When this happens, Ghana football would be the sufferer – take heed FA!

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 By Andrew Nortey

Sports

CAF releases draw procedure for TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Cote D’Ivoire 2025

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the draw procedure for the 2025 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Ghana will join 12 other countries for the biennial youth tournament, scheduled to take place in Cote D’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, 2025.

The participating teams include Egypt and Morocco from North Africa, holders Senegal and Sierra Leone from WAFU A, Nigeria, Ghana, and host Cote d’Ivoire from WAFU B, Tanzania and Kenya from CECAFA, South Africa and Zambia from COSAFA, and DR Congo from Central Africa.

The 13 teams will be distributed into three groups: one group of five teams (A) and two groups of four teams (B and C). 

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The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages, along with the two best third-placed teams.

The ranking of the third-placed teams will be determined after removing the results of the team ranked fifth in Group A. 

The knockout stages will consist of the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match, and final.

RANKING:

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Senegal – Winner in 2023

Nigeria – Third place in 2023

Congo – Second in group stage

Egypt – Third in group stage

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Zambia – Fourth in group stage

Note: The remaining teams did not qualify.

Cote d’Ivoire, the host, will occupy position A1.

Senegal, the holder of the title from the 2023 edition, will occupy position C1, while Nigeria, the third-placed team in 2023, will occupy position B1.

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Congo, Egypt, and Zambia, the next best-ranked teams from the 2023 edition, will be in level 2.

DRAW PROCEDURES:

In level 1, Cote d’Ivoire will occupy position A1, Nigeria will occupy position B1, and Senegal will occupy position C1.

Five pots will be used for the draw:

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Pot 1: The teams in level 2 (Congo, Egypt, and Zambia)

Pot 2: The remaining seven teams (Ghana, RD Congo, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania)

Pot 3: Positions A2, B2, and C2

Pot 4: Positions A3, B3, and C3

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Pot 5: Positions A4, B4, and C4

The teams in level 2 will be drawn into positions A2, B2, and C2. The remaining teams will be drawn into positions A3, B3, C3, A4, B4, and C4. The remaining team will automatically occupy position A5.

Ghana last won the title in 2021, defeating Uganda 2-0 in the final in 

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Hohoe United stage massive comeback in 3-2 win against Akatsi All Stars in Zone Three

League leaders Hohoe United came from behind to defeat Akatsi All Stars in a scintillating 3-2 victory at the Hohoe Sports Stadium on Sunday.

John Ocansey netted a brace in the 11th and 39th minute for Akatsi All Stars but Faruk Mohammed pulled one back from the spot in the 42nd minute for Hohoe United by halftime.

Djanfarou Mumuni made it 2-2 for Hohoe United in the 68th minute before William Oduro scored the winning goal for the home side in stoppage time. William Oduro of Hohoe United was named player of the match.

Kings Palaces 1-1 Great Olympics

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Former Premier League side Great Olympics were held to a 1-1 draw at Kings Palaces on Sunday. Isaac Mensah scored first for Great Olympics in the third minute, while Atadana Edward Kwame leveled matters for Kings Palaces in the 49th minute. Great Olympics currently occupy the second position in the table with 32 points.

Home Stars 1-0 Okwawu United

Home Stars secured their third home victory this season, defeating former Premier League side Okwawu United 1-0 at the Ho Sports Stadium. Ronald Numenya’s early goal in the 7th minute sealed the win for Home Stars.

Results in Zone Three:

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