There should be a scientific approach to sports, Owusu Ansah
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Drama characterised the second half of the Ghana League Clubs (GHALCA) Top Four match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Obuasi Goldfield when Referee F.K Mensah showed Hearts captain Charles Taylor the red card in the 50th minute for a retaliatory offence.
This attracted the displeasure of a section of supporters believed to be Hearts fans at the Osu Stand and they threw stones and other missiles to register their protest against the referees decision. The attitude of the fans made the referee stop the game for almost 15 minutes while some management members of Hearts including the Acting Chief Executive, Mr Tommy Okine went to the stand to calm down the angry supporters.
The intervention of the Hearts top brass could not solve the problem as the angry fans continued to engage in the disgraceful act, compelling some of the Hearts players including Skipper Joe Ansah and Dan Quaye to move towards the stands to add to the efforts of the management members before everything returned to normalcy.
The game itself, which began on a slow note, saw the two sides wasting the few chances they created. Goldfields drew the first blood when Dauda Seidu dribbled past two defenders of Hearts before laying a pass for Frank Awuah who shot past Goalkeeper James Nanor in the 30th minute. Hearts took up the challenge but could not fetch the equaliser as Awuley Quaye Jnr. and Emmanuel Donkor failed to find the net on the few occasions they went forward until the whistle went for the end of the half.
On resumption, Hearts took control for most part of the game, pilling pressure on Goldfields but the iron-clad defence of the miners halted all the attacks. Hearts who exhausted all their substitutions in the second half benefited as the new men added a bite to the attack to get the equaliser in the 76th minute after Laryea Kingston had penetrated the defence of Goldfields before laying a pass for Awuley Quaye to power home a long drive for the equaliser.
Substitute Wisdom Abbey won the day for Hearts in the 88th minute when a Kingston pass to score the second goal and the winner for Hearts.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 25 February 2002 - Visiting Liberty Professionals beat Bofoakwa Tano 1-0 in their Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) ''Top Four'' special soccer match played at the Sunyani Coronation Park on Sunday. Liberty’s captain Jonathan Quartey moved from the left wing position to the right side and dribbled past three defenders before flicking the ball past onrushing goalkeeper James Danso for the only goal of the match in the 68th minute.
Bofoakwa, Tano, led by Baffour Gyimah of the national Under-21 fame, squandered the few good chances that came their way while Mohammed, Ebenezer Gyan (alias Sampene), Kofi Asiedu and Kennedy Boadi could not go past the Liberty defence.
Both sides made changes on resumption but it was the Liberty boys whose attacking force of Issifu Awal, Albert Neequaye, Yeboah Dan, Albert Batse and Quartey Jonathan played better. Bofoakwa Tano sensing humiliation tried all avenues for the equaliser but goalkeeper Addo Cudjoe of Liberty thwarted all their efforts till the final whistle.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Kumasi Asante Kotoko continued their impressive pre-season form, with a lone goal victory over Accra Great Olympics in a friendly match played at the Accra sports Stadium on Friday. The only goal came through veteran striker Joe Okyere in the 46th minute of the second half when he connected his head to a cross from Godwin Ablordey.
The match began with Kotoko controlling the early stages of the game with skipper Ablordey and young star Castro Boateng controlling the midfield but their efforts yielded little result as resolute defence of Olympics robbed them off the ball. With most of the action in the first half restricted to the midfield, it was Olympics who nearly broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Amui Quaye's shot at close range rebounded off the post.
Kotoko who appeared a shade ahead in the midfield battle, started to dominate but poor striking from their marksmen kept the game barren. Kotoko mounted pressure on Olympics after their goal but near misses kept Olympics in the game.
Olympic after surviving early second half onslaught sprang to life and in the 66th minute and substitute Tahiru Abdulai nearly brought Olympics on level terms but his effort hit the woodwork and returned to play with a rebound going wasted. Kotoko seemed to have run out of steam as Olympics threw everything into the game to get the equaliser but failed.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Laryea Kingston, the player of Accra Hearts Oak who dropped his shorts to celebrate a goal against his former club, Accra Great Olympics at the Accra Sports Stadium in a testimonial match played for Ishmael Addo last week is begging for forgiveness. In an exclusive interview with the GNA Sports, Laryea said he has regretted every bit of his action and wants Ghanaians to forgive him for his folly.
He said he was overwhelmed with joy after the goal because he had predicted to score against Olympics to pay them back for sending him into slavery in Libya and the fulfilment of his hearts desire made him lose his sense of decency and pushed him into that kind of celebration.
Laryea said until he was shown the red card, he thought it was a way of teasing his former club but he has since realised that his action could have cost Hearts the match and that would have created enemies for him among the Hearts supporters.
Consequently, he said he wants to apologise to all Hearts players, fans and sympathisers to forgive him while he promised to be of exceptional conduct during the in-coming season. "I also want everybody including all members of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) management board, the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) and indeed all Ghanaians to forgive me because what I did was bad."
He advised other players in the various leagues in the country not to emulate him because "it is not only against the rules of the game but also against the norms of civilised society."
Laryea was inactive last season when he returned from Libya after pulling out of a loan deal between Accra Great Olympics and a Libyan first division club, Al Ittihad, due to what he termed maltreatment and the refusal of the Libyan club to fulfil their contractual obligations to him.
He joined Hearts during the off-season and scored in his debut against his former club with a rising toed chip, which he celebrated by rushing to the corner flag where he pulled down his shorts to display a white brief and posed for the cameras.
