Hot!
Maxwell Konadu takes charge of Black Meteors
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has appointed Maxwell Konadu as the Head Coach of Ghana’s National Male U23 team, the Black Meteors.
The appointment of the vastly experienced Konadu, who is currently Head Coach of Premier League side Nsoatreman FC, is key to the GFA’s strategy of taking players through a structured and consistently tracked developmental pathway and ultimately preparing them for high performance at the senior level.
It also aligns perfectly with the GFA’s overarching football philosophy of identifying, grooming and continuously improving talented players for the competitive age category teams as well as the senior national team, the Black Stars.
Maxwell Konadu brings exceptional experience to his new role having coached teams within Ghana’s developmental age groups, including U17 and U20.
The 2012 Ghana Premier League winner with Asante Kotoko has had two stints as Assistant Coach of the Black Stars, having worked under James Kwasi Appiah (2012) and Milovan Rajevac ( 2021).
Konadu’s new role is particularly exciting because of the close alignment of the Black Meteors to the senior national team, the Black Stars: The Black Meteors are the final age category team placed just under the Black Stars.
The former Legon Cities Coach, who has been working for several years within the Ghana coaching structure, is expected to oversee the further development of the creme de la creme of promising players that will come through the developmental pathway provided by the GFA through the various developmental national teams.
The former Ghana international, Maxwell Konadu is to play a key role in maintaining the flow of players who transition through the ranks to the senior level.
Maxwell Konadu, who played for Upper West Heroes, Asante Kotoko as well as Portuguese sides Unia Leiria and Beira-Mar, was part of the Gold medal winning squad at the 2011 All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.
The experienced gaffer will be assisted in this pivotal role by former Asante Kotoko Coach and CAF License A holder, Abdul Gazale.
Ben Owu, a 1991 FIFA U17 World Cup winner, has been named as the Goalkeepers Trainer while Hearts of Oak legend, Amankwah Mireku, will be the Team Manager.
Other backroom staff named for the team include Eric Totime (Physiotherapist) and Henry Bart-Plange (Masseur) with Collins Osei Bonsu and Attah Debango serving as Equipment Officers. Eli Vorgbe will function as the team’s Video Analyst.
Maxwell Konadu and his backroom staff are expected to build a crack team to compete in international assignments and provide viable player options for selection to the Black Stars.
Hot!
Traders, ‘Okada’ riders take over Circle pavement
• Korle-Bu CEO with staff of Nivaansh MediQas
Activities of traders and drug addicts are contributing to make the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange (Circle) area very uncomfortable and unsafe for commuters.
Day in and out, pedestrians are ‘ejected’ from the pavement created for their safety as traders preferred to sell their wares on that space.
That hinders the free movement of the pedestrians.
The small space left for the pedestrians are also shared with ‘Okada’ riders.
As if these woes are not enough for a commuter on a single day, they also have to navigate carefully to avoid clashes with drug addicts and the mentally challenged.
These people have turned the pavements into their places of abode, covering every inch of space with their wares.
Our photographer, Lizzy Okai, captures some of the unfriendly scenes the authorities must try and deal with to restore sanity to the area.
By Lizzy Okai
Hot!
NDC outlines demands before committing to Peace Pact
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has set forth specific conditions that the party insists must be met before considering signing the Peace Pact advocated by the National Peace Council in anticipation of the December 7 elections.
Mr. Nketia expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of past Peace Pacts, highlighting that they had not achieved their intended outcomes, particularly referencing the 2020 elections, during which eight NDC members were allegedly killed by national security operatives without accountability.
During an August 20 meeting with the National Peace Council at the NDC headquarters, Mr. Nketia detailed the certain conditions for the NDC’s participation in the Peace Pact.
The NDC is demanding that the recommendations from the investigation into the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election be fully implemented.
They also want those responsible for election-related violence in the last election to be prosecuted, stressing the importance of justice and prevention.
The party is calling for accountability regarding irregularities in the printing of ballot papers and insists that visible measures be taken to prevent such issues from happening again.
They are also pushing for a thorough investigation into the missing IT equipment from the Electoral Commission’s (EC) warehouse, expressing concerns about the integrity of the EC’s systems and the potential bias of its staff.
Furthermore, the NDC is urging the President to publicly commit to respecting the results of the 2024 elections. Lastly, the party insists that the Peace Pact should be signed by key figures, including the Inspector General of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the National Security Coordinator, before they will consider signing it themselves.
Source: Citinewsroom.com
