Sports
Keep dreams alive, Dreams FC
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• Abdul Karim Zito – Coach, Dreams FC
“When you dream, dream big; as big as the ocean blue. When you dream it might come true, when you dream, dream big.”
The above is a refrain of a song titled ‘Dream Big’ sang by Ryan Shupe & the Rubber band.
Evidently, that would be the song on the lips of Dreams FC supporters who are currently on cloud nine following the sterling performance of the club in the CAF Confederation Cup tournament.
They were even not given a dog’s chance when they qualified for the championship after emerging winners of the Ghana FA Cup competition.
Ghanaians are noted for not believing much in emerging clubs like Dreams FC. They are used to the traditional dominance of Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
Both sides have their rich history as far as participation in the continental club competitions are concerned. Kotoko, founded on August 31, 1935 have won the Ghanaian league for a record 24 times and at a point dominated at the continental level, crowning those moments with two Africa Club Championships trophies (rechristened CAF Champions League) in 1970 and 1983.
The climax of those formidable years was their announcement by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the African Club of the Century.
Accra Hearts of Oak pride themselves as the Premier Club of the nation but had to wait till the 2000s after their establishment on November 11, 1911 to be identified with the elites clubs on the continent.
They made it in a grand style; first winning the CAF Champions League in the year 2000 and went on to win the CAF Super Cup in 2001. It was followed by the Confederations Cup victory in 2004.
Such was the authority they wield in time past and entertained Ghanaian fans with their beautiful football.
Fans have since been left unconvinced about the abilities of Ashantigold SC, Medeama, Bechem United, Berekum Chelsea and others that have attempted to walk on the path of the traditional giants.
Therefore, having little or no confidence in Dreams FC’s fairytale was something very much expected from the start of the competition. The phrase is like ‘’if it’s not Kotoko or Hearts, then it’s no one.”
But interestingly, Dreams FC is on a path of their own to defy that order, faced with a tricky last hurdle to scale to land in the dream final.
Perhaps, it is their bumpy start that is making some fans believe they are still in a slumber, hoping to wake up to realise it was a dream.
In the first round match of the competition, Dreams FC accounted for Milo FC 3-2 on aggregate after holding them to a 1-1 result in Guinea and beat them 2-1 in Ghana on August 19 and 27, 2023, respectively.
With the rights to play in the second round, Dreams FC faced Sierra Leonean side, Kallon FC and recorded a slim 2-1 victory at home on September 15, 2023.
Many predicted doom for the Ghanaians in the second leg but they prevailed after holding the Sierra Leoneans 1-1 in the return leg on September 30, 2023 to book qualification into the group stage.
That in itself was historic for the club but it did not affect its forward match.
They were paired with Tunisia’s Club Africaine, Nigeria’s Rivers United and Academy Lobito of Angola.
On Sunday, November 26, 2023, Dreams FC kicked the group stage matches off in a whirlwind fashion, pulling a 2-0 victory over Club Africaine away, defeated Rivers United 2-1 at home on December 3, 2023, and suffered the first loss to Lobito (2-3) in Angola on December 10 to end the first round of the group matches.
Ten days later, Wednesday 20, 2023, Dreams recorded its heaviest scoreline in their campaign, registering a 4-0 victory over the Angolans in the second leg in Ghana, pulled a double over Africaine with a 1-0 victory on Sunday, February 25, 2024 and ended on a losing note to Rivers United (2-1) on Sunday, March 3, 2024.
That was enough to qualify them to the quarter final stage where they came face-to-face with Stade Malien on Sunday, March 31, 2024. They upset the Malians with a 2-1 victory but drew 1-1 in the return encounter a week on at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Ghana.
Against Zamalek and their prowess on the continent, Coach Karim Zito’s Dreams FC earned a goalless result in the first leg in Egypt on Sunday, April 21, 2024 with the second leg set for tomorrow at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
At this stage when it appears Dreams FC have surprised all including themselves, the onus lies on them to prove to all and sundry that the journey so far was no fluke.
The only real advantage they have is the fact that they are playing home and in front of their fans. And since both sides have no goal to their advantage, the tie is still 50-50 and knowing what Zamalek are capable of doing, irrespective of where they play, the pressure would surely be on the Ghanaians to deliver.
Indeed, this is the time to keep dreaming. The dream has been a long one and must not end now because there is nothing wrong about dreaming ‘BIG.’
By Andrew Nortey
If there is a club Kumasi Asante Kotoko would want to avoid, definitely it would be Kpando Heart of Lions, and not Hearts of Oak.
