Fans at odds with Ben Koufie's arrival outburst
Accra (Greater Accra) 07 February 2002 - Three times goalking and last season’s winner of the Edward Acquah's golden boat, Ishmael Addo, has expressed his thoughts about the Black Stars performance and their failure to reclaim their lost glory. He told the GNA Sports in an interview that the Stars performance fell below expectation due to a number of reasons.
"Basically, the entire team was made up of youthful players with most of us having our maiden romance in a nations cup fiesta. Cohesion, flair and team work needed for the tournament was missing completely", the player said. Addo said the high expectation of Ghanaian soccer fans put the team under severe pressure.
The player said he was unable to prove a point at the tournament because he did not receive the needed passes coupled with the fact that he was asked to operate from the right flank.
"I had it extremely difficult to pick a ball from behind, create space and shoot at goal from that position. And it looked like none of the players new the way I move as a striker hence their inability to place the ball in front of me where I mostly use speed to beat my markers."
He said teammate, Charles Taylor's exclusion from the Stars' was greatly felt especially in the attack adding that against South Africa, there was nobody to create the needed chance for the attack to score.
The prolific striker believes he didn't perform badly though he was not at his peak. He confessed that the inconsistent nature in which he was fielded affected him greatly.
Addo said a player must be consistent in every tournament to be able to improve match after match adding, "I have featured in only two games and did little to prove what I am capable of doing.
Addo disclosed that his contract with first division club Bastia of France was almost a done deal. He said even though he had a lot of offers, he choose Bastia for a number of reasons, among them, the presence of Michael Essien a playmate at the 1999 World Under-17 tournament.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 07 February 2002 - The Professional League Board (PLB) is scheduled to meet officials of the Ghana Brewery Limited (GBL) on Friday for a possible renewal of the five years, ¢850 million renewable sponsorship deal for the Star premier league.
Mr Sylvester Mensah, Chairman of the PLB told the GNA Sports in a telephone interview that he could not guarantee whether or not the amount would be increased but said it would be unfair for it to be maintained taking into consideration the current economic situation.
The sponsorship was increased by ¢250 million last season but was described by soccer officials as very meagre. Consequently, the PLB said it would write to all the 16 clubs to present their audited accounts as a pre-requisite for participating in the Star Premier league scheduled to kick-start on March 10.
The league is to be heralded by the national gala fixed for the second and third of next month. Mr Mensah said the issue of audited accounts, which has been flouted with impunity, will be a major topic to be discussed at the next GFA congress to be held on 26th and 27th of this year.
Congress reiterated at it last session that the audited account should be a pre-requisite for qualified teams to feature in the elite league but has failed to punish clubs, which flouted the rule. Members would use the occasion to discuss also the performance of the Black Stars at the CAN 2002 in Mali.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 07 February 2002 - A 24-year-old professional boxer who lured a 12-year-old class six pupil into his room and had sex with her has been arraigned at a Kumasi Circuit Tribunal for defilement.
Kwabena Sarfo who plies his trade in the super lightweight division, pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of ¢20 million with one surety to justify.
According to Constable Gideon Ohene Boateng of the Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Unit, the girl, a pupil of the New World International School at Atonsu Bokro, lives with her aunt, Mrs Boakye Marfo at Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi.
Constable Boateng said on Sunday, January 27, 2002, at about 4 pm, the girl's aunt sent her to make a telephone call at a booth at Santasi, but was lured away from the booth by Sarfo who told her that the booth was out of use and asked the girl to follow him to his house to use his personal telephone.
He said the accused after luring the girl to his house had sex with her and thereafter gave her 15,000 cedis and warned her not to tell anybody. However, on her return to the house, Constable Boateng said the girl reported the incident to her aunt's husband who in turn reported to the police who arrested Sarfo.
He said when the case was called and the charge read, counsel for Sarfo, Mr J.K. Addae, pleaded with the tribunal to grant his client bail since he was billed to fight Ben Ankrah alias "Bingo" in Accra this Friday, February 8. Sarfo will re-appear before the tribunal on Monday, February 11.
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Bamako (Mali) 07 February 2002 - The Super Eagles might be ageing and slow in their movements but they survived a first half scare from the Black Stars and went on to win 1-0 to set the stage for a semi-final confrontation against the Lions of Senegal.
