Sports
Hearts, Kotoko battle for supremacy
The Baba Yara Sports Stadium will come alive tomorrow when the two biggest clubs in Ghana, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko clash in the second leg of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) match week 24 fixture.
For everything positive leaders Kotoko have done so far this season, they start as favourites going into the clash; but most often, games of this nature have been far from just the form of the teams.
The Phobians have managed three wins from their last five games played in the league, amassing 10 points from an available 15, with one draw and a defeat.
Kotoko, on the other hand, have nine points from their last five games (two wins and three draws) and currently 13 points superior to their sworn-rival ahead of tomorrow’s encounter.
In the last league meeting between these two in Accra, defending champions Hearts under Samuel Boadu were held to a disappointing 0-0 by Prosper Ogum’s Kotoko at the Accra Sports Stadium.
With 11 games to climax the 2021/2022 campaign, there is still a lot to play for and if there is a defeat in this game for either of the sides, Hearts will be the team to feel the aftermath effect as it will further complicate their chances of retaining their title.
The Phobians emerged winners of the (GPL) last season but failed to live up to the spark people were looking forward to see this campaign.
This will be the 110th league meeting between these two sides with Hearts winning (37) while Kotoko have made with 35 – 36 games also ending in a stalemate.
Also in the last five meetings at the Accra Sports Stadium in the top-flight, Kotoko have won three with two going the way of Hearts.
It will also provide another platform for the bragging rights. Prior to joining the Porcupine Warriors, Prosper Ogum Narteh faced Samuel Boadu three times as coach of WAFA, won two and conceded one defeat. Boadu suffered a 5-4 loss as head coach of Medeama to WAFA before meeting Narteh twice as gaffer of Hearts.
Today at the Accra Sports Stadium, debutants Accra Lions will welcome Karela United to the Accra Sports Stadium. Lions lost 2-0 to Karela in the first round and again were defeated by the same score last weekend.
They will hope to bounce back and stabilise a spot on the league, while Karela will also hope to deepen the woes of the home team.
Tomorrow at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium, 13th placed AshantiGold SC will host West Africa Soccer Academy (WAFA).
The Miners were 1-0 winners in their last outing with WAFA, a result they hope to replicate as WAFA will be in search of a win to move out of the relegation zone.
Second-placed Bechem United will lock horns with Gold Stars at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park tomorrow.
Battling Kotoko on a hot chase for the title, the Hunters are yet to be defeated in their last five meetings, winning three and two draws.
Gold Stars managed a narrow 1-0 win against the title contenders in December and they must improve on that if they want to outshine the home team.
Tomorrow, an improved Legon Cities will make a trip to the Golden City Park to face Berekum Chelsea.
With 30 points each between the two sides on eighth and ninth positions respectively, both will aim for a victory – having played out a goalless draw in their last meeting.
Struggling Eleven Wonders will travel on Sunday to square off with Dreams at the Dawu Theatre of Dreams Park. It ended a 1-1 draw between the two clubs when they last met in December.
Wonders won 2-0 over Accra Lions on match day 23 while Dreams will hope to bounce back after their 1-0 defeat to Gold Stars.
Bottom-placed Elmina Sharks will be at the Nduom Park tomorrow to welcome King Faisal. The Sharks are keen on deepening the woes of King Faisal who are winless in their last four games.
Former league champions, Aduana Stars will clash with Accra Great Olympics at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow. Aduana is yet to be defeated in their last seven games – and with four wins and three draws, their quest to hustle Kotoko for the title cannot be written off.
Olympics will also have to improve their output after going without a win in their last three games with one draw and two defeats.
Medeama SC will take on Real Tamale United (RTU) tomorrow at the Tarkwa T&N Park to climax the round of games.
Following their stunning 3-2 victory over Berekum Chelsea away, the premier league returnees will be aiming to improve on their last result, while sixth-placed Medeama will need a win to keep them in the title chase.
BY LINUS SIAW NARTE
Attention will be at the Golden City Park in Berekum tomorrow as Hearts of Oak lock horns with Berekum Chelsea FC in a Ghana Premier League Matchday 6 game that promises an electrifying atmosphere.
