Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - Ghana’s promising striker Ishmael Addo says next year's African Cup of Nations tournament presents a challenge to him and his young team mates in the national team to prove that Black Stars coach Fred Osam-Duodu and the GFA were right in their judgement in placing their trust in them.
The Hearts of Oak player who emerged goalking in the Star Premiership for the third year running told Graphic Sports last Saturday night that he is looking forward to commanding a regular position in the Black Stars and prove his worth in the January 10-February 10 tournament in Mali, and then take up bigger challenges outside the shores of Ghana, especially in the lucrative European leagues.
“We have been called up while our senior colleagues have been dropped. I don't know what informed that choice, but it is a challenge presented to us the junior players to prove what we are capable of doing,” Addo said, after receiving his Edward Acquah prize for the league's top scorer during last Saturday's Star/GFA Awards Night.
“Everybody would be looking up to us and we have to prove that the choice the officials made is worthwhile and not one of disappointment. I hope things work out fine there so we would prove our point.”
Since his introduction to top-level football three seasons ago, Addo has confounded connoisseurs of the game with his scoring skills and he is one player most defenders want to avoid. Any doubt of his scoring prowess was erased two weeks ago when he won his third consecutive goalking title to equal Dan Owusu's long-standing scoring record. However it seems Ghanaians especially Hearts fans may have seen the last of Addo in the club colours as the youngster is ending his romance in the premiership.
Now he wants to taste the delights of European football next year having received many offers from various clubs, but Addo is unsure of his next destination and is reluctant to be drawn into any speculation.
"I will not play in the premiership again and I'll definitely be leaving next season. But I don't want to talk about where I may be playing now. I prefer to play in any European league; you can't have the luxury of choosing except where the contract takes you," Addo explained further.
Next month's tourney would be decisive in shaping the precocious striker’s future as many scouts and managers of European clubs go on talent hunt in Mali. As his first major competition with the Black Stars, Addo is relishing the prospect of playing in Africa's flagship competition where he has promised Ghanaians something "special".
"Right now I want to secure my place in the team and hopefully when I make the grade to Mali, the nation should expect something special from me".
Looking in his crystal ball, Addo said his career would blossom along the same path as his three-year experience with Hearts has been.
With three league crowns, two FA Cups, African Champions League and Super Cup, plus Golden Boot prize in the 1999 FIFA Under-17 championship, the player's garden looks even greener today. "I'm hoping to maintaining or replicating whatever I have achieved at home. I'm just hoping that I'm successful wherever I find myself playing”, Addo relishes with a natural knack for scoring, Addo attributes his abilities to hardwork, as he always endeavours to go the extra mile after regular training with his Hearts team-mates, and of course the confidence and intuition given him by Africa's No. 1 coach
Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, through whose hands the young striker has evolved into the game's most feared predator.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - The riddle of who captains the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars, to next month’s Nations Cup finals in Mali, as well as the final list of 22, will be resolved next January 4, after a friendly international in Cairo, Egypt.
Black Stars head coach Fred Osam-Duodu who disclosed this to the Graphic Sports over the weekend said his options are still open after a rejection of the captaincy offer by deputy skipper Samuel Osei Kuffour had generated intense furore.
According to the veteran coach, the team is without a substantive captain as far as he is concerned in view of the absence of former skipper C.K. Akunnor from his interim list. He hinted that he would use the remaining international friendlies to assess the good leaders among the lot to help them pick the player who deserves that position.
In view of that, the captain’s band of the Stars in the matches against Mali, Spain and Egypt is expected to rotate among the probable candidates.
After their recent impressive 1-1 away outing against the Desert Warriors of Algeria, the Black Stars next assignment was to be against Niger, Benin or Tunisia tomorrow.
But according to coach Osam-Duodu, none of the three countries had confirmed their participation as at the weekend even though they were still expecting to receive confirmation from any of the three countries.
He, however, pointed out that they will test their strength against Accra Hearts of Oak at the Accra Stadium tomorrow if they do not hear from them.
The three other international games will be against Mali (December 29), Spain and Egypt (January 4).
In view of the upcoming international matches, the coach noted that they will send an urgent message to five foreign-based players - George Blay, John Mensah, Kofi Amponsah, Emmanuel Duah and Stephen Appiah - to report immediately to enhance the teams preparations.
So far, only four out of the 15 invited foreign-based players are in camp. They are Alex Tachie-Mensah, Ibrahim Razak, Baffour Gyan and Prince Amoako. Two others who are in town, Charles Amoah and Peter Ofori-Quaye have been granted permission to seek medical attention for injuries after they reported to camp last Thursday.
According to coach Osam-Duodu, Sturm Graz striker, Charles Amoah, is suffering from foot rot while Ofori-Quaye is nursing a knee injury. He said both players are expected to report back to camp on Monday while the rest of the foreign-based stars are expected to arrive after December 23.
