Sports
Karela United tipped to shove Liberty aside
League leaders Karela United will attempt to maintain their hold on top of the ladder as they welcome struggling Liberty Professionals to the Anyinase Park tomorrow in the Week 15 encounter of the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
Already tipped as title favourites, Karela have enjoyed a great run of results in the ongoing season as they edge closer to their target.
After picking up a vital away win against Ebusua Dwarfs in their last meeting, the Anyinase-based side would be eager to continue with their winning streak.
With talisman Diawusie Taylor in good shape ahead of the clash, the top scorer will be hoping to continue with his fine scoring form as he currently boasts of 10 goals from 14 games which has won him a call-up to the Black Stars ahead of the AFCON qualifiers.
The ‘Scientific Soccer’ lads, however, have not been impressive this season. With only three wins, six draws and five defeats as they occupy the 15th position with 15 points.
Nevertheless, Liberty, who were up by a 2-1 lead only for Inter Allies to snatch the equaliser late in the game, could use tomorrow’s test to escape from the relegation zone. The return of darling boy Brite Andoh and the addition of energetic midfielder Prosper Ahiabu, will do good to their assignment.
In the other weekend clash, trouble-hit Hearts of Oak host Ebusua Dwarfs at the Accra Sports Stadium tomorrow in a dicey game. The Phobians, after two straight defeats at the feet of local rivals Great Olympics and Medeama SC last weekend, would seek to return to winning ways and bring back the lost hopes of some agitated fans.
Hearts go into battle without Serbian gaffer Kosta Papic, goalkeeper’s trainer Ben Owu ahead of the clash as the duo have left their post following alleged managerial interference. A win for the Phobians tomorrow would be a huge relief and a giant step in their bid to win the championship.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Bechem United square off with a transformed Legon Cities who are yet to record a defeat in their last five games, having posted two impressive wins and three draws. The Hunters dropped from first place after Medeama put them to the sword and they would be desperate for a win in order to keep them in the title race. Coach Bashir Hayford could also pull a surprise to extend their unbeaten run.
Bottom-placed Inter Allies would also battle it out with WAFA today at the Accra Sports Stadium with Inter Allies seeking to move out of the danger zone. With two victories and two draws, the Allies have lost 10 times, making them the side with the most defeats in the ongoing season. They managed a point in their last encounter and could make an improvement.
The action continues tomorrow where Berekum Chelsea would play host to high-flying Dreams FC where the ‘Still Believe’ lads would be hoping to continue their unbeaten run to nine and become the longest unbeaten outfit in the league currently. Chelsea will certainly face a tough test with the Dawu-based side that are currently unstoppable under new Serbian gaffer Vladislav Viric.
In-form Accra Great Olympics will travel to face Eleven Wonders at the Nana Ameyaw Oark in Techiman tomorrow. The ‘Dade’ boys would be aiming to worsen the plight of their struggling hosts who lie 16th on the league, despite a good start at the beginning of the campaign.
A win for Olympics could unseat leaders Karela if the latter falls.
Following a shaky start, Medeama SC have climbed from the relegation zone to sit seventh on the league log with crucial wins against Aduana Stars, Hearts and Bechem United. The Tarkwa-based side is gradually pulling up the strings to fight for a top-four slot as a win tomorrow will increase their title dreams despite being written off by most bookmakers.
As of press time yester-night, AshantiGold were squaring off with Aduana Stars.
Ghana’s only contingent in Africa, Asante Kotoko had their epic clash with King Faisal postponed due to their participation in the CAF Confederations Cup.
The Porcupine Warriors would have to overturn the 1-2 defeat to Algerian side ES Setif in the first leg at the Accra Sports Stadium to sail through.
BY LINUS SIAW NARTEY
Sports
GoldStars GPL feat no fluke
No prophet in Ghana would have been taken serious with prophesies of Bibiani GoldStars becoming the new champions of the 2024/25 Ghana Premier League (GPL).
That is not to take anything away from Coach Frimpong Manso, an Asante Kotoko legend, and his boys for the yeoman’s job they did in the just ended season.
They deserve every bit of the plaudits coming from well-wishers.
They came, they saw and conquered on their fourth year (2021/2022 season) in the elite stage of Ghana football.
Of course, this can only be a reality in the end but not a sound prediction at the start of the season.
But, so has it been. Stories like that of GoldStars sharply brings to mind a similar fairytale orchestrated in the advanced English Premier League (GPL) with the 2015/16 edition.
