GRi Sports 26 - 11 - 2001

Obuasi (Ashanti Region) 26 November, 2001- Goldfields managed a 2-1 win over Liberty Professionals in their encounter at the Len Clay Stadium. Fast-improving Aminu Musah scored a personal goal for Goldfields and aided Nana Arhin Duah to net the second to fetch the three points for his side.

After wasting four cornerkicks in the 3rd, 7th, 16th, and 22nd minutes Goldfields allowed the visitors to dictate the pace of the game which enabled them to cruise into the lead in the 38th minute when Papa Arko scored from a corner kick taken by Moses Tetteh.

Liberty resumed the second half bringing on Yaw Inkoom for Addoquaye Pappoe but it was Goldfields who threw two cornerkicks away in the 50th and 55th minutes.

The miners substituted Dauda Seidu with Daniel Nortey in the 59th minute and in the 63rd minute Aminu snatched the much-awaited equaliser when he beat Addo Cudjoe in posts for Liberty with a curling strike.

Liberty improved their game after replacing Albert Neequaye with Emmanuel Asante in the 74th minute but Asante was injured in the second minute of being on the field and was replaced by David Boateng. In the 84th minute however, Nana Arhin Duah scored the match winner when he headed home Aminu's cross to give Goldfields a much needed victory.

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Kotoko deepen Maxbees’ woes

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 November 2001 - Asante Kotoko beat visiting Maxbees 2-1 in their league match played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

All the three goals of the encounter were scored in the first half with Kotoko scoring in the 28th and 38th minutes respectively, while Maxbees scored their only goal on the stroke of half time.

After dominating play, Kotoko shot ahead in the 28th minute through Charles Asamoah, whose connection to a cross caught Maxbees goalkeeper Samuel Nortey off balance.

Then in the 38th minute, veteran Joe Okyere raced with the ball to the right and centred for Joe Sam to fire a fierce non-drop shot to the roof of the net for Kotoko's second goal.

The visitors laid siege to Kotoko goal area after this goal and in the 44th minute succeeded in pulling a goal back through Clement Coffie. Both sides made changes on resumption with Kotoko sending on Felix Yeboah for Annas Mohammed while Maxbees pulled out the goal scorer, Coffie for Bart Plange.

The changes gingered Kotoko into action and in the 54th minute, Aziz Ansah cleverly lobbed the ball over the head of goalkeeper Nortey who had moved out of his post but the ball sailed over the bar. In the 69th minute, Maxbees Ben Adjei's goal-bound shot hit the side post and rolled out with goalkeeper Osei Boateng completely displaced.

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Hearts ride over Dawu

Accra (Greater Accra) 26 November 2001 - Two first half goals from three time goal-king, Ishmael Addo, ensured Hearts rapped their fifth consecutive league title in style with a 2-0 victory over Dawu Youngsters in their penultimate Star Premier League match at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Heart’s victory came as a matter of course as they dominated from the start to finish, leaving their opponents to do occasional breaks that were foiled by the hard tackling Hearts defence.

Hearts had the first taste of what Dawu had in stock for them when Eric Mbroh in the 7th minute stamped goalkeeper James Nanor who had to be substituted because of the injury.

Hearts playing an unfamiliar strategy with Osei Kuffour deep in midfield to pull all the strings, found the opener in the 26 minute when Charles Taylor broke from his markers, beating two Dawu players on the run before passing to Addo to slot the ball beyond Sumaila Abdullah.

Hearts midfield dominance ensured the ball stayed in the half of Dawu most of the time but the goals just failed to come as Bernard Don Bortey and Addo wasted chances after chances.

Ishmael could not be denied his second goal as he finished off a well centred cross from the right to make victory certain. In the second half, Hearts reduced the match to mere a training session as they were contended with playing the ball among themselves rather than making serious incursions at goal scoring.

Dawu’s first real chance came in the 54th minute but their leading marksman Awudu Adama failed to capitalise on a mistake by substitute goalkeeper Laud Quartey and left Hearts off the hook.

