Ghana Football Association warns against clubs violence
‘Hearts will go all out’ - Coach Addo
J.S. Addo Seniors golf on 16 June
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 June 2002 - The Ghana Football Association (GFA) said it would not hesitate to close down any league centre if there is evidence of hooliganism during Premier league matches.
A statement issued on Wednesday and signed by Kofi Nsiah, General Secretary, warned all Premier Clubs, their supporters and football fans in general to desist from acts that are likely to evoke the wrath of the GFA.
The GFA said it is disappointed that people have still not learnt from the 9 May Stadium disaster, where 126 soccer fans were killed in a mid-week Premier League encounter between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. "We shall therefore not sit idly for a few miscreants to bring the game of football into disrepute", the statement said.
The Statement said the GFA is appalled at recent events at Sekondi, Obuasi and Sunyani among others. "We have also taken notice of some match officials who have been silent in their reports on such incidents", the statement added. It said the GFA would deal with such officials with iron fists, so that only the honest and the dedicated would take part in "this beautiful game of
Ours."
Consequently, the GFA had directed the special Referees Disciplinary Committee as well as the Disciplinary Committee to meet every Wednesday during the league season to deal with all such cases.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 June 2002 - The headcoach of Accra Hearts of Oak, Mr Herbert Addo, has said that they are going all out in their titanic 11th week league match against Liberty professionals on Thursday at the Accra Sports stadium. He said they have stepped up their preparations towards the match and are ready to face them adding that "we are going for a win."
Speaking to the GNA Sports Mr Addo said they are not underrating any club or afraid of any team for that matter adding that he is not worried about the talk in town that Liberty can stop them. He said, he would not comment too much on the match since "the pitch would decide who wins on Thursday."
On their 2-1 victory against Dawu Youngsters last week, Mr Addo said Dawu played very well and could have surprised Hearts, but his players were also serious in searching for a win hence their excellent performance which resulted in a win for them. Commenting on the teams general performance since he took over as the coach in March Mr Addo said he is satisfied that the team has won all ten matches it has honoured since the commencement of the league because adding that, “this is something every coach would be happy about.”
He said the players as well as the management and all supporters have been very cooperative in ensuring the team's success story so far. "I feel good for having achieved this," he’d added.
Coach Addo said, when he took over team, the players lacked physical fitness, but with time they have been able to improve on their fitness, even though it is not 100 per cent. He said the level of discipline in the team is good since the players are going according to instructions given them.
The reigning champions who are looking for their 6th consecutive title meet Dansoman based Liberty Professionals in a local derby at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday in a 11th week encounter. This is a match, Liberty are highly favoured to win following their impressive performance this year. In two friendly matches between the two sides early this year, the Liberty and Hearts settled for a pulsating 2-2 draw with Hearts having to fight to come on level on both occasions.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 June 2002 - About 100 senior members of the Achimota Golf Club would assemble at the Golf Course on Sunday 16 June to vie for this year's J.S. Addo Seniors Golf Championship trophy.
Mr Mike Ezan, President of the Ghana Golf Association who announced this in Accra on Tuesday, said the one-day 18-hole stableford competition, which is open to senior members of the Club, aged 55 years and above, is being sponsored by Ecobank Ghana Limited.
He said this year's competition would be a unique in the sense that the sponsors had provided attractive prizes for the event, which is to honour Mr J.S. Addo, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana and the first Board Chairman of Ecobank. Mr Ezan named some of the participants who had registered for the competition as S.B. Quartey, Joshua Kpakpa, Sammy Adetola, Kofi Acquaah-Harrison, J.F. Sam, Dan Dennis and Wisdom Asempa.
Some of the golfers who would be on parade from the Ladies section include Mary Asafu-Adjaye, the P.D. Quartey Seniors champion, Esther Amedzro, Beatrice Hampton and Suzzie Abaloo. Mr Jean Aka, Managing Director of Ecobank, Ghana, is the guest of honour.
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