Let preparations for CAN 2004 start now
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 February 2002 - A national amateur boxing tournament would take place at the forecourt of the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday, February 28 to select boxers who would form the nucleus of the Black Bombers, the national boxing team.
Mr Eddie Duplan, chairman of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) told the GNA Sports that the championship, which would begin at 3:30 pm would involve about eight clubs. He said there would be fights in all weight categories and boxers who distinguish themselves would be picked to constitute the new look Black Bombers who would be groomed for national assignments.
Mr Duplan said the immediate focus of GABA would be to get a formidable team for the Commonwealth Games, which comes up in Manchester, England in June. He said he and his colleagues on GABA are determined to redeem the lost glory in amateur boxing by winning laurels at international competitions.
The chairman said he would ensure that Ghana regains her summit position in African amateur boxing during the All Africa Games slated for Abuja, Nigeria next year. He said to achieve that objective, they have drawn up a comprehensive training programme for those who would be selected and called on all stakeholders to support them.
GRi…/
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By Richard Avornyotse)
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 February 2002 - The performance of the Black Stars at CAN 2002 in Mali has come under a barrage of criticisms from all strata of the Ghanaian society. Blames are being apportioned to the administrators and the technical crew while the actors themselves are left to brood over their half-hearted performance.
But this is not the time to cry over spilt milk. It was clear from the word go that Ghana did not go to Mali with any ambition to register another championship victory and if we had gone beyond the quarterfinal stage, it would have been an injustice to African football.
The Black Stars who participated in the 23rd African tournament were a new assemblage of players who had no experience in the African summit game and had not trained sufficiently to challenge for the title. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) did not hide their position when Mr Ben Koufie continuously amplified their long-term objective with emphasis on qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
We must admit that the performance of the team in Mali holds a lot of promise for Ghana football if we do not disband it and start from scratch as soon as a new manager is appointed. It now behoves our football managers to do a post mortem of the team and look for replacements for positions which looked suspect in order to strengthen it for the challenges ahead.
That the Black Stars conceded only two goals in four matches before crushing out is an indication that the defence was not entirely bad. To keep a clean slate with African giants, Morocco and South Africa means that the rearguard of the Stars could become impregnable if the few lapses that existed would be addressed.
Sammy Adjei proved his mettle beyond doubt, saving a penalty from Quinton Fortune against South Africa and complementing it with many spectacular saves. John Mensah and Kofi Amoako formed a formidable partnership in the centre of defence and would certainly improve with time. There was a perfect understanding between them and they exhibited a lot of strength, both in the air and on the ground and their commitment was evident in the way they went into combat without damning the consequences.
The yawning gaps in the Black Stars defence were at the left and right wing back positions where Princeton Owusu Ansah and George Blay were the premier choices of coach Fred Osam Duodu.
Princeton has been a central defender all his life and he holds down that position in his club, Obuasi Goldfields. In Mali however, he was given the left wing back position and he struggled throughout to make an impact. His side was a "basket" in the Stars' defence and but for the vigilance of the central defenders Ghana would not have gone past the preliminary stage.
At the opposite side of the defence, George Blay was not fit and his approach to the game was lack lustre. He was unusually slow and his combat readiness was suspect. There was no initiative from him to start an attack as it is characteristic of modern day wing backs and his contributions were, to say the least, unproductive.
John Paintsil who took over from Blay was enthusiastic as he tried on many occasions, particularly in the match against Nigeria, to overlap and create opportunities for the strikers. His recovery rate was however poor and he exposed the Stars back line anytime he moved up. It was one of such adventures that led to the goal Garba Lawal scored to dismiss the Stars.
Though Amankwa Mireku was available as a right wing back, Osam was forced to play him at the left against Nigeria when he shifted his favourite, Princeton to a defensive midfield position. And of course, the fitness of Amankwa was in doubt though his commitment was unquestionable.
Michael Essien was a bundle of talent, determination and hope for us Ghanaians who were in Mali. His touches were deft and his pace was fantastic while his hunger for goals was pepped to the entire team and his strength was protective and inspiring. In the match against South Africa, he took a half chance and thundered a snap shot against the bar and if he had been a bit luckier, that could have been the goal of the tournament.
