Sports
Benjamin Asare, Razak Simpson set new standards …as Samartex emerges 13th winner of competition
The 2023/24 Ghana Premier League produced a 13th different winner in the history of the competition following Medeama SC’s inability to retain the title.
The Tarkwa lads finished eighth in the just ended campaign as they were ‘overthrown’ by Sameraboi based, FC Samartex 1996.
Statistics released by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) confirmed three clubs, Accra Great Olympics, Bofoakwa Tano and Real Tamale United as sides to have suffered relegation while, FC Samartex 1996, Accra Lions, Berekum Chelsea and Nsoatreman FC finished in the top four.
FC Samartex successfully won the Premier League title for the first time to become the 13th different winner of the competition having qualified for the elite league only two seasons ago. They finished the season with 61 points – same points as Accra Accra Hearts of Oak in the 2021/22 season. Record holders, Asante Kotoko, lifted the 2021-22 League title with 67 points, while Medeama SC won the trophy with 60 points last season.
Abrankese based, Nations FC, played in the Premier League for the first time yet set an impressive record as the only unbeaten side at home.
Kasim Mingle’s team won 10 and drew 7 in 17 home games at the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex. Striker Stephen Amankona is the second Berekum Chelsea player to win the top scorers award with 19 goals as he joins Kofi Owusu who scored the same number of goals (19) to win the golden boot in 2015. Stephen Amankona also becomes the second best top scorer in the last four League seasons – three goals behind Yaw Annor who netted 22 in the 2021-22 season.
Berekum Chelsea’s Stephen Amankona made the headlines with his goal scoring prowess as he ended the season with 19 goals with Steven Mukwala Desse of Asante Kotoko netting 14 goals of which nine were scored on the road.
Agyenim Boateng Mensah of Dreams FC scored 14 goals –his best performance in the League since his move from Division One side, Nzema Kotoko. Ebenezer Abban of Heart of Lions scored 13 goals to become the most prolific defender in the last four years.
Benjamin Asare completed the season with 16 clean sheets yet suffered relegation with Accra Great Olympics after the ‘Dade Boys’ finished in the bottom three. Asare becomes the first goalkeeper in the last four seasons to be relegated after winning the golden gloves.
Still on Benjamin Asare, he is the League’s second best goalkeeper in terms of clean sheets in the last two seasons. Only Iddrisu Abdulai, formerly of Bechem United, has a better record of 18 clean sheets in the 2021-22 season.
Among the debutants in the Ghana Premier League, Hamza Issah who joined Hearts of Oak from feeder club, Auroras, scored 13 goals in his debut campaign. Heart of Lions’ Ebenezer Abban also netted 13 goals in his first League season having played a role in the Kpando Boys’ return to the Ghana Premier League.
Heart of Lions centre back, Ebenezer Abban, scored nine goals from the spot to equal Vincent Atinga Addae’s record (9 goals) for Medeama SC in the 2022-23 Ghana Premier League.
Among the 18 Premier League teams, only Accra Lions played the entire season without a single goal from a spot kick. Heart of Lions were awarded the most (11) penalties this season.
Great Olympics goalkeeper, Benjamin Asare, featured in the League more than any other player with 3,258 minutes. Nine of the top 10 players with the most League appearance are defenders with one goalkeeper in the list.
Nations FC defender, Razak Simpson, won the NASCO Man of the Match awards more than any other player. The former WAFA Centre back bagged seven Man of the Match awards in his debut campaign with Nations FC.
The 2023/24 season recorded 628 goals, one more than the 2021-22 season which had 627 goals. The 2020-21 season produced 691 goals (highest in the last four years) with the 2022/23 season following in second place with 644 goals.
Matchday 4 and Matchday 24 recorded the least number of goals in the season (11), while Matchday 8 had 28 goals (the highest in the season) with a total of 628 goals scored in the just ended campaign.
Accra Great Olympics, Medeama SC and Heart of Lions had the cleanest of sheets in the season (16). While, League Champions, FC Samartex, Nsoatreman FC and Berekum Chelsea had 15 clean sheets each in the season.
