Make sports associations financially independent
Division One League starts 29 December
Court grants 20m cedis to athletics coach
Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 December 2002 - The Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA)
has started registering amateur boxers in the country in order to keep record
of their history and progress in the sport.
The registration exercise, which has started in the Greater Accra Region on
pilot basis, is intended to provide the association with a record of the
development of the boxers by way of fight records, type of opposition faced,
rise in weight, etc to enable GABA monitor the progress of the boxers.
GABA boss, Eddie Duplan announced this last Friday at the inauguration of Akror
Boxing club in Teshie. The Akror Boxing club has been provided from the sole
initiative of a few personalities in Teshie whose aim is to tap raw boxing
talents from Teshie and its environs into world class professional fighters.
Duplan said GABA is very much impressed by the creation of the boxing club
which will not only provide Teshie with potential world champions but will
benefit the entire nation.
He called on other communities to emulate the effort of the people of Teshie by
initiating such projects, which has the potential of providing employment to
the youth around the area.
He said with the club now formed, the executives should seek sponsorship from
relevant bodies to keep the club running since "we cannot depend on
government for everything". The club has a new boxing ring acquired from
their own resources from where members of the club will train.
Duplan advised members not to rest on their achievements but to strive hard to
produce Black Bombers to underline the seriousness of their efforts.
Hon Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, expressed the hope that
the club rises up to produce world champions from Teshie to challenge the
authority of Bukom as the cradle of boxing in the country.
He said although Ghana has emerged from the Commonwealth Games as the second
best in boxing on two different occasions, the story has sadly changed. He
therefore challenged the club to produce great boxers to achieve laurels for
the country.
The MP for Ledzokuku, Hon Eddie Akita who performed the official inaugural
ceremony, advised that the facilities at the gym be kept properly to last
longer. A 10-member executive was sworn into office. An appeal for funds
yielded over ¢8m.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 December 2002 - A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana
and a former Sports tutor, Dr Ebenezer O. Owusu has emphasised the need for the
National Sports Council (NSC) to adopt a policy that will make all associations
and bodies under the Ministry of Youth and Sports become financially
independent.
He said the inability of the national team to excel in international
competitions could be attributed to the administrative lapses and lack of
technical know-how, especially marketing strategies, which has brought lots of
financial crisis into the soccer administration.
He said this situation has brought about inefficiencies in the various
associations in the discharge of their duties adding that this has led to the
dismal performance of the various disciplines at international competitions.
"It is high time our sports officials sought financial assistance from
corporate bodies to ensure the effective running of the associations," he
said. Dr Owusu who made these observations during an interview with Graphic
Sports in Accra, therefore, called on the GFA to stop relying on government for
financial support as the sole means of running their activities.
"There must be a well rehearsed strategy that can enable the FA to build a
sound financial base since it is the only way the association could become
independent both financially and administratively," he emphasised.
He stated that the national teams do not prepare adequately and have most of
their planned friendly matches aborted at the eleventh hour apparently due to
lack of funds. The lecturer, therefore, expressed the need to improve the
country's sports, particularly football by implementing the right decisions to
bring back the nation's soccer to its former glory.
Reacting to the Minister's decision not to engage a foreign coach, Dr Owusu
explained that he does not have any qualms about that decision but wondered how
effective a local coach could be to the benefit of the country. "My
problem is their level of confidence and their ability to stand firm," he
said.
He asked how many of our coaches have been able to avail themselves with the
computer after training to analyse and develop their strategies based on
software programmes. "Talent should not be the ultimate but one's ability
to avail himself of technology in the modern world is what matters," he
added.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 December 2002 - After amassing millions of dollars from
international and local engagements, lucrative player-transfers and all,
91-year-old Accra Hearts of Oak is collapsing under massive debt.
So severe is Hearts’ indebtedness that the club's 60-seater bus, the 'Phobia
Bird', has been impounded "under a writ of FIFA.Other properties including
office equipment at the club's Tudu secretariat, which is under 24-hour police
guard, as well as the land earmarked for a Hearts of Oak complex at Pobiman are
also frozen.
There is also a serious threat of internal rebellion following the non-payment
of allowances and bonuses to players and technical men. The Hearts crisis came
to a head last 29 November when an Accra High Court issued an order for Mighty
Victory, an Accra-based colts club, to impound the Hearts bus for a breach of
an earlier contract.
In one of the dozens of transfer deals that Hearts have engaged in over the
years, the club traded Stephen Appiah to Italian club Udinese for a figure that
has stirred controversy since 1997.
Mighty Victory, an impoverished colts club run voluntarily by R.S.A. Young also
had an interest in the Appiah transaction, but after collecting whatever amount
was involved, club officials refused to part with the colts club's share of the
$40,000.00.
Even an order from the Sule Gbadegbe Commission on player transfers for the
club's board and management to respect the contract was ignored, compelling the
poor colts club to seek redress in a court of law.
After the judgement of the High Court, bailiffs with police guard impounded the
Hearts bus on the High Street in Accra and packed it temporarily in a house
near the Ring Road. But staff at the Hearts Secretariat yesterday said they do
not know the bus's where about.
Other sources also confirmed that Hearts indebtedness to Mighty Victory, which
stood at $40,000 in 1998, has now risen to $70,000. This, and the wider
implication of how the finances of Hearts have been managed over the past
decade or so, stirred emotions at this year's National Chapters delegates’
conference held at Assin Fosu last 30 November.
Angry delegates at the conference submitted the club's treasurer Maxwell Addo
to scathing attacks over what they perceived as improper management of Hearts
finances. A statement issued after conference expressed supporters' anger at
attempts made by Addo to deceive the delegates that the bus was still being
used by the club.
