SWAG congratulates Kotoko for impressive performance
Accra (Greater Accra)
09 October 2002- The Sports Writers Association (SWAG) has congratulated Kumasi
Asante Kotoko Football Club for their impressive performance in the on-going
African Cup Winners Cup tournament.
A statement signed by
Mr Emmanuel Amoaku, the Association's General Secretary said, "We have
closely monitored your performance in this year's tournament and are greatly
overwhelmed by your success story so far.
"We are
particular impressed with your emphatic 4-0 demolition of AS Police of Congo in
the first leg semi-finals duel at the Kumasi Sports Stadium last Sunday".
The statement urged
Kotoko to break the jinx that has prevented Ghanaian Clubs not to go beyond the
semi finals stage this particular tournament with our best being the semi
finals mark reached by Sekondi Hasaccas and Accra Hearts of Oak.
"Your splendid
performance has therefore revived the nation's flagging spirit in search for
honours not only in this particular competition but in the world of football at
large and we urge you not to rest on your oars until you bring the Golden
Fleece"
The statement however
warned Kotoko not to allow complacency to creep into their performance
following their massive victory since such tendencies would not only be
dangerous but disastrous as the nation's only hope for continental glory this
year.
Finally SWAG urged
all Ghanaian soccer fans, irrespective of their club affiliation to rally
behind the Porcupine Warriors as they embark on the final round of the crucial
battle to win glory for themselves and the nation.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
09 October 2002-- The Black Queens, the national women soccer team would see
some changes before the team finally answers the roll call at the African
Nation Cup slated for Nigeria, later in the year.
Coach Oko Aryee told
the GNA Sports that the technical handlers would effect changes in weak
positions in the team if the need be in order to present a winsome side at the
tournament.
Coach Aryee hopes to
bring in Bluna Ladies' Gifty Wood and
Lawrencia Odonkor, to beef up the attacking machinery of the team to make it
have more bite.
He said his net would
be cast wide after the Queens African Nation Cup qualifier return encounter
against Senegal on Saturday 12 October at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. The team
left Winneba for Kumasi on Monday to get acclimatised ahead of the match.
The Queens would on
Saturday be playing without their prolific striker, Basilea Amoah-Tetteh and
dribbling wizard, Adjoa Bayor who led the team to whip the Senegalese 3-0 in
Dakar in the first leg. The two are currently plying professional football in
the United States.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
09 October 2002- The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will on Wednesday October
nine, hold a consultative meeting at its secretariat to discuss the
discontinuance of the court action by Tudu Mighty Jets football Club.
A statement signed
for the GFA General Secretary by Mr Kwaku Ampem Darko said those expected to
attend the meeting are, Chairman of the Executive Council, GFA Board members,
all members of the legal committee, All Division One League (DOL) members,
Chairman GHALCA and three other members.
It would be recalled
that a protracted legal wrangling by Tudu Might Jets and GFA has resulted in
indefinite suspension of the DOL for five months as both parties await
judgement in the case, which is currently at the Appeals Court.
The tussle started
when the FA suspended Might Jets for three years after they pulled out of the
national middle league due to financial difficulties. The GFA refused to accept
the grounds of the pull out and went ahead to apply sanctions according to its
statute.
Mighty Jets later
protested that a three- year ban imposed on them was illegal since the GFA did
not convene a hearing to hear their side of the issue before applying the ban
sanction and sought redress in the courts which quashed the FA decision.
The FA not satisfied
with the decision of the lower courts took the case to the appeals court but
before the case could be decided Might Jets decided not to contest the case any
further.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
09 October 2002- Boxing fans in Accra have appealed to the Ghana Boxing
Authority (GBA) and promoters to ensure that better bouts worth their monies
are staged.
According to the fans,
most bouts staged are mismatches exposing the lives of some boxers to death and
adding that there is the need for competitive bouts to give local boxers a fair
idea of their strength.
The fans that spoke
to the GBNA Sports after last Friday's international bouts said boxers brought
in from Nigeria, Togo, Benin and other countries are not better matches for
their local opponent and this makes it difficult for a fair assessment on the
preparedness of the Ghanaian boxers for world titles.
They contend that the
use of unqualified and unprepared boxers might also be dangerous to the boxers
since any blow might unexpectedly end their career. Some fans threaten to stop
watching boxing events if such uncompetitive bouts are continually organized
just for the sake of making money.
In a reaction, Mr.
Moses Foh-Amoaning, 2nd vice chairman of the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA)
accepted the fact that some of the bouts are mismatches, while some of the
opponents do not have qualities of good boxers.
Mr. Foh-Amoaning told
the GNA Sports in an interview that, they have made strenuous efforts to ensure
that these problems are minimized but organizers always find their way out and
at the end of the day the same problems are revisited.
He said despite
attempts by the authorities to minimize the problems by demanding authentic
fight records of boxers, especially those brought from other countries, the
promoters sometimes fake these records.
" The GBA even
demands confirmation from boxing associations of these records but at the end
of the day, it would be discovered that the boxers are not the best
materials," the GBA scribe stated. Mr. Foh-Amaoning said it is in this
vein that the GBA orders mandatory fights so that fans and the boxers would be
given better fights.
The GBA vice chairman
said the authority is trying to work out arrangements with countries such as
Uganda and South Africa very good boxers to battle Ghanaians boxers. He
expressed the hope that a lasting solution would be found to the problem.
On his part, Mr.
Alfred Martey, Manager of Prince and Baseline promotion syndicate, said the
problem has been a headache for promoters in the country but stated that it all
boils down to finance.
He said there are
equally good boxers in Benin, Togo and other African countries but most of them
charge exorbitant fees before coming to fight in Ghana adding they are forced
to go in for other boxers whose charges are reasonable.
Mr. Martey said apart
from the fees they charge, the hotel and food expenses has to be catered for by
the promoters adding that "at the end of the promotion we get
nothing".
"Most of the
boxing events we organize generates nothing but we do it for the love of the
sport and to help develop talents", he stated. He said there are tough and
competitive local bouts but the boxers refuse to fight because they prefer to
select opponents of their choice.
GRi…/
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