Moyoyo wins Africa Union boxing title
Bamako (Mali) 11 February 2002 - President Alfa Omar Konare of Mali handed the African Cup of Nations to skipper Rigobert Song of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and tears rolled down the cheeks of some Senegalese players and supporters as the curtains for the 23rd edition of the championship were drawn at the 26th March Stadium in Bamako on Sunday night.
Joseph Sepp Blatter, FIFA President, was at the podium to assist Issa Hayatou, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the host president to perform the protocol of rewarding victory.
Then, the Cameroonian Lions began the victory lap and the music of Seynabou Sall backed by the 'Enssamble Instrumental' dished out the lyrics 'la glorie de l'Afrique'
The cheers from the crowd were deafening, fire crackers filled the sky, whistles shrilled from thousands of admirers and the actors kissed their gold medals, their personal souvenirs for their effort.
The streets were choked with jubilant Malian fans whose preference for the Cameroonians cannot be explained as they share borders with Senegal. The Indomitable Lions have joined the league of four-time Champions-Ghana and Egypt. And more, they have become the first country to win the cup on the trot since Ghana's feat in 1965.
Those who scorned their sleeveless shirts during the championship have been shamed and what matters here is the fine brand of football they played. Cameroon has won the cup in succession and once again, it was through the penalty shoot-out but nobody can take the credit away from them for going through six matches without conceding a goal and scoring 10 in regulation time.
The match was a classic that has not been seen on the African stage for a long time. It was a fitting climax to a tournament, which had come under severe criticism for the low standard. It reassured African football administrators that the continent could be
serious contenders at the World Cup. But the goal drought remained.
Action swung from one end to the other and the pace was fast and sometimes adagio. Fine technique and tactics were in abundance as every player on the field gave off his best. Senegalese goalie Sylva Mario had a busy time from the half hour mark, an indication that the early dominance of the Senegalese had been usurped by Cameroon.
At the other side, Song, Bill Tchato, Pierre Wome and Raymond Kalla played to their optimum to curtail El Hadj Diof, Camara Henri and Diop Bouba to protect goalkeeper Alioum Boukar from conceding his first goal of the tournament.
After many missed chances by both sides and some spectacular goalkeeping from Sylva Mario of Senegal during the stipulated 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time, which produced no goals, Egyptian referee Gamal El Ghandour invoked the penalty shoot rule.
Fadiga Khalilou and Coly Alexandre scored for Senegal while Faya Moustapha and Cisse Aliou's kicks were saved by Alioum Boukar and El Hadj Diof flung his close to the right upright, away from target.
For Cameroon, Pierre Wome's kick, which was the first for the Indomitable Lions was saved by Sylva who also saved from Song. Patrick Suffo, Etame Mayer and Njitap Geremi converted their opportunities to give Cameroon a 3-2 win.
Bruno Metsu, coach of the Senegalese described the match as one befitting a Nations Cup final but blamed his side's loss on hard luck. He praised the Cameroonians for their strength and commitment and predicted they would do well at the World Cup in Korea and Japan.
The Frenchman said his team is a young one, which could improve upon their performance and assured that Senegal would not be a disgraced at the World Cup.
Skipper Song of the Indomitable Lions said their victory is the reward for their hard work and a reciprocal to the people of Cameroon who support and appreciate their contribution to national development.
The Cameroonian government dispatched an aircraft to convey the African champions from Bamako to Yaounde immediately after the match.
GRi…/
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Mopti (Mali) 11 February 2002 - The Super Eagles of Nigeria who have become villains in the face of Nigerian soccer fans in Mali for losing to Senegal and failing to reach the grand finale of CAN 2002 beat Mali 1-0 at the Barema Bogoum Stadium in Mopti on Saturday to win the bronze.
New entrant, Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored early in the first half to ensure that the Eagles do not go home empty handed. The Israel based striker sprinted ahead of the Malian defenders and riffled a low short past goalkeeper Mamoudou Sidebe on duty for the Malians.
Goalkeeper Sidebe was later substituted when he collided with Aiyegbeni in a goalmouth action and bled from the mouth and nose even after the stipulated treatment time for goalkeepers on the field.
Coach Amoudu Shuaibu of Nigeria played many new faces including Karibe Ojigwe, Justice Christopher, Victor Ikpeba, Eric Ejiofor and goalkeeper Murphy Akanji and Tijani Babangida for once, started ahead of Finidi George. But again, the Eagles struggled throughout the match and failed to rekindle the form, which made them dreaded by other teams on the continent.
Mercurial Seydou Keita was at his dribbling best, punching holes in the Nigerian defence from the right but Mamadou Bakayoko , Coulibaly Adama, and Coulibaly Diakite failed to go past the Nigerian defenders, leaving Murphy Akanji with very little to do.
As the second half went beyond the quarter hour mark, the Malians attacked in bursts and kept their opponents goal area boiling persistently but they lacked the experience to outwit the desperate Nigerian defenders. The Malians were so conscious of their attack that sometimes failed to fortify their defence and allowed the Eagles to catch them on the break a couple of times.
Victor Ikpeba whose controversial penalty miss denied the Eagles the trophy in Lagos in the last tournament threw flung his leg over the ball with a yawning goal in front of him. Ikpeba dumped another opportunity when he mis-kicked and flung the ball wide close to the left upright.
In the last quarter of the game, it was all Mali going forward, and creating chance after chance but mother luck seemed to elude them as balls which needed easy taps to score were either blown high and wide or were lost to the Nigerian defenders.
