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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
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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Intercity STC Coaches Limited has interdicted a driver captured in a viral video allegedly hitting a Sprinter bus during an overtaking manoeuvre at Pokuase before driving away from the scene.
In a public notice, the company described the driver’s conduct as unacceptable, stressing that it did not reflect the safety standards and professionalism it upholds.
Management said it had commenced an immediate investigation into the incident and identified the driver, who has been interdicted pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.
The company added that it was awaiting an official report from the Pokuase Police Command to help establish the facts surrounding the incident.
STC reaffirmed its commitment to passenger safety and responsible road use, while thanking members of the public for bringing the incident to its attention.
Management assured the public that appropriate action would be taken following the investigation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