He hinted further that the pruning exercise to cut down the number to the final 22 required for the tournament will begin this week.
Currently 25 players are in camp, and the competition for positions is expected to reach dizzy heights in the coming weeks as the countdown to the Nations Cup begins.
The Stars coach also intimated that morale in camp keeps soaring by the day as the work rate of the players increases match after match.
The Stars defeated Alhaji Maikanoo's Africa Stars 3-1 last Thursday before beating Abedi Pele’s Nania FC 2-0 in a match watched by the Maestro himself and co-legend, Roger Milla of Cameroon.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - Black Stars Coach Fred Osam-Duodu has made it clear that no definite decision has been taken on whether to ignore or include Samuel Kuffour in the Stars final 22 for Mali 2002.
"The issue is a delicate one which requires circumspection and to avoid any hasty decision, I will come out at the appropriate time", he said.
To emphasise a point, the veteran coach provided a copy of the statement he sent to the Bayern Munich defender together with the full text of the interview he granted the BBC Online two weeks ago which necessitated the query.
The statement signed by coach Osam-Duodu stated inter-alia: "I have read with dismay the interview you granted BBC Sport on Friday, December 7, 2001 at 10.06 GMT, the transcript of which is attached for easy reference.
“I will be grateful if you could confirm, deny or retract the statement to enable me take my final decision. Your immediate response to this will be very much appreciated", it concluded.
According to the Stars coach, he had not received a reply from the player but only heard of rumours about Kuffour’s reaction.
Reacting to media speculation on the issue, coach Osam Duodu pointed out emphatically that once he made his intentions clear to Kuffour through the fax, he expected the player to do same since he (Kuffour) knows the coach’s fax number.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’ve not had any reply from the player and I’m still waiting to hear from him”.
He explained that he did not give Kuffour any specific deadline within which to respond.
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Paris (France) 18 December 2001 - Ghanaian-born French superstar Marcel Desailly says he hopes to play an active role in the development of Ghana football when he retires from the game.
Desailly who now captains the French national team made this pledge after paying a courtesy call on President J.A. Kufuor during his working visit to France recently.
Accompanied by his French wife, Desailly told President Kufuor that he has already been playing that role by providing financial and material support to youth football clubs in Ghana over the years, and expressed his readiness to offer more assistance to others who may approach him.
The Chelsea star revealed that he has acquired a plot of land at East Legon in Accra to establish a school and appealed to President Kufuor to use his good offices to help streamline the acquisition of land in Ghana following the frustrations and difficulties he went through before acquiring the land for the project.
President Kufuor advised Desailly to take advantage of the dual citizenship that would soon be passed into law and be eligible to vote during national elections.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will as from the next football season submit its accounts to the Ministry of Youth and sports for scrutiny.
Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports said the move is to ensure that funds made available to the GFA are prudently managed in the interest of the development of football.
Speaking at the second Star/GFA Gala night at the International Conference Centre on Saturday, the Deputy Minister said monies including grants from the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) must be accounted for.
He said sponsorship packages must also be declared to the ministry "which is the father of all sporting associations" in line with the government's policy of "zero tolerance on corruption."
Mr Aggrey said the move must not be seen as undue interference in the affairs of the GFA but as a means of making them accountable thereby eliminating corruption which, in the minds of the people, has been synonymous with the football house.
The Deputy Minister said making the GFA accountable to the ministry is a step toward making them autonomous.
He said the fight against corruption must be waged on all fronts and called on all stakeholders in football to brace up to the challenge because corruption negates smooth development of the game.
Mr Aggrey lauded the efforts of the new GFA administration in crafting a blueprint, "The Way Forward Vision" for the long- term development of soccer. He said he was convinced that the programme of the GFA, which aims at injecting new blood into the Black Stars, would yield dividends and give Ghana a World Cup ticket in 2006.
The Deputy Minister said the Cup of African Nations (CAN) 2002 which gets underway in Mali next January will be a litmus test for the GFA and advised the technical team to give only disciplined and dedicated players the chance.
He admonished sporting fans to be patient with the team and allow it to blossom into a formidable side that would bring honours to Ghana.
On the Gala night, the Deputy minister said it would encourage young players to aspire to achieve laurels for themselves and the nation and charged the organisers to make it a permanent feature on the calendar of the GFA.
Earlier, Mr Aggrey had ordered a minute's silence in memory of those who died at the Accra Sports Stadium on May 9.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the Ghana Breweries Limited (GBL) Saturday night awarded thirty-three distinguished football personalities at the Accra International Conference Centre.
Awards were given to the best three performers in eleven categories during the just ended soccer season, which was sponsored by GBL. The ceremony dubbed the "Star/GFA Gala Awards Nite 2001" was in recognition of the contributions of the awardees to the development of football in Ghana.