Dawu again came close in the 71st minute when a header from Baba Sulley seemed sailing into the net but Jacob Nettey was on hand to scope the ball of the goal line.

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RTU thrash Bofoakwa

Tamale (Northern Region) 26 November 2001 - Real Tamale United moved further away from relegation when they beat visiting Tano Bofoakwa 4-1 in the Star Premier League match played at the Kaladan Park on Sunday.

Bofoakwa scored first in the 44th minute through inside right Charles Owusu when he capitalised on a defensive blunder to beat Suleman Abukari in goal for RTU and kept the lead till the end of the first half.

RTU was a transformed side in the second half when they made three changes. They brought on Gilbert Ayekade, Joseph Adjei and Ibrahim Musah for left-full back Abdul-Rahman Bobby, inside-left Weah Abdulai and outside-left Faisal Suleman respectively.

The changes yielded dividends in the 53rd minute when RTU's mid-fielder chipped the ball past James Dobuo in goal for Bofoakwa for the equaliser in a goal mouth melee.

RTU registered their second goal through a penalty converted by skipper Hamza Mohammed in the 59th minute. The penalty was caused when two Bofoakwa players brought down Ayekade in the penalty box.

The high temperature seemed to have a toll on the Bofoakwa players who were visibly tired in the second allowing RTU to dictate the pace of the game. Substitute Adjei made it three for RTU when he beat three Bofoakwa players on the run before slotting the ball into the net in the 64th minute. Adjei placed a neat pass for Komi Adzagba to score the fourth and the easiest goal in the 74th minute.

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Adansiman in tight corner

Sekondi (Western Region) 26 November 2001 - Hasaacas beat visiting Adansiman 3-2 in their match at the Sekondi Gyandu Park.

Robert Mensah of Hasaacas took advantage of a defensive blunder by Adansiman in the third minute to put his side ahead. The goal threw Adansiman into disarray and Hasaacas stepped up its attacking machinery with sharp passes particularly on the wings.

But a quick break by Adansiman enabled Osei Kofi to equalise the 11th minute.

Hasaacas stepped up the attack again and goal thief Robert Mensah scored his second for Hasaacas in the 41st minute to put the scores at 2-1 before halftime.

Back from recess Kwame Addo put Adansiman on level terms in the 54th minute through a header but Richard Afriyie found the winner for Hasaacas in the 82nd minute for the three points at stake.

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Ghapoha’s plight worsen

Accra (Greater Accra) 26 November, 2001- Berekum Arsenals beat Tema Ghapoha by a alone goal to worsen the plight of relegation threatened Tema based club at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday in the 29^th week Star premier League encounter.

Led by their inspirational skipper John Paintsil of the Black Satellites fame, the Berekum based club broke the deadlock in the 75th minute of the game when the skipper delivered a powerful drive into the net after he had pounced on a loose ball.

The first half of the game saw both sides wasting numerous chances which came their way with worst the offenders being Ghapoha who kept on fumbling in front of the goal as if they have nothing at stake.

The two sides continued to throw away begging chances till Referee Gansah Nyarko Muller of Asante Mampong brought proceedings to an end sending a handful of Arsenals fans at the Stadium into jubilation.

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I am grateful to Coach Attuquayefio - Ishmael

Accra (Greater Accra) 26 November 2001 - Hearts of Oak's prolific striker, Ishmael Addo, has said that he is grateful to Coach Jones Attuquayefio for the confidence he has shown in him during his three- year stay with the Champion Club.

Speaking to GNA Sports at the club's training ground at the weekend, he said as a young player coming straight from the second side of Hearts, the coach showed much confidence in him by featuring him in matches and this has made him to make use of his God given talent.

Addo said he could not have been what he is today if the coach had not given him that exposure in the premier league as well as in the Africa Champions League. "Attuquayefio did not only feature me in matches but also shaped and improved my style of play in order to elude my markers.

