P.V. Obeng chairs Kotoko board
Prez Kufuor congratulates Black Stars for stunning victory
Mopti (Mali) 31 January - The Black Stars of
Ghana staged one of the rare dramas in the 45-year history of the Confederation
of African Football (CAF) Nations Cup championships when, with a two minutes to
time, they chalked a surprise comeback to derail the quarterfinal ambition of
the Stallions of Burkina Faso in their last Group B match, beating the
Burkinabes 2-1 at Mopti on Wednesday.
Isaac Boakye who had taken over from prime
striker Ishmael Addo in the 65th minute scored both goals to see the Stars
through and set the stage for a quarterfinal battle against the Super Eagles of
Nigeria who topped Group A.
Host nation Mali, runners up in Group A will
travel to the city of Kayes, which is close to the Senegalese border to play
South Africa who became champions of group B after subduing Morocco 3-1 at
Segou. Boakye made hay in the 89th minute to cancel an 81st minute goal scored
by Toure Amaodu from a freekick.
The goal had raised the hopes of the Stallions
and thousands of their supporters, including seven cabinet ministers who were
at the stadium. The Obuasi Goldfields striker netted the winner for Ghana two
minutes into added time with a cannon that caught Burkinabe goalkeeper Kabore
Mohammed flat-footed and nailed the coffin on Ghana’s northern neighbours.
Though the Stars won, they had everything going
wrong in the match as their passes went astray and the Burkinabe won most of
the combat in midfield. Once again, goalkeeper Sammy Adjei was the icon in the
Ghanaian side and he was aided by John Mensah and Kofi Amponsah to halt the
persistent Burkinabe onslaught.
Upfront, Ishmael Addo found it difficult to
discover a leeway in the Burkinabe defence while Derek Boateng and Emmanuel
Osei Kuffour remained anonymous most of the time. Emmanuel Duah was sluggish
and had to be substituted. Surprisingly, the introduction of Prince Amoako for
Duah on the left flank brought some life into the Ghanaian attack and his good
runs and crafty footwork were complemented by the two late goals that restored
the pride of Ghana football.
The victorious Black Stars were hailed by
Malians who lined the routes and cheered wildly, shouting “Bien joué Ghana”
(Well played Ghana) as they drove from the stadium to their CAN Village
residence to prepare for their night flight to Bamako, which is 645 kilometres
west.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 January - Many
football fans in Ghana on Wednesday said they were shocked at the Black Stars
2-1 victory over neighbours, Burkina Faso in their last group B match at the
ongoing Africa Cup of Nations played at Mopti in
Mali.
The Stars' substitute Isaac Boakye scored two
dramatic goals in the last eight minutes after trailing one -nil to the later
stages of the game. The capital was surprisingly quiet as people were rather
struggling for transport back home while a few others were seen in groups
discussing the outcome of the match.
The victory was without the usual wild
jubilations which includes reckless driving by commercial drivers and
continuous honking of horns. When the GNA Sports team got to some densely
populated suburbs in Accra, a group of bare chested young men could still not
believe the victory while a few others attributed it to God.
Nii Okine, one of the men the GNA Sports
interviewed said Coach Osam Duodu was lucky, because if the team had lost, he
would have signed his own death warrant. He said even though Ghana won, they
were unimpressive and wondered why the coach failed to substitute Rasta haired
Ibrahim Razak for his retrogressive style of play.
Most of the men who spoke in the Ga language
said although the team was not in great shape, they could stand the might of
Nigeria, who are billed to meet the Stars on Sunday, February three, in a
quarterfinal clash. Nii Okine said the Nigerians themselves have not been too
impressive but added that they stand a better chance than Ghana of moving to
the next stage of the competition.
Contrary to what happened in Accra, Sunyani,
which had virtually been a ghost town, erupted into joyous jubilation when
Ghana emerged 2-1 winners. Most soccer fans were glued to their television sets
but said they were not satisfied with the performance of the Stars especially
in the second half.
Both commercial and private drivers tooted
their horns as they happily screeched through the main street of Sunyani in
appreciation of the "miraculous" equaliser by the Stars. The
deafening cheers on the streets reached its climax when just as
everything was heading to drawn game, Boakye
again scored the second goal to seal the doom of the Burkinabe boys.
