Ghana soccer has declined - Frimpong Manso
Obuasi (Ashanti Region) 21 February 2002 - Obuasi Goldfields parading a virtually youthful side thrashed visiting Tano Bofoakwa 3-0 in their Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) Top Four soccer tournament played at the Len Clay Stadium on Wednesday.
Bofoakwa should, however, blame themselves for playing a robust game in the second half forcing referee Abass K. Gyima of Cape Coast to show Kwasi Owusu and
Abeiku Aikins the red card in the 77th and 83rd minutes, respectively.
Goldfields opened the scoring in the second minute when Frank Awuah connected beautifully to Seidu Dauda's pass. Playing with tremendous understanding, the miners increased the scores in the 12th minute when a defence splitting pass from Moses Mensah forced the visitors' Captain Owusu Sarpong to score an own goal.
Sensing danger, Bofoakwa substituted defender Emmanuel Ampiah with Isaac Owusu in the 18th minute but it was Goldfields that kept the heat on the visitors and nearly fetched a goal in the 32nd minute but Nana Bonsu in posts for Bofoakwa saved Dauda's goal-bound shot. In the 41st minute, Nana Bonsu again pulled a brilliant save to deny Moses Mensah from utilising Asare Boateng's well-tailored pass.
Bofoakwa brought on Kofi Asiedu for inside-right Fuseini Bawa on resumption of the second half and resorted to robust play forcing referee Abass to pull his yellow card in the 49th, 56th, 65th and 66th minutes on Kwasi Owusu, Abeiku, Aikins, Owusu Sarpong and Baffour Kusi in that order. In the 85th minute enterprising Dauda scored his second personal goal and the third goal of his side when he lobbed the ball over on-rushing Nana Bonsu.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February 2002 – Accra based Liberty Professionals on Wednesday held Accra Hearts of Oak to a 2-2 drawn game in their Ghana League Clubs (GHALCA) Top 4 soccer tournament at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Liberty started the game with early incursions in the Hearts vital area but it was Hearts who took the lead through Bernard Don Bortey in the 30th minute.
After both George Eranio and Emmanuel Donkor had missed clear chances that fell to them in the 22nd and 23rd minutes, respectively, Don Bortey took advantage of a free-kick in front of Liberty's box to shoot Hearts into the lead with goalkeeper Codgoe Addo flat-footed.
Liberty accepted the challenge and equalised 13 minutes later through hard working Jonathan Quartey. The player took advantage of a misunderstanding between indecisive Hearts Goalkeeper Laud Quartey and a defender, Kwame Antwi, who could have easily cleared the ball to safety.
From recess, Hearts mounted pressure on their opponents but it was Jonathan Quartey, who again scored in the 54th minute for Liberty after receiving a pass from William Tiero.
In the 55th minutes Eranio was substituted for Charles Allotey to beef up the Hearts attacking machine. The plan worked to perfection when Hearts made a quick incursion into their opponents box and got the equalizer through Donkor from Laryea Kingston's pass.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February 2002 - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has notified that FIFA badges and Pins for 2002 International Referees and Assistant Referees would be presented at a ceremony on Thursday February 28th at the GFA secretariat.
In all seven referees and eleven assistant referees including four women would be honoured. A release signed by the general secretary, Mr Kofi Nsiah, named the following as the proud recipients. For the referees categorise we have Mike Amedior,
Emmanuel Bissi, Ibrahim Iddrisu, Frederick Kwasi Mensah, Alex Neequaye Quartey, Alex Qartey and Joseph Lamptey Wellington.
The assistant referees are, Seidu Sanie Alhassan, Archibold Annan Lomotey, Ahmed Boadu-Ayeboafo, Nicholas Djomoah, Ayuba Haruna, Samuel Quaye and Justice
Kinsley Yeboah. The two women referees are Chirtiana Tetteh and Benedicter Wormade and the assistant referees are Innocectia Agbavitor and Comfort Cofie.
The GFA has subsequently invited the National Chairman and Executives of the Referees Association of Ghana (RAG), Confederation of African Football (CAF)
Referees Instructors and all members of the GFA Referees Committee to be present at the function.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February 2002 - A.C. Olympiakos, a local first division club which failed to qualify for next season's premier league after an unimpressive middle league campaign, are likely to participate in a youth tournament in either Italy or Denmark in April this year.
A source at the club told the GNA Sports in an interview on Wednesday, that it has received two invitations from Italy and Denmark for a youth tournament but said the club was yet to decide on which one to honour. The source did not name the other participating teams.
As a first step, the team has appointed Abraham Allotey, a former coach of Accra Great Olympics as its helmsman, after the contract of the substantive coach Ken August expired.
The source told the GNA that plans are afoot to recruit seven to eight premier league players to beef up the attack and defence of the team, which were identified as factors in the team's fourth position in the six-team middle league.
The players are to join their other colleagues for vigorous training, starting Monday, February 25, to fine-tune he team before emplaning for either Italy or Denmark. Even before the team leaves for Europe, they would embark on yet another tour in Benin to toughen the boys for the tournament in April, he added.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 21 February 2002 - Frimpong Manso, one time national player and former skipper for Kumasi Asante Kotoko has said soccer in Ghana has declined woefully over the years because of our inability to keep players together and lack of incentives for the boys.
Manso told GNA sports on Thursday that as compared to the level of football in the country in the early 90's one would have expected that the country would by now be among the best in the world if not Africa.
"The issue of incentives for players is yet to be the priority of football administrators while consistent team building has been relegated to the background," Manso said. The former star said the nation's inability to keep players together has been the biggest down fall of her soccer and pointed out that Cameroon and Senegal are enjoying the fruits of players they have nurtured over the years.
He suggested that the country should form a local Black Stars team and not to fully rely on the so-called professionals. "Most of the local boys play active football every week while the majority of our foreign based players warm benches in foreign countries," he added.
Manso said Ghana soccer may claim its lost glory if the authorities would honour their promise and keep the current crop of Black Stars players together for the 2004 and 2006 tournaments.
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