Skipper Sunday Oliseh, Austine Okocha and Finidi Goerge have played below their peak and it is evident that they are downhill and at the twilight of their careers.
Scorer of their winning goal against Ghana, Garba Lawal and Taribo West cannot also be said to be at the form, which made other teams dread the Super Eagles in the past. Even Arsenals' Kanu Nwanko who many expected to set Mali ablaze with his deft touches has been a pale shadow of his usual self.
But there is one thing going well for the Super Eagles. The presence of young, dynamic arrowhead Julius Aghahowa, who has been the fulcrum of their attack and the agility of the duo of left wing back Ifeanyi Udeaze and his right wing counterpart Joseph Yobo has complimented the declining productivity of the aging stars of the squad.
Of the three goals scored by the Nigerians, Julius scored two while the third was netted by Lawal. Coming against the Senegalese Lions whose tactician, Frenchman Bruno Metsu prefers a line up of the 4-4-2 formations where the entire team swings from attack to defence and vice-versa, one hell of a match is anticipated at the Modibo Keita Stadium in Bamako.
Lanky defenders Daf Omar and Sarr Birahim have proved very effective in the air and on the ground and their ability to speed up and cover up when they move forward is just impressive.
Captain Cisse Aliou has proved himself to be a worthy ball winner and the attacking partnership of Fadiga Khalilou and "jewel" El Hadj Diof could be the worry of any opposing coach.
But the Super Eagles coach Shuaibu Amodu told the GNA that he has a game plan to sniff out the abilities of the Senegalese attack and go beyond them to the grand finale.
He said at this stage of the competition, experience has a major role to play and he has that in abundance and would certainly win the match. If the Senegalese would keep their calm and Diof would desist from unnecessary showmanship and play purposefully, the Lions could punch holes in the Eagles defence and win by the odd goal.
In the other semi-final match which would take place at the 26 March Stadium at 1900 GMT, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon clash with host nation Mali. Book makers might have the Cameroonians as favourites but the hype among the Malians is enough to throw the form guide into the trash bin.
The Malians are geared and braced up for the match and would do everything to win.
Support would not be wanting and the mobility of the team could create jealousy in other trainers and managers.
And this would be the trump card of veteran coach Henri Kasperczack who has transformed the team into a roll of combative performers. The creativity of Seidu Keita would certainly give Rigobert Song and Pierre Njaka a lot of problems at the back and if the youthful Malians would not be intimidated by the muscles of the Cameroonians which are displayed because of the sleeveless shirts they wear, the champions could be relinquishing their title after 90 minutes of top flight football.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 07 February 2002 - Soccer fans in and around Accra and Tema municipalities have expressed misgivings about the way Mr Ben Koufie, Chairman for the Ghana Football Association (GFA) conducted himself on his arrival with the Black Stars from Mali on Tuesday night.
The chairman conspicuously lambasted the local sports journalists on the story credited to him as having sacked coach Osam Duodu, head of the technical team of the national team.
Mr Koufie described the report as wicked, malicious, unfounded and treacherous. A cross section of people the GNA Sports interviewed were of the view that Mr Koufie handled the issues poorly and not like the well-natured and level headed man that Ghanaians have known him.
Nana Kwasi, a soccer analyst of Tema said the hash tone with which the GFA boss addressed the press was very worrying. Mavis Owusu Sekyere, a student insisted that though she appreciates Mr Koufie's willingness to be firm and strong, football involves a lot of passion and he needed to tame his ego not to fuel the already volatile issue.
"It is glaring that something is being hidden from us from the way the chairman spoke. He contradicted himself when the issue of jerseys came up," Maame Kai, a soccer fan in Accra said.
Another fan, Ishmael Sai said Mr Koufie attempted to brush aside legitimate concerns and choose to attack the media. "Most of his words were too harsh and I wonder the sort of example he was setting", he said.
On the contrary some fans also believe Uncle Ben is becoming fed up with misrepresentations in the media hence his sudden flare-up was just a matter of course. To them the media was becoming too vibrant and, in their quest to fish out information, step on too many toes.
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