He however did not leave out praises for his team colleagues who, he said, have also contributed greatly to his goal scoring prowess adding that without them scoring would have been impossible for him.

On the secrete behind his goal scoring, the three-time goal king said there is no special secret aside of serious training, determination and focus to score any time he is playing. Addo is grateful to God for giving him such a great talent. He said this year's Star Premier League is his last for Hearts as it was time for him to taste European football.

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FIFA clears Ghana and Nigeria of bribery allegation

Accra (Greater Accra) - The disciplinary committee of FIFA has ruled that an amount of 25,000 dollars offered to officials of Ghana's national team after their world cup qualifying match with Nigeria last July did not constitute bribery and therefore no sanctions can be imposed on the associations.

The disciplinary committee's ruling faxed to the Ghana News Agency stated that it found no evidence that there had been a casual connection between the gifts offered by the Nigerian governor and the outcome of the match in question.

Consequently, it decided that the associations of Ghana and Nigeria did not violate the FIFA statutes and that therefore no sanctions were to be imposed. It is the opinion of FIFA that the gift was offered by an individual, the governor of Rivers State and not an official of the Nigerian association and that the function at which the presentation was open to the public and indeed took place after the match.

FIFA said the presentation of gifts to opposing national teams appears to be part of the local custom and tradition and the money given to the Ghanaian delegation on July 29 does not constitute bribery.

The letter signed by Mr Michel Zen-Ruffin, General Secretary of FIFA however warned the FAs of Ghana and Nigeria that there are considerable ethical problems and legal uncertainties related to such financial gifts and advised them not to accept them in future. The letter was also served on the Nigerian Football Association and the Liberian Football Association who sent the case to FIFA for redress.

The Black Stars lost the match played in the Rivers State capital of Port Harcourt 3-0 and the governor, Peter Odili doled out 25 thousand dollars to the Ghanaian delegation when he hosted both teams at a dinner. He also gave the Nigerian Super Eagles 75 thousand dollars.

The matter generated a lot of controversy in Ghana after an Accra evening newspaper had carried the story. A school of thought called for the resignation of Mr Ben Koufie, chairman of the GFA and Mr Joe Aggrey , Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports who was leader of the delegation.

While the furore was going on the GFA Executive Council met in Accra and absolved Mr Koufie of blame. Liberia played in the same group with Ghana and were actually group leaders before the match and would have qualified if the Black Stars had won or drawn against their Nigerian counterparts.

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Soccer-Goal scoring chart for the Star Premier League

Accra (Greater Accra) 26 November 2001 - Leading scorers in the Star Premier League after the 29th week matches on Sunday.

22 - Ishmael Addo (Hearts)

15 - Awudu Adama (Dawu)

11 - Nana Arhin-Duah (Goldfields)

10 - Issah Mohamnmed (Hasaacas) Isaac Boakye (Goldfields)

9 - Godwin Ablordey (Kotoko) Asamoah Dzifa (Maxbees) Ablade Morgan (Liberty)

8 - Frank Turkson (Hasaacas)

7 - Nana Frimpong (Kotoko) Osei Kuffour (Hearts) J B Danquah (Olympics) Baba

Sulley (Dawu) Alfred Nii Larbi (Okwawu) Emmanuel Donkor (Hearts) Hamza

Mohammed, Joseph Adjei (RTU)

6 - Adzagba Komi (RTU) Joe Agyeman (King Faisal)

5 - Robert Amoaku (Goldfields) Sulemana Bentil (Kaebibirem), Charles Taylor

(Hearts) Ernest Boateng (Okwawu) Eric Mbroh (Dawu) Awudu Alhassan

(Adansiman) Amui Quaye (Ghapoha) Shila Alhassan (Kotoko) Frank Osei

(King Faisal) Ebo Mensah (Hasaacas)

4 - Abass Iddrisu (RTU) Joe Okyere (Kotoko) David Boateng, Albert Neequaye, Albert

