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Hearts, Kotoko clash over bragging rights
Kumasi Asante Kotoko will be hoping to exact revenge on arch-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak when the two sides renew their edgy confrontations tomorrow at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana football’s ‘Super Clash’, as they honour an outstanding matchday seven fixture of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
Last season’s title-defining clash on matchday 31 ended with a sublime Daniel Afriyie Barnieh lone-goal eventually handing the league trophy to the Phobians, ending their 12-year chase for the most coveted prize on the domestic football scene.
At the opposite side, it turned out to be an ego-crushing loss for the ‘Porcupine Warriors’ who never got their acts together as their season crumbled afterwards settling for second position on the league log.
This feat etched Hearts coach, Samuel Boadi as a cult figure and a gaffer marked for great exploits at the club as he added the Football Association (FA) Cup to Hearts’ collection last season.
Fast forward to the end of a new season and the tables have turned drastically; Kotoko are flourishing under new trainer, Dr Prosper Nartey Ogum. They lead the chasing pack at the end of the first round with 36 points, six points adrift closest contenders Bechem United who have amassed 30 points.
Meanwhile, Hearts are languishing at eighth position on the log with 24 points and their chances of defending their status quo as champions slipping away as the weeks roll-on.
Coach Boadu now feels the tide turning against him, the love dissipating, especially when his side cracked against Regional foes, Great Olympics recently, in their derby clash, submiting to a 1-0 loss to the ‘Wonder Club’ thus suffering their first home loss of the season and a winless run against Olympics in three outings.
Against this backdrop, coach Boadu is cognisant that a win, no matter its shape or form in this epic clash, will buy him some goodwill and maybe the required trigger needed to transform his side’s season fortunes.
But to achieve this, he needs his best guys to show up. Cringing at the absence of nimble-footed winger Ibrahim Sulley, he has captain Fatawu Mohammed, forward Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, creative force Awako Gladson, striker Kofi Kordzi, Salim Adams, Kojo Obeng Jnr, Isaac Mensah and Black Stars goalie, Richard Attah to count on to deliver a five-star performance whilst veteran Sulley Muntari is expected to provide the necessary inspiration needed for such a high-stake encounter.
Just like Boadu, much would be in play for Kotoko gaffer, Dr Ogum, who would be eager to deepen his affection among the Kotoko faithful –
wary that a win against Hearts would be a masterstroke in attaining that.
It would also be to prove that his side’s 3-2 defeat to King Faisal in the regional derby earlier in the season at the Baba Yara was just a mild setback and that he was up to the task of delivering the needed results against the ‘big boys.’
Despite the absence of injured influencial players, playmaker Brazilian Fabio Gama, young prodigy Isaac Oppong and Ieft-back Ibrahim Imoro out due to suspension, the talent at Dr Ogum’s disposal is still shockingly hard to pick from.
From the league top scorer Franck Etouga and his Cameroonian campatriot George’s Mfegue who boast a combined 15 goals, to midfielders Richard Lamptey, Sheriff Mohammed, Mudasiru Salifu, Justice Blay, Richard Boadu, to the defensive unit of captain Ismail Ganiu and Yusif Mubarik, Coach Ogum has the ensemble of a star-studded cast that can deliver a top performance to make their revenge mission a reality.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
