Sports
Asante Kotoko to travel to Sogakope for Legon Cities clash as Nations FC face Karela United at Abrankese
Former champions Asante Kotoko will face Legon Cities at WAFA Park in Sogakope saturday afternoon in search of only their second back to back wins in the season.
The Porcupine Warriors have won only once in their last five matches – coming on the back of one draw and three losses and sit in 13th place in the league table.
Legon Cities are not doing any better as they occupy the 16th position in the league log with 12 points having won one, drawn one and lost three games in their last five league outings.
Asante Kotoko go into the game looking to continue their outstanding performance against defending champions Medeama SC at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium where they needed a second half spot kick to win 1-0 to end their game winless run.
Legon Cities have played Asante Kotoko three times at home since 2020/21 with the porcupines winning two and drawing one – In the 2020/21 season, Asante Kotoko beat Legon Cities 1-0 and won 2-1 in the 2021/22 season before drawing 1-1 in the 2022/23 campaign.
Kalo Ouattara is Asante Kotoko’s top scorer with 2 goals in 10 games with defender Mohammed Sherif also on 2 goals for the Porcupine Warriors.
The likes of Richmond Lamptey, Steven Mukwala Desse, Yusif Nurudeen Mohammed, George Mfegue Omgba, Serge Eric Zeze and Henry Ansu are all fit and available for selection.
Head coach of Legon Cities Samuel Kwesi Fabin also has a strong squad with top scorer Frank Antwi (3 goals) ready to lead the lines on Saturday. Others include Nicholas Mensah, Nasiru Moro, Kwame Aziz, Kwabena Boateng, Frank Akoto and Samuel Tenedu.
The game will be broadcast live on StarTimes Adepa channel 247 at 3pm on Saturday.
At the Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex, Nations FC will face Karela United for the first time in the league. Karela United currently occupies the 15th position with 12 points having won one of their last five league matches. Shaibu Tanko’s side have drawn three and picked one defeat in the league but recovered to beat Aduana FC 2-1 for their first victory in eight games.
Nations FC are unbeaten at home following three wins and two draws in their debut season – scoring 10 and conceded 3 in the process. Nations FC have won three and lost two of their last five games and are currently 9th with 14 points. Midfielder Barimah Baah has scored 3 goals for the new boys and will be available for the game with the likes of Amidou Diarra, Asamoah Boateng Afriyie, Nafiu Sulemana, Emmanuel Boahene, Prince Acquah, Ishmael Antwi and Kwaku Duah all fit to start for Kasim Mingle’s side.
For the visitors, top scorer Evans Adomako WWireduwho has five goals to his name is available to start. They also have in their stable, Samuel Attah Kumi, Emmanuel Boakye Owusu, Abdul Latif, Fatawu Mohammed, Mohammed Asigre and Maxwell Arthur.
GFA COMMUNICATIONS
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.