Batsa, Moses Tetteh (Liberty) Hope Leveh (Adansiman) Ben Kusi (Bofoakwa) Ellis

Opoku (Kaebibirem) David Larkotey (Olympics) Aminu Musah (Goldfieds)

3 - Kofi Debrah, Ernest Papa Arko (Liberty) Kwaku Asare (Adansiman) Eric Gawu

(King Faisal) Baffour Gyimah, John Kudjoe, William Agyapong (Bofoakwa)

Issa Shaibu, Anthony Appiah (Maxbees) Edmund Copson, Bernard Don Bortey

(Hearts) Kingsley Kwarteng (Hasaacas) Albert Nkansah (Olympics) Steven Oduro

(Kotoko) Ibrahim Yahaya (Arsenals)

2 - Fatawu Arola, Ibrahim Kluvi (RTU) Anthony Mintah, Tahiru Abdulai, Kwadwo

Opoku, Clovis Kambou (Bofoakwa) Adu Kwaku, Ayitey Dorman, Victor Antwi

(Kaebibirem) Chibsah Yusif (King Faisal) Aziz Ansah, Lawrence Adjei, Joe Louis,

Michael Osei (Kotoko) Princeston Owusu-Ansah (Goldfields) Willie Hammond,

Clement Coffie, Emmanuel Osei (Maxbees) Ben Kwame, Alex Awuah, Sammy

Addo (Ghapoha) Nicholas Addo, Ibrahim Labaran, Prince Adu Poku (Dawu) Nana

Adarkwa, Mike Acheampong, Seth Antwi, George Brown, Samuel Hansen, Francis

Aggrey, Adu Poku (Arsenals) Asare Nyarko, Johnson Eklu, Kwesi Keremanteng

(Okwawu) Awuley Quaye (Hearts) David Amoaku, Matthew Konadu, Dennis

Odoom, Kwabina Dodzie (Olympics) Isaac Asari, Osei Kofi, Haruna Gariba, Paul

Attiah, Collins Afriyea (Adansiman).

1 - Abubakar Yakuza, Tijani Mohammed, Ben Boakye, Kwabena Opoku, Ben Wilson,

Awudu Ronaldo, Isahaak Debrah (King Faisal) Nuhu Mohammed, Salifu Shaabu,

Martin Appau (Kwaebibirem) Francis Aggrey, Samuel Kyere, Joseph Boakye,

Razak Moro, Shaibu Yussif, Seth Ofori, John Painstil (Arsenals) Limbambani

Yedibahoma, Akakpo Patron Wahid Mohammed, Yaw Berko (Liberty) Richard

Anderson, Mensah Pomanney, Michael Thompson, John Ainoo (Ghapoha) Francis

Martey, Samuel Aryetey, Frank Adjei, Fatau Barns, Nana Eshun (Olympics) Kofi

Apetor, Richard Mireku, Alfred Nii Darko, Seth Osei, Yaw Ohene Noble, Robert

Kingston, Paul Amposah, Osei Bonsu, George Tutu (Okwawu) Charles Ampiah,

Kwame Addo, Kwaku Armah, Alfred Arthur, Kwaku Agyman (Adansiman)

James Boateng, Steven Amo, Eric Boakye, Ofosu Amoah (Goldfields) Richard

Oppong, George Yamoah, Kennedy Boadi, Kwasi Matthew, Kwaku Duah,

Charles Owusu (Bofoakwa) Sulemana Faisal, Fusani Sumaila, Kwame

Acheampong, Gilbert Ayikade, Rafat Baker (RTU) Joshua Quarcoopome, Kofi

Acquah, Eric Marfo, George Ampoful, Ben Adjei, Eric Abankwa, (Maxbees)

Abedi Sarfo, Ofosu Amoah, Joe Hendricks, Joe Sam, Charles Asamoah (Kotoko)

Lawrence Adjah Tetteh (Hearts) Ahmed Issah (Dawu) Emmanuel Okyere,

Mohammed Muyani, Robert Mensah, Richard Afriyea (Hasaacas)

GRi…/

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