Lying sixth on the league table with two wins and three draws, the Phobians visit a ground that has been favourable to them in recent times. In their last three visits to the Golden City Park, Hearts have amassed seven out of nine points, putting them in strong contention to win.
Head Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani says, “The team is making progress in its tactical identity despite the lack of goals, and this is something we are working on ahead of this game.”
Hearts will come face-to-face with former coach Samuel Boadu, whose side lies a distant 13th on the league table with a win and a draw from four games. Coach Boadu is yet to celebrate a victory over the Phobians since joining the Berekum lads and would hope this fixture marks a turnaround.
Ninth-placed Vision FC would trek to the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park in Bechem to play Bechem United, while new boys Hohoe United host Aduana FC at the Hohoe Sports Stadium.
Returnees Swedru All Blacks will welcome Basake Holy Stars to the Swedru Sports Stadium, with defending league champions Bibiani Gold Stars staying put at their backyard, the Dun’s Park, to welcome second-placed Heart of Lions FC on Monday.
Today at the TnA Stadium in Tarkwa, Medeama SC will clash with Samartex FC in a Western derby. Other games scheduled for today would see Eleven Wonders FC host Karela United at the Swedru Sports Stadium, while Dreams FC face Nations FC at the Tuba Astro Turf.
By Raymond Ackumey
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Ghana coach Otto Addo may not command the kind of fear and respect like Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique and others in the modern game, but in his small corner, he is gradually climbing the ladder to greatness in Ghana, Africa and the world at large.
The aforementioned coaches attained greatness with club sides and, therefore, open an argument over whether one is not comparing apples to oranges. But no matter how one looks at it, they are all coaches harbouring similar ambitions to attain greatness in their fields.
Otto Addo is one of the young and upcoming coaches holding a lot of promise and was getting experience with his association with Borussia Dortmund in Germany until his path was directed by a Ghana call.
Although he was born in Germany, Otto Addo’s association with Ghana football dates back to 1999, spanning a period of about seven years; commencing with a 5–0 rout of Eritrea on February 28. He gained international prominence when he joined the squad for the 2000 African Cup of Nations. He featured as a midfielder in the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
But like it’s often said, a prophet is not recognised in his own home and his efforts partially went unnoticed. He’ll go into the annals as one of the Black Stars coaches to have been fairly or otherwise criticised not just by ‘football people’ but fans who doubted him.
His sack has been discussed at various platforms by people whose knowledge and tactical acumen about the game remains questionable. Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Mr Kofi Adams, at one point openly stated his doubts over Otto Addo’s ability to actually deliver.
No coach would feel secured in such turbulent times, but coach Otto Addo kept his calm and composure. On the corridors of his employers, however, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Okraku, openly rallied support for him, though a few ‘doubting Thomases’ still questioned his credentials.
That painted a picture of a people that forget easily and are quick to crucify. In a brief moment of adversity, Ghanaians forgot how Otto Addo was brought in to pluck qualification for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup from the jaws of the Super Eagles of Nigeria with a solitary goal over two legs.
The upshot of that feat was not one any Nigerian would want to remember. The scenes after the match were awfully chaotic, as fans vented their anger on facilities at the stadium. Back in Ghana, it was partying all night and day.
Otto Addo was labeled the football magician. He achieved something no Ghanaian coach had ever accomplished; a feat which Ghana with her all-time best teams could not attain. That was the climax to which Otto Addo took Ghana football, generating calls to start believing in the Ghanaian coach.
Following that to the World Cup proper was another story altogether. It was, or may have been, our poorest show at any of the four World Cup appearances. And just as it was stipulated in his contract, he bowed out after the Qatar World Cup to mind his Borussia Dortmund business with peace.
But as fate would have it, nature found a way to renew his romance with Ghana football after an unconvincing start to the America, Canada and Mexico dream World Cup under special advisor turned coach, Chris Hughton.
Ghana started the qualifiers on a winning note but not a convincing performance. It was saved by an Inaki Williams goal scored on the sixth minute of additional time against Madagascar at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium. The Black Stars then slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the Stade de Moroni to Comoros to heighten calls for a new technical direction.
Then stepped in Otto Addo when Ghana occupied the fourth position in Group I with three points but with the countries in the group evenly matched.
By Andrew Nortey
