Sports
Kadiogo’s stunner, wake-up call for Hearts!
● Samuel Boadu – Hearts chief trainer
Right from the opening half of the nerve-jangling game, it was increasingly becoming clear that Asante Kotoko were on their way to a potential exit from the CAF Champions League preliminary stage as visiting Burkinabe side – RC Kadiogo, stole a 16th-minute lead at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The stadium, hitherto lively and tumultuous, surrendered its vivacity to a calm, confused stillness and trepidation, especially when Dramane Kambou’s free-kick exploded into the net of the Porcupine Warriors.
Faces of dyed-in-the-wool fans turned red and sore. The reverse imagery was obvious as the small band of Kadiogo fans here at the stadium cart-wheeled for joy. Kadiogo had suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first fixture played in Benin – instead of Burkina Faso; CAF having rejected their stadium for its shabby nature.
In a pre-match interview, the Kadiogo management had insisted on storming Kumasi to beat Kotoko before their pet contingent. That threat was taken with a pinch of salt by the Asanteman Warriors who predicted a repeat of the ‘prussic acid’ they served their opponents in Benin, a week earlier. But that was not to be!
After a 0-1 scoreline into the break, Kotoko returned onto the pitch full of piss and vinegar – working ruthlessly in a valiant attempt to pull parity and possibly strike victory. Nothing came out of their efforts that saw a profusion of opportunities blown off – until the two sides were ushered into the lottery of penalty kicks as the aggregate result stood at 1-1.
Believe it or not, before their own eyes in Kumasi, Kadiogo outkicked Kotoko (1-3) and plunged the stadium into torment and tears. For the Burkinabe, it was an encore of the 1979 victory they chalked over Kotoko in similar fashion – during the African Winners Cup competition.
It is sad that Ghana’s league champions could not even proceed beyond the first round of qualifiers. It is such a huge disappointment to Ghana football.
Kotoko may be looking back at the defeat with lots of anguish and wonder whether it was even prudent to let Coach Prosper Narteh Ogum go after guiding the Reds to win their 24th Premiership title last season. Ogum’s exit, partly triggered by a brouhaha over transfer targets towards their CAF Champions League, now raises very pertinent queries and the club’s hierarchy must bow their heads in shame.
Embarrassingly, out of 10 appearances, the Porcupine Warriors have suffered nine exits – only making it to the Group Stage Money Zone as far back as 2006.
That the four initial slots allotted Ghanaian clubs in Africa (two each in the Champions League and Confederation Cup competitions) have been slashed to two – due to shabby outputs in the competitions over the years, is disturbing – cannot be over-emphasised.
Even as one hopes important lessons have been picked up zooming into the future, it is the expectation of Ghanaians that Sunday’s result must be a wake-up call to Hearts of Oak who begin their CAF Confederation Cup competition next month.
Hearts drew a bye in the first round and would now face Mali side Real Bamako who got the better of AS Douanes of Burkina Faso.
In 2004, Hearts won the maiden edition of the CAF Confederation Cup by upstaging sworn rivals and compatriots – Kotoko. Could they snatch it again? None can tell now; but truth is that they face a real mammoth task head in the campaign.
The Phobians have not been stimulating enough in the start of the betPawa Ghana Premier League, having lost one (1-0) and drawing the other (1-1) against Aduana Stars and Great Olympics respectively. They really have to improve – and it must be swift before their continental campaign rolls off.
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.
