Sports
Hearts face Medeama in must-win battle
Hearts of Oak head coach Samuel Boadu will collide with former side Medeama SC, tomorrow in a must-win week 29 league fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium as they look to quickly rebound from their disappointing 1-1 stalemate against regional rivals Accra Great Olympics on Sunday.
Now pegged on 50 points apiece with arch-rivals Asante Kotoko, Boadu knows that any further slip will prove costly to his dream of leading the Phobians to their first title win in 13 years.
Boadu, who crossed carpet from the Tarkwa-based side to Hearts last March, instantaneously ignited a winning spirit in the Phobians – transforming the team to serious title contenders within a short span.
To add to his growing popularity amongst the fan base, Boadu is cognisant of the fact that masterminding wins over elite clubs like Medeama – to keep his side’s dream on track, is a sure way to increase his increasing stature and affection.
To hatch a winning plan against the team he nurtured for three seasons, Boadu is wary of the pool of midfield talent the visitors possess and how that could turn out to be the decider. Luckily, he has Benjamin Afutu and Emmanuel Nettey in stunning form to combat the marauding threats of Rashid Nortey and Richard Boadi in Medeama’s colours.
Medeama coach Yaw Preko, who also had coaching stints with the Phobians in the 2015-2016 season as an assistant, also harbours ideas of his own, after declaring his side’s readiness to ‘coup’ the title and determination to capture the three points to close-in on the host at the summit from their third position on the standings.
Fourth-placed Olympics will trek to the Ohene Ameyaw Park at Techiman to face troubled King Faisal. The home side, who in recent games seemed on course with their relegation pushback, have slumped in recent games and must produce something magical to topple their formidable visitors, who are chasing their first league triumph in 47 years.
In other fixtures tomorrow, sixth-placed Karela United would be eager to make a return to the top-four places when they host an in-form Legon Cities at the Anyinase CAM Park, whilst seventh-placed WAFA who lost their local derby against Liberty Professionals, will be hoping to get back to winning ways against fifth-placed Dreams FC – the league’s highest scoring team.
At Bechem, Bechem United will be eager to end their horrific five-game winless streak against Berekum Chelsea in a Brong Ahafo derby, whilst Aduana Stars host relegation battlers Liberty Professionals at their dreaded Nana Agyemang Badu Park where they remain unbeaten in 13 encounters.
At the Obuasi Len Clay, struggling AshantiGold will be aiming for a first win in three attempts against Ebusua Dwarfs, who have exhibited a penchant to pull surprises away from the Cape Coast Stadium this season. Elmina Sharks, who have now descended into the relegation pit, confront 14th-placed Eleven Wonders – who are fighting vigorously to steer clear of the drop zone.
On Monday, second-placed Asante Kotoko will continue their push for the title against bottom-placed Inter-Allies at the Dawu Theatre of Dreams.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
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.
