Eighty golfers register for seniors competition
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 October 2002 -
Coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie has declared that he will be the man to qualify the
Black Stars to their inaugural World Cup in Germany come 2006.
The only condition attached to this ambitious dream by the Stars stop-gap coach
is job security to enable him to fully concentrate on the huge task ahead.
According to coach Afranie, qualification to the World Cup requires long term
planning which can only be possible unless the Ghana Football Association (GFA)
entrusts the fortunes of the team in his hands permanently.
Disclosing this in a post-match interview after Ghana's vital 4-2 victory over
Rwanda at the Accra Stadium last Sunday, the Stars helmsman assured that the
new-look team will answer the roll-call at CAN 2004.
"Now that we are on top of the group, there is no turning back and we will
work harder to win the two remaining matches to ensure qualification", he
emphasised.
Contrary to general impressions that the Stars performance was not vintage as
expected, Coach Afranie was quite satisfied with the team's output especially
with just two weeks of preparations for the match.
"The performance was okay in the circumstance as Rwanda is a strong side.
You know, a team with a strong bench is not likely to lose. I least expected
the team to concede an early goal, but I was particularly happy about the
recovery rate of the boys and the way they maintained their composure in the
face of that early setback", the Stars coach revealed.
He spoke highly of mercurial Charles Taylor for his excellent display which was
crowned with a great goal in the 57th minute.
"I psyched him up not to be overawed by the occasion but be himself and
play his normal game and he responded positively to make everybody proud. I
think he was the man of the match", he remarked.
Afranie told the GNA
Sports in Accra that the invited players are expected to augment the present
crop of local players already in camp after the Ghana-Rwanda match.
He said the team
would continue with its training sessions and an 18-man contingent would leave
Accra on Wednesday for Sierra Leone to play the Lone Stars, their national
team. The Black Stars would play their first match on Saturday 19 October and
honour the final match on Tuesday 23 October.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
15 October 2002 - Ghanaian FIFA referee Joseph Willington is scheduled to leave
Accra on Friday for Abidjan to handle the Cote D'Ivoire-Cameroon Under-20
Soccer Championship qualifier on Sunday.
The Ghanaian referee
was the man in charge when the two sides met almost a fortnight ago in Yaounde,
Cameroon. Striker Koutouan Nantcho scored the lone away goal for the Ivorians
in the 38th minute.
Reports said referee
Willington performed creditable well in the first leg and as such has been
asked to handle the second leg this weekend. He would be assisted on the lines
by fellow Ghanaians Boadu Ayeboafo and Djomoah Nicholas.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
15 October 2002 - Fabulous Kumasi Asante Kotoko are just four days away from a historic
final in the African Cup Winners Cup competition when they play away to AS
Police of Congo.
Kotoko are not only
at the doorstep of becoming the first Ghanaian side to reach the final but they
hope to score another first by wining the trophy.
The Porcupine
Warriors look well cushioned into the return leg encounter after hitting four
goals past the Congolese in Kumasi, but despite the relative comfort they seem
to enjoy Kotoko are in no mood to throw caution to the wind. They are bent on
blazing on all guns this weekend.
The intrigues that
African clubs often resort to at home in a bid to win matches at all cost have
strengthened Kotoko's bid to ensure that the Congolese Policemen do not twist
their arms.
In fact their
suspicion of a possible arm-twisting tactics was further heightened when AS
Police coach Dengaki hinted of the possibility of the return leg match taking
place in Point Noir instead of their home base of Brazzaville.
Such warning signals
in African football are taken seriously. On the other hand, Dengaki may only be
playing the mind game ahead of their herculean task awaiting them this weekend.
Kotoko are taking no
chances as at the time of going to press the team was due to travel to Addis
Ababa via Ethiopian Airlines en route to Brazzaville. Barring any
contingencies, the Fabulous club' is expected to land in Brazaville this
afternoon.
The somewhat
unpredictable and difficult travel arrangements in Africa are the reasons for
Kotoko's early departure, just in case they have to move to Pointe Noir. The
5-0 victory predicted by the Congolese looks unrealistic given the class
difference between the two sides, but the lessons of Hearts of Oak's 5-2 loss
to Congolese side, Etoile du Congo last year, has compelled Kotoko Coach Ralf
Zumdick to carry his full squad except Nana Arhin-Duah.
Arhin-Duah, one of
the principal characters in the 4-0 victory in Kumasi, is suspended after
attracting a yellow card, but two-goal hero Shilla Alhassan, in-form Michael
Osei and new sensation, Kwadwo Poku, are all battle ready to face the
Policemen.
Even though the Black
Satellites hoped to field Poku for their tough mission to Tunis this weekend,
Zumdick was in no mood to compromise his new kid on the block. With an
impressive scoring form in away encounters, Kotoko are still hopeful of
disarming the policemen and open page in football history.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra)
15 October 2002 - About 80 senior golfers have registered for the third
quarterly Achimota Golf Club Seniors championship scheduled for Achimota on
Sunday, October 20.
Mike Ezan, Vice President
of the Achimota Golf Club said in Accra on Monday that the one-day competition
which is open to members of the club aged 55 years and above, is being
sponsored by the Seniors Group of the club.
He named some of the
participant who had signed up for the competition as John Sam, Kofi Agyemang,
Nii Lomofiuo, Kofi Essel Koomson, Owusu Ansah, Kofi Safo-Debrah, A.A. Kumasah
and Kumi Ampofo.
On Saturday, October
19, the 'Taywood Bowl' competition will be played on the same course. The
one-day competition is being sponsored by Taysec Constructions Limited.
GRi…/
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