Kotoko beat Okwawu an ill-tempered friendly
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 April 2002 - The National Juvenile Association (NJA) would hold a one-day non-residential congress at the secretariat of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Friday 5 April to discuss the programmes lined up for the year.
The congress would be attended by all the regional chairmen and secretaries as well as members of the national association. In all, at least 30 members are expected at the congress, which would be addressed by Mr. Ben Koufie, Chairman of the GFA. Among the issues to be discussed are the approval of the National Juvenile Association calendar for the 2002/2003 and new modalities for the registration of players for the colts league.
Others include a briefing on the GFA’s five-year development plan and the role to be played by the association, sponsorship package for the colts league and other issues concerning juvenile football in the country would also be discussed.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 04 April 2002 - German-based Eric Nkansah, one time Ghana's 100 metre king is working hard to re-launch his chequered carrier after a four-year lay off as a result of a nagging injury he sustained during the 1999 German Meet in Leverkussen.
He told the GNA Sports in Accra on Wednesday that after several unsuccessful attempts at a comeback, he decided to quit his carrier, which blossomed in 1993 after joining the national athletics team. Nkansah said he was however, persuaded by some Ghanaians in the United States where he had gone to seek medical attention after the injury never to quit but to press on.
Nkansah, 28, who broke the national 100-metre record of 10.7 seconds set by Emmanuel Tuffour in 1997 said he was disappointed at the authorities for their apathetic attitude towards sportsmen after they have been injured.
He lamented that after serving the country for seven years before the injury, he thought he ought to have been treated with some respect. After breaking the national record in 1997, Nkansah, broke his new record of 10.6 and set a new one at 10.3 seconds a year later.
That record was however, broken by Leo Myles Mills in 1998 but before his carrier saw a nosedive, Nkansah had hit 10 seconds flat. The athlete said there was the need for officialdom to take a second look at the treatment meted out to sportsmen in general else, many talented sports people would be "unwilling to die for the country."
Nkansah, who is scheduled to leave for Germany next week got to the semi-finals of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games, experienced a similar fate in the 1997 World Championship and was ranked number nine at the end of the event. He placed fourth at the 1998 Commonwealth games finals and won the 1991 World indoor 16-metre grand Prix in Stockholm.
GRi.../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 04 April 2002 - Fabulous Kumasi Asante Kotoko managed a 2-0 victory over Okwawu United in an ill-tempered friendly match at the Accra Sports Stadium on Wednesday.
Kotoko's new signing Nana Arhin Duah opened the score in the 39th minute after several off the scene incidents culminating in Accra-based referee Richard Kwabo flashing yellow cards to a number of players from both sides. Duah in an opportunistic manner latched unto a lob and delivered a diving bicycle kick into the net.
The match degenerated into several reckless tacklers then on with few hold ups while some players had to be stretched off the pitch occasionally. Referee Kwabo incurred the displeasure of the few Okwawu fans when he disallowed an 80th minute goal by Kwesi Kyeremanteng after he had overpowered Kotoko's defender Owusu in an aerial tussle to slot home the ball.
Michael Osei made it two for Kotoko with five minutes remaining when he capitalised on defensive mix-up, made a 60-metre dash and rounded up goalkeeper Joseph Aryetey to score. The match witnessed a three-minute excitement with some free flow of good soccer especially from Kotoko.
GRi.../
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