He
explained that since it was only last year that the Champions League prize
money was increased to $1m with the runners-up getting $750,000 what Hearts
got, including compensation from FIFA for the abortive World Clubs
Championship, comes nowhere near $1.7m. He, however, failed to give the actual
figure.
Reacting
to state sports bi-weekly Graphic Sports publication on Tuesday, Addo dispelled the general perception that the club is
loaded and rather advised people to consider income vis-à-vis the after-effect such
incomes have on the club by way of increased demands by players and the added
cost of increased rates on recruitment.
“Except
1996, the club has since 1995 participated in the CAF series and that is
equally expensive,” he stressed. He gave a breakdown of trips the team embarked
upon to the various countries across the length and breadth of
He further
explained that participating in the CAF Champions League placed a big burden on
the club, especially where they performed so well and won the cup in 2000. “Our
anxiety to making a lasting impact on the competition that year added more
financial burden on us by way of promise to players, improved camping
facilities outside the country, all financed through loans which had to be paid
out of what we got,” he emphasized.
While
denying also that players of the club were promised $25,000 each, he stated
that their share of the CAF money has been paid.
On the
issue of the secretariat being put under 24-hour police guard, he pointed out
that the step was not to prevent any so-called “impounding”, but a move by
management to operate within the law to prevent the other faction which had
threatened to attack the secretariat in an attempt to take over the club.
He appealed
to all interested parties to lend their strong shoulders to uplift the club
rather than resorting to divisive tendencies and insinuations that will plunge
the club into deeper water.
GRi…/
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Kraboa Coaltar (Eastern Region) 24
December 2002 - Biased officiating and some bizarre decisions by
Koforidua-based class one referee Fred Odonkor,
caused an abrupt end to a division three outstanding league match between Coaltar World Vision F/C and visiting Eleven Angels of Okanta at the Coaltar Park on
Sunday.
The Eleven
Angles were leading 2-1 before the match came to an abrupt end. The violence
started when referee Odonkor, who is the Eastern
Regional Secretary of the Referee Association of Ghana (RAG) awarded dubious
penalty for the visitors to increased their tally to
two barely 10 minutes after the resumption of the second half.
Fans of
the home team poured onto the pitch to vent their spleen on the referee but a
locally assembled vigilante group prevented them. As if that was not enough,
the referee strangely ignored a beautiful equalizer from a solo effort by
striker Kwame Awuku who initiated a prolonged move
from midfield.
Both
players and officials of the home team met that final decision with a
spontaneous protest and boycott. However, after the tension had died down, the
match commissioner, Ogedegbe ordered the referee to
continue with the game but he refused.
Not even
his two assistant referees Michael Adjei and Alfred Odonkor
could persuade him to continue with the match, he simply ignored everybody and
called off the match, apparently because his life was under threat.
The match
commissioner, Ogedegbe later told GNA Sports that he
has noted with grave concern, the conduct of the referee and assured all that
the match would be replayed. He said the referee's conduct had put the game
into serious disrepute.
Before the
commotion, league leaders Coaltar World Vision F/C
who top the standings on 22 points, shot into the lead through Kwame Awuku on the stroke of the first half while Kwao Yohane equalised
for the visitors in the 64th minute.
GRi…/
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In all,
two matches were played between
Although
the turnout for the competition was expected to be high, the situation was
opposite as many countries that had earlier accepted to participate declined
the offer at the eleventh hour. The lack of a neutral body to officiate in the
match nearly marred its beauty as a netball fan from the home crowd who
witnessed the encounter felt peeved about the officiating of the lady umpire
from the Namibian camp and threatened to attack her.
While some
of the countries attributed the numerous postponements as their reason for
their inability to participate, others hid behind the fact that the new date
was not convenient since it clashed with the Christmas holidays.
However,
officials of the games decided to get the competition launched despite the
smaller number of participants. According to them, all international sporting
competitions suffered the same fate before gaining popularity that the world is
witnessing now.
They
argued that the poor patronage did not take excitement out of the competition
in anyway since their main aim was to get it launched.
GRi…/
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comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com