Sports
Fare thee well, Nana Pooley
Suggestions to name the current season of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) after the murdered Asante Kotoko fan, Nana Pooley, has been treated in some quarters as a joke.
But after considering the damage the incident had on the competition’s image and the forced initiatives that followed the infamous event, naming the 2024/25 season after him should be the easiest thing to do.
On a bright match day 19 at Nsoatre, football lovers had thronged the venue to have fun watching Nsoatreman, a young and forceful club rubbing shoulders with previous continental giants, Asante Kotoko.
Until the unfortunate incident, the atmosphere had been serene and charged football-wise despite earlier skirmishes by fans as both teams arrived.
There was security presence but as to why they failed to bring the situation under control remains answers to come out following investigations into the matter.
Kotoko then started flexing their muscles, opting against the continuation of the league. Interestingly, in death, they courted the support of their biggest rivals, Hearts of Oak.
And of course when you have this two together taking such a decision, then definitely, the FA, organisers of the competition must move from its plush office at Ridge and hit the roads to Oseikrom to sympathise with the Asanteman warriors.
Yesterday, Nana Pooley was laid to rest after a funeral ceremony held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. For some, he died as a hero and would forever be remembered.
That, perhaps, explains the call to name the season after him. That is quite subjective.
But come to think of it; if Hearts and Kotoko rode on the back of the Nana Pooley incident to remind Ghanaians of their ‘heavyweight’ status, then it would not be a bad idea to name the season after the fallen porcupine.
Again, as a result, preparation and documentation to get an autonomous body to run the league was dusted after finding comfortable rest in lockers at the FA.
The big clubs tested the waters but a swift response from the FA, regarding it readiness to hand over the process to the body (Autonomous Premier League) it claimed had already registered, waiting the Premier League clubs to show up, calmed the nerves of all.
Then the biggest of all was the introduction of the Enhanced Matchday Security Protocol and a review of match venues, some of which have been rejected.
All manner of stakeholders have been caught up in the implementation of this protocol – Match Commissioners, Clubs representatives, Venue Media Officers and many others have all been offered training in order to ensure that safety remains the watch word at venues.
The fans have not been spared. Their leadership were also trained to educate their members on staying away from hooliganism.
After a month of work, the GPL is returning this season but with a tough sacrifice.
And one of the ways to not make the death of Nana Pooley be in vain is to nib hooliganism in the bud. That would obviously be supported by the protocols introduced by the FA.
Investigation would, however, continue until the culprit is arrested for justice to be served. That would surely make it known to fans that hooligans are not entertained at match venues.
The football family would miss your antics that infuriates some while others see the amusing parts to make the day an interesting one. Fare thee well, Nana Pooley.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
GoldStars GPL feat no fluke
No prophet in Ghana would have been taken serious with prophesies of Bibiani GoldStars becoming the new champions of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League (GPL).
That is not to take anything away from Coach Frimpong Manso, an Asante Kotoko legend, and his boys for the yeoman’s job they did in the just ended season.
They deserve every bit of the plaudits coming from well-wishers.
They came, they saw and conquered on their fourth year (2021/2022 season) in the elite stage of Ghana football.
Of course, this can only be a reality in the end but not a sound prediction at the start of the season.
But, so has it been. Stories like that of GoldStars sharply brings to mind a similar fairytale orchestrated in the advanced English Premier League (GPL) with the 2015/16 edition.
In the face of the Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool dominance, Leicester emerged with a bang, conquering every hurdle in sight with unsung heroes like Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Shinji Okazaki, Leonardo Ulloa, Danny Drinkwater, Robert Huth, Riyad Mahrez and others.
There was no indication of that sort at the start of the season.
As usual, the focus was on the aforementioned heavyweights but Leicester took the competition by storm to record a historic win.
Back home, the GoldStars story is not different. Despite the recent struggles by perennial favourites, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, the two have always found their ways in fans prediction regarding the side to emerge winners.
Interestingly, both sides just managed to end up in the top four after Nations FC’s decision to abandon a game against Basake Holy Stars who cost them dearly, in the end, forfeiting the said game and going ahead to suffer a further three points deduction penalty.
Nations FC were actually the top favourites for the title until that ill-fated match against Basake Holy Stars.
Campaigning for the second year in the competition, very few followers of the game gave the Timber giants any chance.
But in the same ‘Rambo’ style, teams like Medeama SC and Aduana Stars descended on the GPL, GoldStars emerged with all guns blazing, strategically employing a tactic of making the Dun’s Park in Bibiani, a waterloo for visiting teams.
On a few occasions, they sprung surprises on the journey, recording a few upsets against gullible teams including Hearts of Oak in Accra.
They had a promising coach like Frimpong Manso who is yet to establish himself among the elites local coaches maybe because he is yet to work with any of the established club sides in the country.
But winning the local competition with a less endowed club makes you a legend, and truly, he has become one.
To management and other members of the technical team, one could only congratulate them for a job well executed.
The players have a huge role to play in proving that the feat was no fluke and that GoldStars has come to stay; and would continue to make an impact in the local game.
Much is not known about these players except Vincent Atinga who plied his trade with Hearts of Oak and Medeama SC. Others like Samuel Attah Kumi, Frank Amankwah, Kelvin Oppong, Charles Gyamfi Kamara, Abdul Farouk Amoaful, Gideon Anaba, Samuel Acheampong, Foster Agyei and Yakubu Haqq remain emerging talents aiming to carve a niche for themselves.
Definitely with the new challenge, some areas of the team would be strengthened as they face the finest sides on the continent.
Another season with a new champion should also serve as a wake-up call for the likes of Hearts or Oak and Asante Kotoko to quickly return to their glory days lest they lose their enviable place among the football elite clubs. Well-done GoldStars.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Golden Kick, a tricky obstacle for Kotoko in MTN FA Cup final tomorrow
The University of Ghana Stadium will come alive tomorrow when Ghanaian giants, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, take on lower tier side, Golden Kicks FC, in a thrilling climax to the 2024/25 MTN FA Cup final tomorrow at exactly 5pm.
The much anticipated game, which is more than just a battle for silverware but a meeting of tradition and ambition for both teams, is expected to draw thousands of football fanatics across the country to the Legon stadium for what promises to be a dramatic and tricky finale to this season’s domestic cup competition.
After an unsuccessful season in the Ghana Premier League which saw the Reds miss out on the title to Bibiani GoldStars, the Porcupine Warriors will be desperate to finish the season on a high by clinching the title to secure a place in the next CAF interclub competition.
The Reds have a rich history in the FA Cup competition having won it nine times and will be eyeing their 10th title to stamp their authority as the overall best.
Before reaching this stage, Asante Kotoko eliminated formidable opponents like True Democracy, Sekondi Eleven Wise and Berekum Chelsea in the semi-final.
The availability of players like Justice Blay, Kwame Opoku, Frederick Asare, Peter Amidu Acquah and striker Albert Amoah, among other notable players will be a big boost to Coach Karim Zito’s side.
Meanwhile, the task will not be an easy one for Kotoko looking at the way their opponents reached the final with wins over Accra Hearts of Oak and Bechem United before climaxing it with Attram d’ Visser.
Coached by young and tactical Fiifi Parker Hanson, Golden Kicks have a combined youthful team with tactical discipline to punch well above their weight and relish the opportunity to shock the giants once more on a bigger stage.
This final is more than just a contest between Premier League royalty and a hungry underdog but rather a tale of two contrasting football identities. Kotoko brings the weight of tradition, experience, legacy and pressure while Golden Kicks arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove which makes the game a promised one, full of thrills and fireworks.
By Enoch Ntiamoah
