Sports
Exit of Esso, 4 others for free … case of managerial lapse or player ingratitude?
The process in securing the signatures of players is one that club officials in charge of transfers always hope to overcome quickly.
It becomes even more cumbersome when more than one club has expressed interest in the player.
As if that is not enough, the posture of the player’s agent and the attitude of the player tend to blow the entire transaction out of proportion.
These and other factors likely contribute to the kind of celebration often witnessed among soccer fans on news that their respective teams have signed certain players.
That aura around such transfers is not only peculiar to the foreign or advanced leagues. It is a phenomenon that cuts across every league competition around the globe.
In Ghana’s football scene, two major events have occurred this week; putting fans on edge as they await a return of football action after the COVID-19 enforced break.
The first was the appointment of Nana Yaw Amponsah, a Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidential aspirant in the last election won by Kurt Okraku and being contested at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on the corridors of FIFA as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
It has come as great news for members of the Porcupine Warriors family as the new CEO has already promised ‘heaven on earth’ for the Reds ahead of the first kick under his tenure.
But reviews over that appointment appears to have overshadowed a ‘Coup d’état’ in Kotoko’s fiercest rivals, Hearts of Oak that has seen five key players of the club exit the team on the free.
Top striker Joseph Esso, Christopher Bonney, Bernard Arthur, Benjamin Agyare and Abubakar Traore were all announced to be departing the club after the expiration of their existing contracts.
In fact, the news came as a shock to many who wondered why a club of Hearts stature would allow top first team players to run down their contracts and leave for free at the end of the season.
Considering the abrupt ending of the season one could pardon the Phobians for what many see as a disaster but as usual, a few have questioned the competence of officials in charge of player transfers and negotiations.
Hearts have found themselves in similar waters in the not too distant past where players like Thomas Abbey, Vincent Atinga, Kwame Kizito and Patrick Razak left the club under similar circumstances.
This will surely give credence to the school of thought of the section of the fans that believes there is something wrong with the club’s negotiation power and managerial skills.
Truth be told, this does not happen often. Even if it does happen, it must not be on such scale but indeed, one also understands how it works when a player takes a decision against an extension; it will take more than negotiation and managerial competence to change that stance – a case in point is the Charles Taylor saga with Hearts and Kotoko involved.
Hearts have since attempted to explain issues to the fans, citing the expectation or demands of the players, especially Joseph Esso, as the reason why those decisions were taken.
As a firm believer in loyalty and commitment, it will be suicidal to keep players whose commitment to a course is hinged on only the financial benefits.
In this industry, trophies remain the biggest currency for any club or player and in Ghana, Hearts and Kotoko represent the brightest platform for any player to win laurels; forget about the recent trend where they seem to have taken a nosedive in terms of performance.
The failure of the club to convince the five players to stay notwithstanding, it is limpidly clear that the players have the lost the desire to be in the rainbow colours and should be allowed to go.
But the case of Manchester City’s Leroy Sane in the English Premier League should offer Hearts and other clubs some lessons that it is not always advisable to let the players run the entire term.
Having failed to persuade the German international to stay, Manchester City sold him with a year left on his contract and got about £40m.
In the Hearts explanation, it was stated that negotiation was ongoing for a while so one could argue that the writing was on the wall; they saw the signs but paid little attention to it.
A legend of the club, Yaw Amankwah Mireku has also attempted to defend the club, parrying the blame on the club’s management and rather sought to cite ingratitude on the part of the players and the treatment often meted out to players when they join clubs.
Of the two, the latter is very striking and is very common with local clubs and coming from a player that excelled on the local scene, it must be taken seriously.
It was unfortunate he didn’t give many details. It will therefore be difficult to explain exactly what he means but from the little experience gained by association to local clubs, it would be important to advise clubs to take such matters serious to reduce such incidence.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
GoldStars GPL feat no fluke
No prophet in Ghana would have been taken serious with prophesies of Bibiani GoldStars becoming the new champions of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League (GPL).
That is not to take anything away from Coach Frimpong Manso, an Asante Kotoko legend, and his boys for the yeoman’s job they did in the just ended season.
They deserve every bit of the plaudits coming from well-wishers.
They came, they saw and conquered on their fourth year (2021/2022 season) in the elite stage of Ghana football.
Of course, this can only be a reality in the end but not a sound prediction at the start of the season.
But, so has it been. Stories like that of GoldStars sharply brings to mind a similar fairytale orchestrated in the advanced English Premier League (GPL) with the 2015/16 edition.