Nsoatreman FC and Asante Kotoko SC recorded five away wins each to end the season as teams with most away wins.
Clubs with the most goals scored, included champions FC, Samartex (45), Dreams FC (44) and Aduana FC (43).
Ghana Premier League record holders, Asante Kotoko, scored 17 away goals this season with Steven Mukwala Desse netting nine of the goals. (Record away goal scoring form by a player in the League).
Relegated Real Tamale United lost 21 games (worst record by a club in the League), Aduana FC lost 16 games having finished in fifth place.
Bofoakwa Tano, who suffered relegation, recorded 15 draws – the highest in the League. Heart of Lions, Accra Hearts of Oak, Bechem United and Accra Great Olympics occupy the top five spots.
Also, League Champions, FC Samartex, won 19 games in the league with 16 of them coming at home and three others on the road.
Accra Lions played the entire season without receiving a red card but Legon Cities and Nsoatreman recorded six red cards each. (Season’s worst record).
Thirty-One (31) centre referees officiated 306 Ghana Premier League games with Julian Nunoo officiating 17 of the games – the highest of the season. Juliet Appiah is the only female centre referee to officiate in this seasons League.
Sports
Black Starlets arrives in Morocco on U-17 AFCON mission …FA boss charges team to make Ghana proud
The Black Starlets, the national U-17 male team, have safely arrived in Casablanca ahead of the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The team departed Accra on Wednesday, travelling with a 35-man contingent made up of 21 players and 14 officials, all focused on delivering a strong campaign on the continental stage.
They completed a smooth five-hour flight to Morocco, where final preparations will continue before the tournament kicks off.
The technical team is expected to fine-tune tactics and build cohesion among the squad as they gear up for the competition.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Mr Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, was present at the Accra International Airport to bid farewell to the team.
Speaking during a brief farewell at the Airport, the FA President urged the team to carry a ‘never say die’ spirit into the competition.
President Simeon-Okraku emphasised the importance of mental strength and unity, particularly in difficult moments during matches. His message was inspired by the team’s recent friendly encounters against Cote d’Ivoire, where they bounced back strongly after an initial defeat.
“I’m very happy that when you lost to Cote d’Ivoire in your first game during your friendly matches, you were able to bounce back—not only to dominate but to outscore them in the second game,” he said. “I read a lot of meaning into that, and I want all of you to keep that in your heads—that, it’s not over until it’s all over,” he added.
The FA president stressed that the ability to respond positively to setbacks would be crucial in a tournament as competitive as the AFCON.
He encouraged the players to stay united and support one another when the pressure intensifies on the continental stage.
“When the chips are down, that’s when we need to hold each other together,” Okraku added. “So go out there and make Ghana proud.”
Ghana will compete in Group D alongside Algeria, Senegal, and South Africa, with their opening match scheduled for Thursday, May 14.
Twenty-three (23) players have been called up for this month’s international friendly against Mexico.
The squad is composed of star players from the domestic league and European leagues who are closely monitored by Coach Carlos Queiroz, as well as U-23 players who will soon represent Ghana in the upcoming Olympic Games qualifiers.
Notable names include Majeed Ashimeru, Felix Afena-Gyan, Razak Simpson, and Birmingham City’s Ibrahim Osman.
Ashimeru returns to action after a long spell on the sidelines due to a muscle injury that limited his appearances at both club and national level.
Also in the team is Felix Afena-Gyan, whose last appearance for Ghana was in May last year when he featured against Trinidad and Tobago in the Unity Cup in London.
Barcelona B’s Abdul Aziz Issah, Ebenezer Annan of AS Saint-Étienne, Ibrahim Osman of Birmingham City, and Paul Reverson of Ajax FC have also been included in the squad.
Midfielder Salim Adams, one of the key players for Ghana Premier League leaders Medeama SC, leads the group of home-based players.
Others are Heart of Lions’ Ebenezer Abban, Ebenezer Adade of Dreams FC, and Nations FC captain Razak Simpson. Ghana will travel to Mexico for the international friendly on Friday, May 22, 2026.