While attributing the treasurers behaviour to recalcitrance on the part of the
Hearts Board and management, the statement further revealed that the club owes
the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of TUC an amount of $20,000
(over ¢170m) being the balance of the cost of the bus bought from them.
It explained that but for the recent ¢30m paid to the GPRTU by the club's Chief
Executive, Thomas Okine, the transport body might have carried out their threat
to go to court to seek redress.
"In the year 2000 when Hearts won the Africa Champions League and were
swimming in dollars, could they not have paid off these debts?" It
questioned. Sources close to the club say that the club bagged a little over
$1.7m and yet were unable to pay the players the promised $25,000," the
statement revealed.
According to the supporters, their investigations have also revealed that a top
member of the Board pocketed $50,000 from Sam Johnson's transfer deal after
concealing $30,000 through his own "manipulations" while getting a
"thank you" of $20,000 from the club's board.
"As we write, Hearts of Oak is totally broke to the extent that Thomas
Okine has had to mortgage his house at Korle Gonno for some money to run the
just-ended league," they emphasised.
The
statement further referred to a recent publication in the "Hearts
News" in which the club's Board Secretary, Ernest Thompson wrote that
Hearts owe some individuals and institutions to a tune of over ¢2.5b including
¢140m to Mendskrom Hotel in camping accommodation as well as outstanding
players salaries for November and December and annual bonuses.
The supporters seized the occasion to call on the National Chapter Committee
(NCC) to wake up and reach out to all Phobians of vision and integrity,
commitment, dedication, accountability and love for the club.
They consequently made a passionate appeal to Prof J.E.A. Mills, J.S. Addo,
George Osekre, Bright Akwetey, Dr Attoh, T.V. Musah, Alhaji Hearts, Thomas
Okine, Alhaji Tijani Nagaya, Steve Akwetey, and Ato Ahwoi to come together to
salvage the club from its disgraceful status after the present Board's
nine-year reign with nothing to show other than debts.
In a writ to the Fast Track Court on the matter, dated 12 December 2002, Hearts
Board Secretary, Ernest Thompson said the club had wished to clear the debt
"but circumstances conspired against that effort."
He said the club was negotiating with its development partners for foreign
exchange and promised to receive the money in three trenches. "That we
promised to pay the judgment debt together with cost without any fail,"
Thompson wrote.
He then
prayed the court that "the club's bus seized under a writ of FIFA be
released upon above payment terms. The case resumes at the High Court on
Wednesday.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 17 December 2002 - The chairman of the Division One League
(DOL) Board, Douglas Djarbeng, has stated that the Ghana Football Association’s
(GFA’s) extraordinary congress held on Thursday agreed to increase the number
of division one clubs from 48 to 56 for the 2002 season.
This, he said, was aimed at satisfying all aggrieved clubs in respect of
demotions to avoid any conflicts which could further delay the competition.
Speaking on the decisions reached at the congress, Djarbeng explained that
Mighty Jets who were embroiled in a legal tussle with the GFA were admitted to
play the DOL this season while the local soccer controlling body pursues its
appeal on the High Court order which asked the FA to reinstate Jets vis-avis
the three-year ban slapped on them at the beginning of the season.
He stressed that Jets were admitted subject to the outcome of the appeal and
will be made to serve their ban in case the FA wins the case eventually. According
to him, another proposal by the FA in consultation with the DOL which was
upheld by congress by vote was that there should not be any relegation for the
Division One League in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
He, however, noted that the house agreed to the fact that the number should be
reduced to 48 in the 2003 season while resorting to the relegation exercise as
well that same year. According to the DOL boss, a decision was also reached to
the effect that there should be a novelty one round DOL competition this year.
He hinted that the DOL Board is scheduled to meet representatives of all 56
participating club on Monday to dilate on the mode of competition, whether it
should be played on the normal home-and-away basis or otherwise.
On a more refreshing note, he revealed that the FA agreed in principle to pay
the participation fees of all clubs, and are even considering topping it up as
compensation in view of the long delay. Meanwhile, this year’s league which
commences next Sunday, 29 December, will be played on neutral grounds instead
of the usual home and away basis.
This decision was reached at a consultative meeting by the DOL Board and some
representatives of division one clubs on Monday. According to Djarbeng,
majority of the clubs voted in favour of the neutral grounds concept as against
the status quo.
He disclosed that apart from Zone 1A where the participating clubs will
converge at the Bolga Park for a round-robin, the rest of the clubs in the
remaining zone will honour all their matches away.
GRi.../
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo)
17 December 2002 - The Sunyani District Court on Thursday granted 20m cedis
bail with two sureties to George Daniels, Brong Ahafo Regional Athletics coach
for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 15-year-old student.
Daniels, 54, one time
Ghanaian international sprinter, was arraigned before the court on November 20,
this year for defilement and was remanded in prison custody. The court presided
over by Charles Adjei Wilson, ordered him to pay 150 thousand cedis towards the
upkeep of the girl and was to reappear on 20 December this year.
The facts of the case
as presented by Police Inspector Setina Aboagye, prosecutor, was that the accused
is an uncle of the victim who lived with him in Sunyani. She said the girl's
mother brought her from Cape Coast to Sunyani last year to stay with the uncle
to continue with her education.
In February this
year, while she was fast asleep the accused inserted his fingers into her
private part. The prosecutor said the accused subjected the victim to the
ordeal for sometime and later had sexual intercourse with her.
The victim who could
no longer bear the accused behaviour reported the matter to a woman but that
could not deter the accused. The victim was later taken ill for months and
taken to the Sunyani Police hospital where it was detected that she had been
sexually assaulted.
A report was
subsequently made to the Police. Medical report later revealed that the girl
was three months pregnant and the accused was arrested.
GRi.../
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