GRi…/
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Bamako (Mali) 11 February 2002 - Prince Koranteng Amoako whose inclusion in the Black Stars for the 23rd African Cup of Nations in Mali stirred up controversy among the Ghanaian press has won CAF's Special Mention Award at the tournament.
His award is sequel to the manner in which he upheld the dictates of Fair Play in Ghana's 2-1 loss to the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the quarter final stage of the competition.
Prince Amoako kicked the ball out to enable the referee to halt the match and allow first aid personnel onto the pitch to attend to Ike Shorumu, the Nigerian goalkeeper who was injured in a tense goalmouth action.
At a press briefing at the Salle de Conference in Bamako on Friday, Mr Mark Gleeson a spokesman for the organisers of the award said though the CAF awards scheduled for South Africa on April 16, 2002 are meant to honour players for their contributions to game in the year 2001, Amoako's act was distinct and needs commendation.
He said Amoako had other options and could have gone for goal but decided to be fair to the game by kicking the ball into touch for Ike to receive attention. Consequently, Prince Amoako will be expected to make the trip to South Africa and receive his award.
Another person who has an award in his kitty already is Abdelhamid Bassiouny of Egypt who set a world record by scoring a hat trick in 117 seconds in a World Cup qualifier against Namibia. He would receive the Merit Award.
Nataschia Tsichlas an administrator of Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa is the winner of the Women in Football Achievement Award, while Tamer Ismaila has been declared the Best Futsal player.
Petro Atletico of Angola was accorded the Special Achievement Award as "it stands like an oasis with their superb club structure and ambitious ideas in a war ravaged country. "They serve as an example to the rest of the continent who too often blame a lack of professionalism on the poor conditions around them," the CAF citation said.
Another winner who has already been decided is Said Belqola, the Moroccan referee who handled the World Cup final between France and Brazil in France in 1998. Being the only African to have officiated in a World Cup final from the centre, Belqola has been awarded the Career Merit Award for "honouring Africa" by his distinctive performance.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria do not have any challengers in the FIFA Fair Play award category on the continent as they attracted the fewest number of cautions in the qualifying stage of the African Cup of Nations.
The Eagles got just five cautions in all six qualifying matches and Sunday Oliseh, captain of the side will be in South Africa to receive the award on behalf of the team.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 February 2002 - Supporters of Accra Hearts of Oak said they were saddened at the apparent silence of the Okudzeto Commission's report on the role played by supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko which allegedly triggered off the May 9 Accra Sports Stadium disaster.
In a 21-point resolution passed at the end of the Seventh Annual Chapter Delegates Assembly of the Supports in Accra said they were "disappointed at the open bias reflected in the Sam Okudzeto Commission's report on the May 9 disaster".
About 126 fans were killed on May 9 during a midweek league match between arch rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko after police personnel fired several canisters of tear gas into the Ade Coker Stands in reaction to misbehaviour by irate fans.
The resolution said fans of Kotoko should be condemned for destroying state property at the Stadium and added that until Kotoko fans apologised, Hearts should not honour any friendly match with the club.
The resolution, which touched on several issues affecting players of the club, urged government to start disbursing the Stadium Disaster Fund to the affected people. It cautioned the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to refrain from using Hearts players merely as training horses only to be dumped later adding "or else, we will advise ourselves".
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 11 February 2002 - Ghana's Aloryi Moyoyo Mensah on Friday night had an easy pay day when he spent just one minute four seconds of the first round to dispose off his Ivorian opponent Goba T. Harouna in their scheduled 12 rounds African Boxing Union Cruiserweight Championship title bout at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The event, organized under the Knights Promotions dubbed "The night of no return," featured other six bouts. Moyoyo ended the fight when he delivered a powerful hook to the head of his opponent.
Even before that "killer" punch, Moyoyo had sent his opponent sprawling on the canvas with a left hook in the same round. By this performance Aloryi Moyoyo now becomes the new African Boxing Union Cruiserweight Champion. He has improved his personal record to 3-3-0.
In yet another first round victory, Osmanu Adama knocked out London-based rasta haired Robert Kutsokey in the first of their scheduled 12 round title fight to annex the vacant West African Boxing Union Super welterweight belt.
He spent only one minute seven seconds of the first round in their fight, which many analysts and fans thought was going to be the toughest of the bouts lined up for the night. In the other supporting bouts, debutant Kpakpo Allotey, knocked out Alfred Odai in the third of their six round lightweight contests.
Allotey subjected his opponent to severe punishment in the first and second rounds before ending the fight in one minute 41 seconds of the third round. His performance caught the eyes of officials of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) who made a presentation of 200,000 cedis to him.
In another title fight, Champion Moabi Armstrong retained his belt after disposing off Ayittey Mettle in one minute 27 seconds of the seventh of their 12 round National Featherweight title fight.
In a six round Super Featherweight non-title contest, Abdulai Amidu added to the long list of knockouts on the night, when his opponent Aminu Turkson failed to turn up for the sixth and last round of their fight, giving the judges an easy job by declaring Amidu winner by a technical knock out.
Of the seven bouts for the night of no return, only two travelled the full distance with the first being an eight round Super Light weight contest between Ben Ankrah and Kwabena Sarfo. Ben Ankrah won on a unanimous decision.
In the last fight of the night, which many fans described as a typical fight, Agoe Ashong won a unanimous decision against Ashia Quaye Aryee in their West Africa Welterweight championship.
GRi…/
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