Sports
Fare thee well, Nana Pooley
Suggestions to name the current season of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) after the murdered Asante Kotoko fan, Nana Pooley, has been treated in some quarters as a joke.
But after considering the damage the incident had on the competition’s image and the forced initiatives that followed the infamous event, naming the 2024/25 season after him should be the easiest thing to do.
On a bright match day 19 at Nsoatre, football lovers had thronged the venue to have fun watching Nsoatreman, a young and forceful club rubbing shoulders with previous continental giants, Asante Kotoko.
Until the unfortunate incident, the atmosphere had been serene and charged football-wise despite earlier skirmishes by fans as both teams arrived.
There was security presence but as to why they failed to bring the situation under control remains answers to come out following investigations into the matter.
Kotoko then started flexing their muscles, opting against the continuation of the league. Interestingly, in death, they courted the support of their biggest rivals, Hearts of Oak.
And of course when you have this two together taking such a decision, then definitely, the FA, organisers of the competition must move from its plush office at Ridge and hit the roads to Oseikrom to sympathise with the Asanteman warriors.
Yesterday, Nana Pooley was laid to rest after a funeral ceremony held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. For some, he died as a hero and would forever be remembered.
That, perhaps, explains the call to name the season after him. That is quite subjective.
But come to think of it; if Hearts and Kotoko rode on the back of the Nana Pooley incident to remind Ghanaians of their ‘heavyweight’ status, then it would not be a bad idea to name the season after the fallen porcupine.
Again, as a result, preparation and documentation to get an autonomous body to run the league was dusted after finding comfortable rest in lockers at the FA.
The big clubs tested the waters but a swift response from the FA, regarding it readiness to hand over the process to the body (Autonomous Premier League) it claimed had already registered, waiting the Premier League clubs to show up, calmed the nerves of all.
Then the biggest of all was the introduction of the Enhanced Matchday Security Protocol and a review of match venues, some of which have been rejected.
All manner of stakeholders have been caught up in the implementation of this protocol – Match Commissioners, Clubs representatives, Venue Media Officers and many others have all been offered training in order to ensure that safety remains the watch word at venues.
The fans have not been spared. Their leadership were also trained to educate their members on staying away from hooliganism.
After a month of work, the GPL is returning this season but with a tough sacrifice.
And one of the ways to not make the death of Nana Pooley be in vain is to nib hooliganism in the bud. That would obviously be supported by the protocols introduced by the FA.
Investigation would, however, continue until the culprit is arrested for justice to be served. That would surely make it known to fans that hooligans are not entertained at match venues.
The football family would miss your antics that infuriates some while others see the amusing parts to make the day an interesting one. Fare thee well, Nana Pooley.
By Andrew Nortey
Ghana Premier League side, Nations FC, may have suffered the drop in the just ended Premier League and are destined for a fresh campaign in the Division One League (DOL).
But they stand a huge chance of remaining in the elite stage of the game as they face Dreams FC in an epic MTN FA Cup final at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium tomorrow at 6pm.
Dreams FC have been there before; going ahead to taste the honours in the 2022-23 season after defeating King Faisal.
Coming from a season that saw them crawl from the initial stages of the league to finish on a respectable fourth position, they come in as strong favourites to double their honours in the nation’s second top football competition.
History favours them in this regard. On their first final, they conquered and based on this, connoisseurs of the game have tipped them to make it ‘two-on-two.’
But Nations FC have been empowered by the age-old adage that “He that is down need fear no fall.”
Nothing can be worse than suffering relegation and exiting the limelight as far as exposure is concerned.
But the FA offers a decent opportunity to make them stay relevant.
Conquering Dreams FC would not just make them MTN FA Cup champions. It will grant them the prestigious slot to represent Ghana in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) second tier club competition- the Confederations Cup.
With Dreams FC harbouring the same ambitions, the stage is, therefore, set for a final that promises to be explosive and uncompromising.
The situation of Nations FC might have come to many as a surprise, considering their promising start to the season, with their defence especially, marshalled by Black Stars defender, Razak Simpson, and colleague central defender, Raymond Grippman, earning a lot of reviews.
But despite the struggles they endured at certain times of their campaign, the MTN FA Cup always provided slices of good fortunes as they managed to navigate their way to the final.
Road to the top
Nations FC began the MTN FA Cup competition on a promising note, enjoying some good runs with a win over DOL Zone Two side, Ebony FC, in the Round of 64.
That landed them in a tricky encounter with another high-flying Zone Two candidate, AshantiGold SC, a side that eventually won the title from the zone to qualify to the Premier League, but escaped.
At the round of 16 stage, they encountered and defeated Ghana Premier League side, Swedru All Blacks, 2-1 to gain progression to the quarter final stage where they edged Berekum Chelsea on penalties.
A dicey semi-final awaited them against Aduana FC in Swedru. It was a game Nations was given little chance to escape considering Aduana FC’s form but once again, they conquered to secure a final berth.
In total, the Abrankese-based club have scored eight goals and conceded only two throughout the competition, making them one of the strongest defensive sides in the tournament.
For Dreams FC, they defeated Division One League Zone Three side, Semper Fi, 2-1 to progress to the next stage of the competition where they accounted for Division Two side, Asanska FC, 2-0.
That handed them a quarterfinal berth where they faced Inter Allies and drew one all before winning 4-3 on penalties.
The happiest moment in their success story was a 3-2 semi-final win over GPL winners, Medeama SC.
With that feat, Dreams have been touted as potential winners as the match comes at a time the Nations FC side may be psychologically down over the weight of the challenge they face in the next season.
However, the competition has gain notoriety for not following any form guide and outcomes mostly coming as major surprises.
In this regard, Dreams may be tipped as favourite candidates but though Nations are wounded, the stakes could revive an insatiable desire to apply the brakes to turn the dreams of Dreams FC into a nightmare.
Support
The support from MTN Ghana has no doubt improved competition among the clubs with the attractive incentive packages for participating clubs.
MTN Ghana, which is celebrating 30 years of operations in Ghana, formally became headline sponsors of the Ghana FA Cup in the 2010/2011 football season after the competition had returned from an eight-year hiatus.
The first edition under MTN sponsorship was won by Nania FC, who defeated Asante Kotoko 1–0 in the final at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Since then, the competition has been known as the MTN FA Cup, with MTN renewing its sponsorship several times — in 2013, 2017, 2020 and again for subsequent seasons.
By Andrew Nortey
The Black Stars have opened camp in Cardiff ahead of next week’s international friendly against Wales.
The team is being taken through training drills by head coach Carlos Queiroz.
Thirteen players trained at Dragon Park on Monday, with others expected to join the squad on Tuesday.
They include Ernest Nuamah, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jordan Ayew, Caleb Yirenkyi, Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, Elisha Owusu, Gideon Mensah, Marvin Senaya, Jerome Opoku, Benjamin Asare, Joseph Anang, Solomon Agbasi, and Alidu Seidu.
The Black Stars will train in Cardiff for one week ahead of the international friendly against Wales on Tuesday, June 2, before traveling to the United States of America.
Coach Carlos Queiroz will use the period to assess his players before naming his final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Twenty-six players will be submitted to FIFA on Monday, June 1, as mandated by the competition regulations.
The Black Stars are drawn in Group L with Panama, England, and Croatia. They will open their World Cup campaign against Panama on June 17 in Toronto before facing England and Croatia in their other group matches.
