Sports
Satellites must dream big again
A couple of days ago, Ghana’s national youth team – Black Satellites, were drawn into Group C of the 2021 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations to be staged in Mauritania.
Though the focus of many fans may have been stolen away by COVID-19 concerns, the cynosure would still be on the youth team whose string of stunningly sterling performances in the past dazzled all, and won them thousands of disciples across the world.
Guess nobody has yet forgotten about the 2009 historic feat of the Satellites (led by Andre Dede Ayew) who became Africa’s only side to annex the FIFA Under-20 World Cup staged in Egypt?
Ahead of that bravado at the global stage, the brave Ghanaians in the same year had conquered the continent in Rwanda, beating Cameroon in the grand finale to clinch the diadem for the third time since its inception in 1979.
Sadly, since that historic feat, the Satellites have been struggling fatally as they have been swatted aside on a number of occasions in qualifiers to the World Cup.
Indeed, the team’s finest performance on the African stage in recent times was a third-place finish in 2015, six years ago.
In less than three weeks, specifically on February 14 (Valentine Day), the Satellites will begin yet another campaign to hunt for a ticket to the World Cup to be held in Indonesia, later in the year.
It appears that this time, the omen is good – perhaps, so it looks.
In December of last year, the Satellites sprang from behind to upset Burkina Faso 2-1, swaggering away with the WAFU B U-20 Championship trophy at the Stade Charles De Gaulles in Porto Novo in Benin. It was a thrilling piece of news, particularly for the Kurt Okraku Ghana Football Association (GFA) administration.
Dead-ball specialist Percious Boah was the Black Satellites hero, as he set up a goal before firing the winner from a free-kick to hand his country the title in the Benin capital. It was the crucial dazzler that took Ghana to the Mauritania 2021 championship where they would begin their campaign against Tanzania, then take on Morocco before squaring off with The Gambia in their final game.
As the team put their act together in preparation for the Mauritanian challenge, we can only wish them the best of luck, but urge the handlers to select a solidly winsome side capable of bringing honour to the nation.
We need players who aside from their skill and dexterity, would be prepared to die on the pitch for the result – rather than give up when they go down. We need a squad that is patriotic and willing to drive beyond the normal distance.
We need a doughty-charactered bunch of players who would see the Holy Grail and dash for it with all the strength and might they can muster. We need a team that is famished for glory and would not be swayed by anything aside a resolution to fetch gold.
The players that carved the historic feat of 2009 are not super humans. They are not out-of-this-world. They were simply fearless characters who dared to dream and pursued their ambition – ambition to carry Ghana aloft and make her the first African country to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. And, it was done – and accomplished in style as no other team but Brazil were beaten in the final for the Golden Fleece.
All eyes on you, Satellites. Make the nation proud again!
PlainTalk with JOHN VIGAH
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