In the face of the Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool dominance, Leicester emerged with a bang, conquering every hurdle in sight with unsung heroes like Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Shinji Okazaki, Leonardo Ulloa, Danny Drinkwater, Robert Huth, Riyad Mahrez and others.
There was no indication of that sort at the start of the season.
As usual, the focus was on the aforementioned heavyweights but Leicester took the competition by storm to record a historic win.
Back home, the GoldStars story is not different. Despite the recent struggles by perennial favourites, Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, the two have always found their ways in fans prediction regarding the side to emerge winners.
Interestingly, both sides just managed to end up in the top four after Nations FC’s decision to abandon a game against Basake Holy Stars who cost them dearly, in the end, forfeiting the said game and going ahead to suffer a further three points deduction penalty.
Nations FC were actually the top favourites for the title until that ill-fated match against Basake Holy Stars.
Campaigning for the second year in the competition, very few followers of the game gave the Timber giants any chance.
But in the same ‘Rambo’ style, teams like Medeama SC and Aduana Stars descended on the GPL, GoldStars emerged with all guns blazing, strategically employing a tactic of making the Dun’s Park in Bibiani, a waterloo for visiting teams.
On a few occasions, they sprung surprises on the journey, recording a few upsets against gullible teams including Hearts of Oak in Accra.
They had a promising coach like Frimpong Manso who is yet to establish himself among the elites local coaches maybe because he is yet to work with any of the established club sides in the country.
But winning the local competition with a less endowed club makes you a legend, and truly, he has become one.
To management and other members of the technical team, one could only congratulate them for a job well executed.
The players have a huge role to play in proving that the feat was no fluke and that GoldStars has come to stay; and would continue to make an impact in the local game.
Much is not known about these players except Vincent Atinga who plied his trade with Hearts of Oak and Medeama SC. Others like Samuel Attah Kumi, Frank Amankwah, Kelvin Oppong, Charles Gyamfi Kamara, Abdul Farouk Amoaful, Gideon Anaba, Samuel Acheampong, Foster Agyei and Yakubu Haqq remain emerging talents aiming to carve a niche for themselves.
Definitely with the new challenge, some areas of the team would be strengthened as they face the finest sides on the continent.
Another season with a new champion should also serve as a wake-up call for the likes of Hearts or Oak and Asante Kotoko to quickly return to their glory days lest they lose their enviable place among the football elite clubs. Well-done GoldStars.
By Andrew Nortey
Sports
Golden Kick, a tricky obstacle for Kotoko in MTN FA Cup final tomorrow
The University of Ghana Stadium will come alive tomorrow when Ghanaian giants, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, take on lower tier side, Golden Kicks FC, in a thrilling climax to the 2024/25 MTN FA Cup final tomorrow at exactly 5pm.
The much anticipated game, which is more than just a battle for silverware but a meeting of tradition and ambition for both teams, is expected to draw thousands of football fanatics across the country to the Legon stadium for what promises to be a dramatic and tricky finale to this season’s domestic cup competition.
After an unsuccessful season in the Ghana Premier League which saw the Reds miss out on the title to Bibiani GoldStars, the Porcupine Warriors will be desperate to finish the season on a high by clinching the title to secure a place in the next CAF interclub competition.
The Reds have a rich history in the FA Cup competition having won it nine times and will be eyeing their 10th title to stamp their authority as the overall best.
Before reaching this stage, Asante Kotoko eliminated formidable opponents like True Democracy, Sekondi Eleven Wise and Berekum Chelsea in the semi-final.
The availability of players like Justice Blay, Kwame Opoku, Frederick Asare, Peter Amidu Acquah and striker Albert Amoah, among other notable players will be a big boost to Coach Karim Zito’s side.
Meanwhile, the task will not be an easy one for Kotoko looking at the way their opponents reached the final with wins over Accra Hearts of Oak and Bechem United before climaxing it with Attram d’ Visser.
Coached by young and tactical Fiifi Parker Hanson, Golden Kicks have a combined youthful team with tactical discipline to punch well above their weight and relish the opportunity to shock the giants once more on a bigger stage.
This final is more than just a contest between Premier League royalty and a hungry underdog but rather a tale of two contrasting football identities. Kotoko brings the weight of tradition, experience, legacy and pressure while Golden Kicks arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove which makes the game a promised one, full of thrills and fireworks.
By Enoch Ntiamoah