The Havelange Fair Play award, which was the first of the "nite" went to goalkeeper Sumaila Abdullai of Dawu Youngsters for upholding the dictates of fair play when he abandoned his post to give mouth to mouth resuscitation to Charles Taylor of Accra Hearts of Oak when he collapsed in his penalty box.
King Faisal and Liberty Professionals placed second and third respectively for attracting fewer cards than the other clubs in the outgoing season. The Ohene Djan Outstanding Contributor to Development of Football Award went to Mr. Kofi Badu for his tremendous contribution as a sportswriter, a publisher and an administrator. Mr. Sam Jonah Chief Executive of Ashanti Goldfields placed second while Nestle Ghana Limited was third.
Miss Sophia Okuley won the Outstanding Contributor to Women Football Award, while Mr. Oteng Aboagye and Mr. Ofotsu Brightmore Macaully placed second and third respectively.
In the GFA Chairman's Outstanding Partner division, the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) won first place while the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) took the second position and the Red Cross Society placed third.
For the Major George Lamptey Award for the best match officials, FIFA referee Ibrahim Iddrissu of Tamale took the first position for courageously handling many high tension matches in the 2001 Star Premier League.
Mr. Nicholas Djomoah of Koforidua and Joshua Mensah placed second and third
respectively.
Hearts of Oak's coach, Sir Cecil Jones Attuquayefio won the Nana Kumi Gyamfi's Best Coach Award for guiding Hearts to win the league for the fifth time on the trot. Coach JE Sarpong of Great Olympics got the nod for the second position whilst Mr. Emmanuel Quarshie coach of Berekum Arsenals placed third.
The Nyamitei Best Club Chairman Award went to Mr. Harry Zakkour of Hearts of Oak and Alhaji Karim Grunsah of King Faisal won the second position and the third place went to Mr. Seth Yeboah, chairman of Dawu Youngsters.
Chairman, Accra Hearts of Oak once again became Club of the Year while their arch rivals, Kumasi Asante Kotoko was adjudged the second best and Dawu Youngsters were the second runners up.
Kumasi Asante Kotoko's first choice goalkeeper Osei Boateng was adjudged the best goalkeeper and was awarded the Robert Mensah Best Goalkeeper Award for making twenty-eight appearances in thirty league matches and conceding a paltry fifteen goals. Abukari Kankani of Ghapoha placed second and Sammy Adjei of Hearts was third.
Ishmeal Addo of Hearts won the Edward Acquah Golden Boot Award for scoring the highest number of goals - 23- in the premiership. Awudu Adama of Dawu Youngsters placed second with fourteen goals and Nana Arhin Duah placed third with eleven goals.
The Most Treasured Player Award which was named after Abedi Pele went to Charles Taylor of Accra Hearts of Oak while Ishmeal Addo placed second and Kotoko's midfield dynamo Stephen Oduro won third place.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 18 December 2001 - J.O. Amoako scored 45 points to win the maiden Ghana Commercial Bank Limited golf championship played at the Achimota Golf Course in Accra on Saturday.
Ebenezer Mensah was second with 40 points, Paul List placed third with 39 points, beating Richard Adotey and Fritz Degbe on count-back while the sixth and seventh positions went to Richard Aziama and F.K.Owusu-Adjapong who tied on 38 points while the former had a count-back advantage.
Elizabeth Quartey won the Ladies' event with 39 points, Yaa Konadu Safo-Debrah took the second position with 37 points, beating Beatrice Hampton on count- back while Esther Amedzro also beat Florence Etwi-Barimah on count-back to take the fourth position after they had both scored 36 points.
The one-day 18-hole stableford competition opened to amateur golfers from Tema, Achimota and Celebrity Golf Club, attracted over 136 players.
In an address read for him by Mr Kofi Aggrey, Public Relations Officer, the Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Joe Aggrey said his Ministry would do everything possible to ensure that the lesser sports are developed.
He called on the private sectors to join hands with the government in ensuring that the lesser sports get the needed attention to facilitate their growth.
In another competition played at the same venue on Sunday, Dan Dennis returned 69 net to win the Seniors Get-Together championship. Richard Kumi Ampofo placed second with 70 net, S.D. Odame was third with 71 net beating Kojo Duku on count-back while L. Wiholm also beat David Hampton on-count back after they had both returned 72 net.
Beatrice Hampton won the Ladies' event with 70 net, Francisca Vandyck was second with 71 net, Elizabeth Ezan was third with 73 net and Essie Cobbina placed fourth with 75 net.
Mr Mike Ezan, President of the Ghana Golf Association praised the senior members of the Club for their patronage and expressed the hope that they would do better next year.
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