Referee Alex Kotey showed Kingston the red card and he has ever since been wildly criticised for bringing the game into disrepute with some people, including a traditional ruler, calling for sanctions against him.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Raymond Narh knocked out champion Smith Odoom on Saturday morning at the Accra Sports Stadium to become the new national and West African featherweight champion. The fight ended in the 10th round when a cornerman of Odoom rushed into the ring, forcing referee Godfrey Cobbla to halt proceedings and award Narh the title by a technical knockout.
Odoom had been decked by a barrage of thunderous punches from the challenger and as he rose, he staggered into a neutral corner panting for breath and instead of throwing in the towel, his cornerman vaulted into the ring to signal that he had had enough. It was an action packed fight from the first round with Odoom carrying the fight to his younger opponent who avoided the bombs of the champion by jabbing persistently to keep him at bay.
From the second round, Narh who won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games took over the pace of the fight and stunned his opponent with a series of combination punches, while his left hand kept popping like a piston into the champion's face. The fight slowed down a little bit in the fourth round while Odoom sought the big punch but anytime he fired, Narh either ducked or back pedalled, making the champion miss wildly.
The next round painted a picture of glory for the challenger as he dominated and staggered the stocky champion with some straight rights to the head. From that moment, it was a one way traffic and Odoom remained at the receiving end while Narh jabbed, bobbed, ducked and stung him at will.
Narh had Odoom in trouble most of the time but lacked the killer punch to end the fight and sometimes the champion had to find solace on the ropes to remain on his feet.
The challenger appeared complacent in the ninth round as he discarded his style and attempted to mix it up with the champion, making him vulnerable to three big punches, which visibly hurt him. He ended the round beating the retreat and trying to stay away from further action.
Narh came back strongly in the tenth round and hemmed Odoom in a neutral corner, pummelling him persistently with everything he had in his arsenal but the game champion absorbed all the punishments until he was caught with another barrage of power shot in the red corner.
He slumped into the ropes, then onto the canvas and when he rose at the count of seven, he appeared dazed and his corner intervened to save him from further punishment, thus enthroning Narh a national and West African champion after only his fifth professional fight.
But by jumping into the ring instead of throwing in the towel, the Ghana Boxing Authority announced that disciplinary action would be taken against Odoom's corner for violating the rules.
In another title fight of the night put together by Prince and Baseline International Promotions Syndicate, Ben Neequaye became the new national and West African lightweight champion when he defeated the champion Ben Ankrah on a unanimous decision. Ankrah started the fight aggressively looking for a knockout but Neequaye jabbed continuously to pile up points while he punished the champion occasionally with powerful hooks to the face and mid-section.
The pattern continued till the end of the fight as the slugging champion looked for a hammer to end the fight but was out-boxed by the artistic challenger. In the end, all the three judges ruled in favour of Ben Neequaye and he was crowned the new national and West African Champion. Judge E. Pappoe scored it 120- 119, F. Ghartey recorded 118- 111 and S. Acquaye also scored it 117-112.
In a 10 round international middleweight contest which was one of the under cards James 'Hot Ice' Toney beat Sechigbe Naturim of the Republic of Benin by a Technical Knockout in 1 minute 33 seconds of the 6th round. It was a fight in which Toney met a stiff opposition in his opponent who matched him in all segments of the fight until the fateful sixth. By his feat, Toney still maintains his unbeaten record of 11 fights with 10 knockouts.
'Golden Boy' Osmanu Akaba won a unanimous decision over Benjamin Tutu from Kumasi in a bloody six round featherweight contest. Both boxers had cuts on their faces and the two kissed the canvas before the fight ended. Akaba went down twice while Tutu was decked once.
Abdulai Amidu knocked out debutant Imurana Bozo in one minute 49 seconds on the third of their six round featherweight contest. In a six round lightweight contest between Alex Brew and Jomo Jackson, Brew knocked out Jackson in round four while Alfred Tetteh won on a unanimous decision over Felix Narh in a six round catch-weight contest.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 25 February 2002 - Dr Emmanuel Owusu Ansah, Acting Chief Executive of the National Sports Council, on Friday advocated for a "scientific approach" to the selection of sportsmen and women rather than relying only on skill acquisition.
He said while various scientific methods such as exercise physiology tests and measurements had been developed, employed and were being used to detect the inborn capabilities of people in some countries, Ghana was still basing her method of selection on skill acquisition. It was therefore not surprising that standards continued to fall and no objective reasons had been found as its causes, Dr Owusu Ansah said at a seminar organised for the press at the Accra Sports Stadium.
He said Ghana sports was in crisis and the once enviable position among the comity of sporting nations had been overtaken by rising tide of mediocrity. Dr Owusu Ansah expressed regret that as at now, no adequate steps had been taken to salvage the numerous problems militating against sports.
"Sports achievement is a combination of two factors, which are internal and external factors. While the internal factors are the inborn qualities inherited from parents, the external factors deal with coaching, equipment, training and nutrition, among other things."
Dr Owusu Ansah gave an instance in which a scientific method applied to former featherweight champion Azumah Nelson in 1984 to determine his preparedness for a WBC title fight contributed greatly to the boxer's success when the right recommendations was given after the tests were followed.
Asked why his rich knowledge was not reflecting positively on national athletes and players, Dr Owusu Ansah replied that even though a technical directorate was set up in 1991 at the Ghana Football Association where he could impart his knowledge together with other experts, the authorities involved at that time failed to recognise his efforts. He therefore stopped working with them.
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