Sports
‘Give experienced players chance in GPL’
Former Asante Kotoko and Ghana Internationals, Issah Ahmed and Yusif Chibsah have called on local clubs to encourage the inclusion of experience players in their teams as their knowledge and experience of the game would be a valuable asset for the young stars.
The two ex-stars lamented how constantly old players are shunned by clubs and fans and described as “old duod3” to wit old cassava discounting how their guidance and inspiration can help navigate the careers of the young ones.
Speaking from his base in the United States on GTV’s Time with the Legends on Sunday, ex-Kotoko strongman, Ahmed said Ghanaian clubs were quick to retire players once they were beyond their youthful days, a practice he said was a contributing factor to the decline in performance of Ghanaian clubs.
Ahmed, adored by Kotoko fans for his robust, tough-tackling play during his playing days, narrated an experience in Ghana when he was retired but still active with training.
“When I was in Ghana some years back , I had an encounter with Daniel Nii Adjei, then a young and promising star with Kotoko in Kumasi after a Monday Stars match. After the game he walked up to me and said “Senior watching you closely we could use your services back at Kotoko, we’ll have a lot to learn from you but I told him they had retired us.”
Ahmed, who was instrumental in Kotoko’s 2005 team and at a point captained the side, was also critical of the media for their role in discouraging old players to return to the game on the local scene.
“We can get a lot of them to return if the media stop being so critical and labeling them as old players who have passed their prime and can’t deliver. The media is always quick to forgive young players when they make mistakes during games but when an old player makes a mistake he is harshly and at times unjustifiably critiqued and not forgiven.”
On his part, Yusif Chibsah, also a former captain and respected figure in the Kotoko fraternity pointed out the dangers of alienating veterans from the game, saying that the practice deprived most young stars the opportunity of learning from the old stars.
“Most of these old stars I can confidently say have a lot of energy and football in their legs, yet we are quick to cast them aside and shut the door on them.”
Chibsah, said in his days what made them exceptional was the perfect blend of the old stars and the young stars, a model he said most clubs must consciously re-institute.
“I can’t begin to list the values we learnt from the old Stars on and off the field; playing with greats such as Emmanuel Ampiah, Joe Debrah and later Godwin Ablordey was valuable to our careers – their guidance, discipline and counsel is largely missing today and this is a matter of grave concern.”
He added that to build a formidable and competitive side, the right blend of experience and youth was required.
He recounted the experience of how former Asante Kotoko and Ghana International, Hamza Mohammed rescinded a decision to return to the GPL after an unpleasant experience when he was labeled an ‘old horse’ during a Heart vs. Olympics game , dissuading him from pursuing a return to the GPL as planned.
Currently in the GPL, top sides Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak have an average squad age between 18- 29 years with no known veterans currently attached to both sides.
Veterans currently active in the league include Berekum Chelsea’s duo Jordan Opoku (38 years) and Richard Kissi Boateng (32 years), Legon Cities goalkeeper Fatau Dauda (35 years), Liberty’s Ernest Papa Arko (36 years), Medeama midfielder Odoom Meshack (31 years) and Aduana forward Yahaya Mohammed (32 years).
Others such as Olympics pair, striker Emmanuel Clottey (32 years) and Goalkeeper Ernest Sowah (32 years) and King Faisal’s Daniel Nii Adjei (31 years) have recently been laid off by their respective sides.
In recent times, former Hearts players Wisdom Abbey and Eric Nyarko have declared a desire to return, but have cited disinterest from clubs and their labeling as old players as reasons for staying away.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Attention will be at the Golden City Park in Berekum tomorrow as Hearts of Oak lock horns with Berekum Chelsea FC in a Ghana Premier League Matchday 6 game that promises an electrifying atmosphere.
Lying sixth on the league table with two wins and three draws, the Phobians visit a ground that has been favourable to them in recent times. In their last three visits to the Golden City Park, Hearts have amassed seven out of nine points, putting them in strong contention to win.
