An overview of the LG Top
Four Tournament
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 25 March 2003 - Nana Arhin Duah, Kumasi Asante Kotoko's ace striker who
has been out of action lately due to an injury will leave for South Africa on
28 March for a two-week medical check-up.
Arhin Duah's trip,
which is being sponsored by Kotoko would facilitate the review of an operation
he underwent last year. A release from the Interim Management Committee (IMC)
and signed by Kwabena Sarpong Akosah, Press and Public Affairs Officer of
Kotoko, said it will be the striker's second trip to South Africa since he
broke a bone days before the Kotoko-WAC of Morocco Cup Winners cup final match
in Kumasi last December.
The release said
though some local orthopaedic surgeons say the review in South Africa was not
necessary because the player's bone was fast healing on its management would
not like to leave anything to chance. The trip will cost $5,000.
GRi…/
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By: Daniel Kenu
Accra (Greater Accra)
25 March 2003 - A thrilling month-long LG Top Four Tournament, which featured
the country's big teams ground to a halt last Sunday with Kumasi Asante Kotoko
grabbing the prestigious trophy plus a cash prize of ¢25m before a packed crowd
at the Accra Sports Stadium.
It was a sweet
victory for the Porcupine Warriors for two reasons. First, it justified the
employment of Coach Abdul Razak as the new helmsman and also atoned for the
team's inability to win the Cup Winners' Cup in front of partisan fans at the
Kumasi Sports Stadium late December last year.
Kotoko kept a clean
sheet throughout the competition, drawing only once against their bitterest
rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak in the final match and topping with 16 points, up
six points above the Phobians and seven points over third placed Liberty
professionals. Bottom-placed Accra Great Olympics recorded no point.
Kotoko's defender Joe
Hendricks, arguably the best defender of the tournament and midfielder Michael
Asante complemented the team's victory, winning two each out of the 10 best
player awards while Isaac Boakye and Stephen Oduro also of the winning team
joined new Liberty's sensation, Asamoah Gyan, as top goal scorers. Twenty-three
goals were scored at the end of the tourney, representing an average of 2.91
scores per match.
The defenders
overshadowed the strikers as William Tiero and Joseph Tagoe of Liberty
Professionals and Great Olympics, respectively, were the only strikers crowned
best players with as many as eight defenders, including goalkeeper Kotei
Blankson, won the best player awards.
Organisation was
excellent, bolstered by quality play with encouraging attendance but for the
last three games, which witnessed lower than expected spectator attendance. However,
an appalling refereeing by Hohoe-based J. B. K. Akeosu nearly marred the beauty
of the Olympics-Kotoko game. At the end, Olympics were reportedly robbed of a
glaring penalty award. Liberty professionals were also denied a
"clean" goal against Hearts of Oak in a related development.
Referee Buckman
Yanney however, restored the otherwise perceived bad image on Sunday, stamping
his authority in the match between Hearts and Kotoko and took a bold decision
to red card Charles Allotey who showed persistent signs of indiscipline.
The tournament was
not without hitches though, as Sports journalists threatened news blackout
after the second week matches due to harassment meted to them at the gates. In
one such harassment, Veronica Commey of the GNA sports desk lost her cellphone
while thugs made away with a wallet containing undisclosed amount of money
belonging to Andrew Nortey of "Ghanaian Times".
The threat of boycott
did not only come from journalists. Great Olympics apparently unhappy with bad
officiating especially, in their match against Kotoko also threatened to
boycott the competition. The team, however, rescinded their decision after a
meeting with GFA Chairman Ben Koufie, and some officials of the Ghana League
Clubs Association (GHALCA), organisers of the tourney.
Security was also not
the best, as some fans scaled over the stadium walls in Accra with
paid-security men standing aloof. Coach Jones Attuquayefio also had a
nightmarish experience when unruly fans of his former club, Hearts of Oak
attacked him after Liberty lost 0-2 to the Phobians. In spite of the
shortfalls, the tournament was exciting and raised hopes for Ghana soccer.
GRi…/
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