In the face of the Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool dominance, Leicester emerged with a bang, conquering every hurdle in sight with unsung heroes like Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Shinji Okazaki, Leonardo Ulloa, Danny Drinkwater, Robert Huth, Riyad Mahrez and others.
There was no indication of that sort at the start of the season.
As usual, the focus was on the aforementioned heavyweights but Leicester took the competition by storm to record a historic win.
Back home, the GoldStars story is not different. Despite the recent struggles by perennial favourites, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, the two have always found their ways in fans prediction regarding the side to emerge winners.
Interestingly, both sides just managed to end up in the top four after Nations FC’s decision to abandon a game against Basake Holy Stars who cost them dearly, in the end, forfeiting the said game and going ahead to suffer a further three points deduction penalty.
Nations FC were actually the top favourites for the title until that ill-fated match against Basake Holy Stars.
Campaigning for the second year in the competition, very few followers of the game gave the Timber giants any chance.
But in the same ‘Rambo’ style, teams like Medeama SC and Aduana Stars descended on the GPL, GoldStars emerged with all guns blazing, strategically employing a tactic of making the Dun’s Park in Bibiani, a waterloo for visiting teams.
On a few occasions, they sprung surprises on the journey, recording a few upsets against gullible teams including Hearts of Oak in Accra.
They had a promising coach like Frimpong Manso who is yet to establish himself among the elites local coaches maybe because he is yet to work with any of the established club sides in the country.
But winning the local competition with a less endowed club makes you a legend, and truly, he has become one.
To management and other members of the technical team, one could only congratulate them for a job well executed.
The players have a huge role to play in proving that the feat was no fluke and that GoldStars has come to stay; and would continue to make an impact in the local game.
Much is not known about these players except Vincent Atinga who plied his trade with Hearts of Oak and Medeama SC. Others like Samuel Attah Kumi, Frank Amankwah, Kelvin Oppong, Charles Gyamfi Kamara, Abdul Farouk Amoaful, Gideon Anaba, Samuel Acheampong, Foster Agyei and Yakubu Haqq remain emerging talents aiming to carve a niche for themselves.
Definitely with the new challenge, some areas of the team would be strengthened as they face the finest sides on the continent.
Another season with a new champion should also serve as a wake-up call for the likes of Hearts or Oak and Asante Kotoko to quickly return to their glory days lest they lose their enviable place among the football elite clubs. Well-done GoldStars.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Golden Kick, a tricky obstacle for Kotoko in MTN FA Cup final tomorrow
The University of Ghana Stadium will come alive tomorrow when Ghanaian giants, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, take on lower tier side, Golden Kicks FC, in a thrilling climax to the 2024/25 MTN FA Cup final tomorrow at exactly 5pm.
The much anticipated game, which is more than just a battle for silverware but a meeting of tradition and ambition for both teams, is expected to draw thousands of football fanatics across the country to the Legon stadium for what promises to be a dramatic and tricky finale to this season’s domestic cup competition.
After an unsuccessful season in the Ghana Premier League which saw the Reds miss out on the title to Bibiani GoldStars, the Porcupine Warriors will be desperate to finish the season on a high by clinching the title to secure a place in the next CAF interclub competition.
The Reds have a rich history in the FA Cup competition having won it nine times and will be eyeing their 10th title to stamp their authority as the overall best.
Before reaching this stage, Asante Kotoko eliminated formidable opponents like True Democracy, Sekondi Eleven Wise and Berekum Chelsea in the semi-final.
The availability of players like Justice Blay, Kwame Opoku, Frederick Asare, Peter Amidu Acquah and striker Albert Amoah, among other notable players will be a big boost to Coach Karim Zito’s side.
Meanwhile, the task will not be an easy one for Kotoko looking at the way their opponents reached the final with wins over Accra Hearts of Oak and Bechem United before climaxing it with Attram d’ Visser.
Coached by young and tactical Fiifi Parker Hanson, Golden Kicks have a combined youthful team with tactical discipline to punch well above their weight and relish the opportunity to shock the giants once more on a bigger stage.
This final is more than just a contest between Premier League royalty and a hungry underdog but rather a tale of two contrasting football identities. Kotoko brings the weight of tradition, experience, legacy and pressure while Golden Kicks arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove which makes the game a promised one, full of thrills and fireworks.
By Enoch Ntiamoah
