Sports
Hearts, Aduana clash in Dormaa …as betPawa Premier League bellows off
The 2022/23 betPawa Ghana Premier League (GPL) has finally kicked off with Hearts of Oak set to begin their campaign with a clash with Aduana Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu Park in Dormaa today.
The 2022-21 winners failed to live up to expectation during last year’s season campaign which was dominated by inconsistencies.
The Phobians, who only took solace in winning the FA Cup last season, would be desperate to begin the new campaign on a bright note with a win away from home.
With the likes of arguably the best player in Ghana currently – Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, in hot form, along with Seidu Suraj and Mohammed Alhassan – who were sensational for the Black Galaxies, Hearts’ redemption from last season seem to be in place.
Skipper of the Black Galaxies, Gladson Awako, though failed to replicate the form that saw his switch from Accra Great Olympics to Hearts last season, would also be eager to make a statement in the Rainbow colours.
Aduana, however, would be comfortable playing at home and set up to frustrate Hearts with support from their home fans.
In other games today, Great Olympics will face off with Bechem United at the Accra Sports Stadium in another fascinating encounter.
The Dade boys after winning the GHALCA G6 tournament should be beaming with confidence going into the new season and a win against Bechem United at home would be a great start.
With former Black Stars player and World Cup winner Emmanuel Agyemang Badu bringing some experience and leadership into the squad, Olympics look set to challenge for some silverware this season.
The Bechem team had been a delight to watch in recent times and is gradually becoming a huge force to reckon with on the local scene and could challenge for a top-four place or possibly for the league title this season.
At the Golden City Park, Berekum Chelsea take on King Faisal in another mouth-watering clash with both teams expected to battle for all three points.
At Bibiani, last season debutants who ensured they remained in the league, Gold Stars will play as hosts to Dreams FC, while Karela would battle it out with Tamale City at the Crosby Awuah Memorial Park. Newly-promoted Kotoko Royals would be looking forward to making a good impression as they engage Accra Lions at the Rovers Park, while Medeama welcome Legon Cities to Tarkwa for an interesting game.
Newly-promoted Tamale United will host another newcomer Samartex to a fierce clash on a delightful weekend of football. However, the match between defending champions Asante Kotoko and Nsoatreman FC has been postponed due to the champions’ engagement in continental football.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
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.