Kotoko and Hearts have sold to soccer fans some of the electrifying football atmosphere to underline their age-long rivalry.
Despite their stature in Ghana football, however, the lions from Kpando have been the most difficult and toughest opponents for the Porcupine Warriors.
Clashes between Kotoko and Hearts have produced mixed outcomes. It remains one of the few games which outcomes can be very challenging to predict.
But the story with Heart of Lions is straightforward. It hands them the dominance card over Kotoko; making them favourites most of the time when they are paired together.
Tomorrow at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, the Porcupine Warriors would slug it out in their Matchday 2 encounter of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) with Heart of Lions.
Asante Kotoko and Heart of Lions have faced each other in 12 recorded official head-to-head matches, with Heart of Lions holding the upper hand.
They boast six wins, and two for Asante Kotoko, with the rest of the four ending in draws.
As recent as the last three years, Kotoko has been winless in their last six games, registering three draws with the Lions winning three.
This clearly suggests that the Porcupine Warriors would be engaged in another battle of their lives when they welcome Heart of Lions to the Baba Yara Stadium, a venue that has proven to be a comfortable hunting ground for the visitors.
Coming from a 1-1 draw against Debibi United on Matchday 1 and a Democracy Cup victory over Hearts of Oak, Kotoko must be ready to clip the claws of the deadly Lions if they hope to tame them to halt that trend.
The Bibiani Dun’s Park is also expected to be full of fireworks as GoldStars welcome Hearts of Oak.
It will be one that will draw the fans in the area as both sides prepare the game with different agenda. While Hearts emerged 4-0 conquerors of Berekum Chelsea in Accra, GoldStars suffered a 1-0 loss to Bechem United.
The quest to consolidate the week one gains or to bounce back from defeat would conspire to make the game a mouthwatering one.
Swedru All Blacks would also engage Debibi United at the Swedru Stadium while Berekum Chelsea lock horns with Dreams FC at the Golden City Park and Karela against Bechem United.
At the Aliu Mahama Stadium, Karela United will face Bechem United; Young Apostles versus Basake Holy Stars at the Wenchi Stadium while Aduana FC take on Sarmatex.
The round will commence today with a fierce tie between FC Ashantigold versus Vision FC.
By Andrew Nortey
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When the Greater Accra Region emerged winners of the 35th Inter-Regional Basic Schools Netball Competition at the University of Ghana, Legon, one name stood out above the celebrations: Miss Lilly Akutu Zotorvie, a young shooter from the rural community of Mangoase in the Ada West District.
The Junior High School student of Englishie-Kenya D/A Basic School was the tournament’s standout scorer, netting an astonishing 132 goals in five matches for Team Greater Accra.
That translates into an average of 26.4 goals per match, a remarkable scoring record that has attracted attention from spectators and netball enthusiasts at the competition.
For Miss Zotorvie, however, the impressive statistics tell only part of the story; behind the goals is the journey of a young girl from Mangoase, a community outside Ghana’s major sporting centres, whose talent was discovered at a local netball clinic and gradually nurtured into the regional school competition.
She was reportedly spotted by Mr Ebenezer Kisseh, a journalist and coach, who recognised her potential during a netball clinic.
What could have remained an ordinary community sporting activity instead became the beginning of a promising journey for the young player.
Her performance subsequently earned her an opportunity to compete in the Greater Accra Super Zonal Games, where she impressed enough to progress to the regional level.
At the 35th Inter-Regional Basic Schools Netball Competition, she converted that opportunity into an outstanding individual performance, combining precision, consistency and confidence in front of the post.
Her exploits have also brought renewed attention to the pool of sporting talent that exists in communities far from Ghana’s traditional sporting centres.
For a young player from Mangoase, the progression from a local netball clinic to representing Greater Accra at an inter-regional competition demonstrates the importance of early talent identification and sustained opportunities for development.
Miss Zutorvie’s emergence also presents a reminder that some of Ghana’s promising sporting talents might be found in schools and communities where access to structured training and competitive opportunities remains limited.
Now, after scoring 132 goals in five matches and helping Greater Accra claim the inter-regional title, the young shooter has given coaches, sports administrators and talent scouts another reason to look beyond the country’s major sporting centres.
As Greater Accra celebrates its victory, her performance is likely to remain one of the most memorable individual highlights of the competition – and perhaps the beginning of a much bigger sporting journey for the Ada youngster. -GNA
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