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Addressing Koopman’s conundrum
Coach Martin Koopman
When Accra Hearts of Oak newly signed on coach, Martin Koopman, announced last week that the club’s problems in the four-week old Ghana Premier League (GPL) season was due to the absence of a quality striker, he was doubted to be the right man for the job.
Koopman’s assessment of the team has generated argument not just among Phobian faithful over his competence and ability to steer the Rainbow boys to the ‘Promised Land.’
Rival fans have mocked the coach. Sympathisers also appear divided with Koopman’s assertion.
And just when concerns over finding a quality striker appear to be dyeing down, Koopman released another bombshell, telling his followers after drawing goalless with Dreams FC that four weeks into the new
season, he still does not have a regular first eleven.
Under normal circumstances, such concerns should not irritate the team’s followers because these are elements or factors a team needs to deliver.
“I am still looking for my best 11 to start and win games for Hearts; for now, I will keep trying the players until I get the right blend for the right results,” he told the media on Sunday.
The above presupposes that Koopman’s conundrum was far from over at least until he finds two things – a competent striker and a first eleven or starting team.
But one may quickly ask what has suddenly changed about a team that went on a goal-scoring spree during the pre-season; registering over 35 goals in the process.
Fascinatingly, the team keep scoring a lot of goals in the newly introduced recovery games after their league matches.
That, perhaps, should give credence to Koopman’s earlier claim that the problem should be laid at the doorstep of the team’s management for not helping him address the striking challenges.
Hearts’ only win in the competition has come against Nsoatreman at the Accra Sports Stadium with Congolese striker, Kashala Wanet, scoring the only goal of the match.
The Phobians have gone blank in the other games and that must certainly be a worry for a concerned coach who is obviously becoming frustrated with little or no effort from his bosses to address those concerns.
Interestingly, Wanet, the striker that saved his (Koopman) skin against Nsoatreman is the same player the coach is blaming for the team’s woes and asking to step up or face the drop.
In their last game, Wanet lasted for only 45 minutes, indicating Koopman’s dissatisfaction with the striker.
In the weeks before, Koopman had expressed hopes to sign another striker to strengthen the attacking department of the team, and to complement the efforts of Wanet.
In a no holds barred interview, the Dutch trainer made it clear the club was suffering from the exit of former striker,Issah Kukah, to KF Shkupi of North Macedonia on loan.
“I missed Kukah in this game (against Nsoatreman). I saw a lot of moments that he could have scored for us. We worked on him to bring him to that level but he’s gone. That is painful.”
Sadly for Koopman, that vacuum left by Kukah’s exit was expected to be filled by a Kassim Cissé from Cote d’Ivoire “but there is a problem that is above me. He trains with us. The board has brought him for me, but I want them to work on him, so he can start to play.”
Kassim is believed to be the architect, masterminding the pre-season and recovery games display for the Phobians but the failure to iron out registration issues has delayed his participation in the league.
That clearly underlines Koopman’s obstruction as he aims to remain with the elites to make a big title charge but having spelt it out clearly, it appears he has no other plan apart from the Kassim Cisse inclusion. It is a requirement the club’s management must meet, according to Koopman, to make the Phobians what they want to be.
By Andrew Nortey
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