"The victory over Burkina Faso is an
indication that our boys are now set to come home with the cup" a jubilant
fan told the Ghana News Agency. South Africa who thrashed Morocco 3-1, top the
group with superior goals but share the same five points with Ghana. They clash
with Mali on Monday in yet another quarterfinal match.
GRi…/
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Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, on Wednesday
inaugurated the Board of Directors of Kumasi Asante Kotoko with a call on
members to give the management, headed by Herbert Mensah, the needed policy
guidelines to make the club viable, self-sustaining and self-financing.
Mr P.V. Obeng is Chariman of the Board of
Directors. Other members are Mr Awua Nyamekye, I.J. Mourkazel, alias Life, Col
George Parttington, Malam Mahama Morou alias Coach Mahama, Mr Acheampong Kyei,
Herbert Mensah, Kwabena Kesse, Malik Jabir, John Taylor and Arnold Prempeh.
Otumfuo Asantehene charged the board to sit
down with management to find ways to make the club viable. He said with the
appointment of the board the accusations levelled against Herbert Mensah for
running a one-man show should be over. The problem of club financing which was
also a burden on one man is also over.
He said in selecting the board he was careful
to appoint people who have made achievement in various fields of endeavour. The
board, he said, should not exist in name. Otumfuo Asantehene charged the board
to examine the various structures the Herbert Mensah administration put in
place, find out if the structures are right and encourage them to improve upon
them and to remove those that are not in the best interest of the club.
Asantehene also asked them to review the budget
presented by the Herbert Mensah Administration which involved a financial
outlay of over ¢12 billion to find out how they could raise the estimated
shortfall in revenue of about ¢6 billion. Asantehene also charged the board to
immediately see how to raise funds for the Cup competition in the short term.
He said if the club was registered as a limited
liability company then the board should find out what can be done to make it
attractive to investors within the next three years. Then there would be no
need for a constitution, Asantehene said.
He said the board could meet with management
quarterly to review its programmes whiles the board should also report to him
Asantehene two times in a year. He said he wants to see Kotoko divested from
the control Manhyia. Kotoko should not be run from Manhyia, Asantehene said.
Responding to the appointment, Mr P.V. Obeng,
on behalf of the board, thanked Otumfuo for the confidence reposed in them. He
said in time the commitment to task and the results the board would register
should be considered the most appropriate expression of appreciation for the
honour done the members.
GRi…/
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 31 January 2002 - President John Kufuor on Thursday
congratulated the Black Stars for their dramatic 2-1 victory over the Stallions
of Burkina Faso on Wednesday during the last group match of the ongoing CAN
2002 soccer tournament in Mali.
"The
experts had written them off but in a true resilient Ghanaian style, they never
gave up and won a famous victory," he said attracting cheers from the
packed House that had former President Jerry Rawlings, his wife Nana Konadu and
members of the Diplomatic Corps.
"Our
best wishes go to the team and we look forward to welcoming them back with the
Nations Cup to where it belongs," he said as he began his second State of
the Nation Address to Parliament.
Two
late strikes by substitute Isaac Boakye after the Black Stars had fallen behind
with only seven minutes to the end of the match secured them their ticket to
the quarterfinals where they would meet traditional rivals, Nigeria.
President
Kufuor said although a lot of talent abounds in sports the country's conquest
had been in the past and called on the Black Stars to reverse the trend. He
said government was embarking on a vigorous promotion of schools sports to
regain the country's past glory.
President
Kufuor announced plans by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to develop a
comprehensive sports and youth development policy that would be subjected to
public scrutiny before implementation. He said apprenticeship and training for
life skills would also be promoted under the policy.
Touching
on last May's stadium disaster that claimed the lives of 126 soccer fans and
the subsequent flooding of Accra that also resulted in many deaths, he said:
"Tragic though these events were, they brought out a strong sense of
humanity in Ghanaians as all of us rallied to help the victims. It is fitting
that we remember those who lost their lives so cruelly and resolve as a people
to learn the lessons from those events: the need for discipline and concern for
others."
GRi…/
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