Sports
Hasaacas must be rewarded for their blond effort
● Hasaacas players celebrating a goal during last year’s Women CAF Champions League
tournament
For two reasons, Ghana’s most accomplished women club side, Hasaacas Ladies, must have punched their hands in the air in celebration when they dazzled all to reach the final stage of the maiden Women’s CAF Champions League last year.
Firstly, they were thrilled for being one of the two clubs on the continent to steer their path to the competition’s finale, and secondly, the transport of joy may have been triggered by an expectation of good cash to come with the momentous feat.
It is sad to say that almost a year (November 19, 2021) after playing in the grand finale and losing to Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0, nothing had come in reward for the Ghanaians – who continued to hang on hope.
That hope got burnt out last week when the former Ghanaian champions were told in plain language that their efforts would not be complemented with cash rewards for their 2021 Women’s Champions League feat, having won the WAFU Zone B edition in Cote d’Ivoire earlier.
“On prize money, CAF spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the first edition. There was no prize money announced. When the discussion came after the tournament, the President said it wasn’t fair to announce prize money after the competition. This was the correct approach, of course,” a piece of the CAF statement, read.
It is just unfortunate. This is highly unfair. How do you expect a team to play at this level without any monetary returns? We hear Hasaacas were even told not to showcase any product on their jerseys. What does that mean? This is simply atrocious! How do you organise a continental competition at this level without any budget for it? Playing for free in this age and time? This is simply crazy!
The players, technical team and management have worked very hard to walk away with something. It seems as if CAF may have capitalised on the naivety of Haasacas. The Ghanaian club may have decided to pull out if they were told there was not going to be anything for them.
This weird decision by CAF has the propensity of having a calamitous effect on women football if clubs are treated in this manner by the same institution that wants the local FAs to fight for the female game.
CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe says women are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of African football and the socio-economic development and growth of the African Continent. This was part of his remarks to mark the International Women’s Day on Tuesday, March 8. Can he be serious, really?
Chief Executive of Hasaacas Ladies, Evelyn Nsiah, is not convinced.
“We as a club are very disappointed in CAF because they requested our bank details after the tournament, which was provided. So if they didn’t have a budget, what did they need our bank details for? Can this happen in men’s football?
“We are disappointed and sad. In fact, they have to come again. We haven’t accepted it; we believe they will have a change of mind,” she told JoySports recently.
Is the CAF President aware Hasaacas Ladies are yet to get a farthing after participating in the tournament? If yes, then his so-called commitment to women football development is questionable – very problematic.
On this note, it is high time the Ghana Football Association (GFA) led by Kurt Okraku got stirred to fight the just cause of the Ghanaians ladies. The GFA President himself has said several times that women football is on top his agenda; and this is the time now for him to accentuate that assertion more than ever.
For now, CAF cannot be serious with its loyalty to the women’s game and they must sit up before it is too late.
PlainTalk with John Vigah
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.