It was unfortunate he got injured, missed the last two matches, fell out of favour with the GFA chairman and departed to his base in France ahead of the team. Essien could be one of the aces of our plans for Germany 2006 and the earlier the GFA patches up with him the better.
Ironically, frail looking Ibrahim Razak proved to be a doyen of strength as he went into tough combats and won most of them. He was quick to arrive at action spots and his commitment could never be in doubt. Razak however played lateral passes, most of the time instead of penetrating passes, which would beat the opponent's defenders and offer the Stars' attackers scoring chances.
He has the potentials and if the new coach would work on him he would contribute positively to our success in the future. It is very doubtful if we went to Mali with the best forward liners that we could get. Ishmael Addo played second fiddle to Mathew Amoah and Alex Techie Mensen who failed to live up to their pre-tournament billing.
Ishmael was denied passes anytime he freed himself and was forced to fall back scrambling for the ball. Under the circumstances, his striking role was scuttled and he became a mere passenger on top of the attack. He could still be useful to our plans if a new manager with varied attacking options takes over the Stars. And probably if Charles Taylor had been in the team to hold the ball, go past defenders and set up for the top men, Ishmael would have had a good tournament as a striker.
It was unfortunate Baffour Gyan took a knock in the match against Morocco and could not recover early enough to return to action. Gyan proved to have a very high work rate, which could guarantee him retention. Prince Amoako and Emmanuel Duah are older than the plans of the GFA but they were taken to Mali, probably to guide the younger ones. For the same reasons that Sam Johnson, Yaw Preko, Kwame Ayew and Charles Akunnor were dropped, they might have played their testimonial tournament as they failed to justify their selection.
Isaac Boakye scored the two goals that Ghana scored in the tournament. They came in a three-minute blitz after he had come on as a substitute in the match against Burkina Faso. Boakye is young and strong and could improve if he is retained.
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, captain of the squad, missed the first two matches because Osam Duodu did not consider him good enough for the first team. In his first match he initiated the moves, which gave us the two goals against the Burkinabes. Osei Kuffour has gone to play professional football in China and if the league there is good enough to make him retain his form then he should be part of the new crusade.
Derek Boateng did not have a particularly good tournament but anytime he had the ball there were jitters in the opposing side and if he would subject himself to camp rules religiously, he would flourish and spearhead the Stars attack as we gun for a historic place in the World Cup in Germany in 2006.
After sieving the stars and purging them of the chaff, our football administrators must look for worthy replacements to prosecute CAN 2004 with a championship ambition in Tunisia and CAN 2006 (venue not yet decided) from where Africa's representatives to Germany 2006 would be selected.
There are some of our young and budding stars that were missing in Mali. Abubakari Yakubu of Ajax Amsterdam in Holland has been receiving rave reviews and must be persuaded to join the team. Stephen Appiah's influence in the Stars would have been overwhelming but we missed him under some controversial circumstances. While his club Parma of Italy claimed he was injured, the medical report purportedly sent to the GFA was not made available to the team doctor to ascertain its veracity.
Whatever the course or lapses that might be, Appiah is one of our leading footballers at the moment and we must do everything to get him on board. Borussia Dortmund' Otto Addo has recovered from injury and indeed played for his club last Saturday. Otto is just 22 years old and he has many more years to contribute to Ghana football.
The GFA must also endeavour to link up with Eric Addo who has regained his form after a long lay off due to injury. Eric was patriotic enough to refuse Belgium citizenship and a taste of France '98 in the colours of the European nation. We must not let such talent's commitment rot while we duster our rifle for the big game.
Our selectors must be conscientious enough to pick only those who have the capability and the commitment to defend the national flag. They must not select players because of personal relationships with them or their kinsmen. An ugly or illiterate player who can deliver the goods must be put in the team.
And of course, the GFA must ensure that it maintains a good relationship with the players at all times and when a player's services are no longer needed he must be treated with respect and not scorned by the coach or the administrators.
Finally, there must be a truce between Samuel Osei Kuffour and the GFA management board. The dirty linen has been washed publicly enough and must be ironed, straightened and made ready for the big party. Let us learn from another dismal nations cup appearance and start planning now for an assault on the cup in Tunisia 2004 and a World Cup berth in 2006 because our elders say, "the early bird catches the worm."
GRi…/
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