Sports
Deliver us from relegation
A line up of the Accra Hearts of Oak team
Premier Club, Accra Hearts of Oak and city rivals, Accra Great Olympics are without doubt the oldest and most experienced club sides in the capital.
They have enjoyed a great and healthy rivalry for which reason clashes between them were considered very attractive after a Hearts-Asante Kotoko blockbuster.
Clashes between the two city neighbours generated series of headlines linked with outcomes of their matches and in some quarters, have been tagged the ‘Accra brothers.’
With time, new clubs in Accra including Tema Youth, Liberty Professionals, Inter Allies, and more recently, Accra Lions have all entered the elite platform to rub shoulders with the big guns but have not been able to dislodge the two traditional powerhouses.
Truth is, a chunk of supporters are shared between them with Hearts commanding greater numbers and enjoy a superior record against Olympics.
For the Wonder Club, they boast of just two GPL diadems but Hearts are serial winners, winning over 20 trophies while they dominated and conquered Africa in the 2000s in addition to other trophies they won.
But in recent times, the excitement that comes with their games appear to be fading following their dwindling fortunes in the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
Having been relegated on three occasions in almost two decades now, Olympics are noted for their inconsistency but it is notso with the Phobians.
But for a club that used to challenge for the ultimate almost every season with Asante Kotoko, it becomes strange and shocking to see Hearts drop to such levels.
Last season, it became apparent that they were heading for the drop with their rivals until a few outcomes favoured them to escape relegation.
Lessons have not been learnt from that and in the current season, both Hearts and Olympics find themselves in the murky relegation waters again.
The reason for this downward spiral is not exactly known.
What is known are attempts to halt it but the changes in the technical teams – a situation that saw Jimmy Cobblah replace Annor Walker and Aboubaka Ouatarra replacing Martin Koopman, have not yielded the right result.
Hearts’ statistic of losing as many as four games in their last six or so games makes their situation even more precarious.
It therefore came as little wonder when their supporters registered their displeasure in their respective last home games in which they lost – Oly to Medeama and Hearts to Accra Lions.
While the AGOSU faithful vented their anger on the match officials, Hearts fans took issue with their players who they blamed for the poor run.
With six games to end the season, the Save Our Souls (SOS) call from the fans was very relevant considering the opposition they face at this stage of the competition and the form in which they find themselves. Their prayer by now may be for God to deliver them from relegation.
What makes their survival dicey is the fact that the two teams struggle at home where they are supposed to earn the points to boost their survival.
Secondly, they have been extremely poor in front of goal, wasting the numerous chances that come their way.
In the last stretch, Hearts and Olympics would have to define their fate by halting the negative results. Failure to do so could worsen their plight by plunging further into the doldrums.
Less than a month ago, another powerhouse, Asante Kotoko was a laughing stock over similar performances but two wins in a row have stemmed the tide and they look quite comfortable as of now.
Hearts and Olympics can do same if they start winning their games but if they continue with this trend, relegation will be real for them. Oly may be aware of that but for Hearts, relegation would look more like a fiction.
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.