Head Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani says, “The team is making progress in its tactical identity despite the lack of goals, and this is something we are working on ahead of this game.”
Hearts will come face-to-face with former coach Samuel Boadu, whose side lies a distant 13th on the league table with a win and a draw from four games. Coach Boadu is yet to celebrate a victory over the Phobians since joining the Berekum lads and would hope this fixture marks a turnaround.
Ninth-placed Vision FC would trek to the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park in Bechem to play Bechem United, while new boys Hohoe United host Aduana FC at the Hohoe Sports Stadium.
Returnees Swedru All Blacks will welcome Basake Holy Stars to the Swedru Sports Stadium, with defending league champions Bibiani Gold Stars staying put at their backyard, the Dun’s Park, to welcome second-placed Heart of Lions FC on Monday.
Today at the TnA Stadium in Tarkwa, Medeama SC will clash with Samartex FC in a Western derby. Other games scheduled for today would see Eleven Wonders FC host Karela United at the Swedru Sports Stadium, while Dreams FC face Nations FC at the Tuba Astro Turf.
By Raymond Ackumey
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Ghana coach Otto Addo may not command the kind of fear and respect like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique and others in the modern game, but in his small corner, he is gradually climbing the ladder to greatness in Ghana, Africa and the world at large.
The aforementioned coaches attained greatness with club sides and, therefore, open an argument over whether one is not comparing apples to oranges. But no matter how one looks at it, they are all coaches harbouring similar ambitions to attain greatness in their fields.
Otto Addo is one of the young and upcoming coaches holding a lot of promise and was getting experience with his association with Borussia Dortmund in Germany until his path was directed by a Ghana call.
Although he was born in Germany, Otto Addo’s association with Ghana football dates back to 1999, spanning a period of about seven years; commencing with a 5–0 rout of Eritrea on February 28. He gained international prominence when he joined the squad for the 2000 African Cup of Nations. He featured as a midfielder in the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
But like it’s often said, a prophet is not recognised in his own home and his efforts partially went unnoticed. He’ll go into the annals as one of the Black Stars coaches to have been fairly or otherwise criticised not just by ‘football people’ but fans who doubted him.
His sack has been discussed at various platforms by people whose knowledge and tactical acumen about the game remains questionable. Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams, at one point openly stated his doubts over Otto Addo’s ability to actually deliver.
No coach would feel secured in such turbulent times, but coach Otto Addo kept his calm and composure. On the corridors of his employers, however, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Okraku, openly rallied support for him, though a few ‘doubting Thomases’ still questioned his credentials.
That painted a picture of a people that forget easily and are quick to crucify. In a brief moment of adversity, Ghanaians forgot how Otto Addo was brought in to pluck qualification for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup from the jaws of the Super Eagles of Nigeria with a solitary goal over two legs.
The upshot of that feat was not one any Nigerian would want to remember. The scenes after the match were awfully chaotic, as fans vented their anger on facilities at the stadium. Back in Ghana, it was partying all night and day.
Otto Addo was labeled the football magician. He achieved something no Ghanaian coach had ever accomplished; a feat which Ghana with her all-time best teams could not attain. That was the climax to which Otto Addo took Ghana football, generating calls to start believing in the Ghanaian coach.
Following that to the World Cup proper was another story altogether. It was, or may have been, our poorest show at any of the four World Cup appearances. And just as it was stipulated in his contract, he bowed out after the Qatar World Cup to mind his Borussia Dortmund business with peace.
But as fate would have it, nature found a way to renew his romance with Ghana football after an unconvincing start to the America, Canada and Mexico dream World Cup under special advisor turned coach, Chris Hughton.
Ghana started the qualifiers on a winning note but not a convincing performance. It was saved by an Inaki Williams goal scored on the sixth minute of additional time against Madagascar at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The Black Stars then slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the Stade de Moroni to Comoros to heighten calls for a new technical direction.
Then stepped in Otto Addo when Ghana occupied the fourth position in Group I with three points but with the countries in the group evenly matched.
By Andrew Nortey
