Sports
Kotoko target Hearts scalps in redemption mission
● Gladson Awako – Hearts
The two giants of Ghana football – Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak will lighten up this season’s betPawa Ghana Premier League with ‘the clash of the titans’ at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium tomorrow.
The Super Clash will serve as a huge defining moment for the hosts who would be desperate for a win to appease their fans for their fallout at the CAF Champions League campaign.
Kotoko were eliminated from the preliminary stages of the CAF Champions League after losing 3-1 on penalties to RC Kadiogo from Burkina Faso. The sad defeat aroused tension among supporters with many questioning the commitment of players as well as calling for the head of the management including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nana Yaw Amponsah.
However, a win against arch rivals Hearts could calm tempers and perhaps provide some great deal of serenity within the Kotoko fraternity.
Kotoko’s fate lies in their own hands as they go into the game with huge pressure on their shoulders as they attempt to give their supporters something to cheer about.
Meanwhile, Hearts would be determined to deepen the woes of their rivals and also get their campaign on the right path.
Hearts are yet to secure a win after two opening matches with a defeat and a draw and getting a win at the expense of their arch rivals would be a huge boost.
Despite the absence of their talisman, Daniel Afriyie Barnieh, who is on international assignment with the Black Stars, Hearts could boost of the likes of Gladson Awako, Mohammed Alhassan and Kojo Junior Obeng to torment their arch rivals.
In other week three fixtures tomorrow, Karela will face off with Dreams FC at the Crosby Awuah Memorial Park, while the Cape Coast Sport Stadium would see newly-promoted Kotoku Royals and Nsoatreman FC battling it out.
At Dormaa, Aduana Stars will battle it out with Samartex in a very cagey encounter, while Babiani Gold Stars square off with Bechem United at the Bibiani Park.
At the Tamale Stadium, Real Tamale United (RTU) would engage Legon Cities with the last fixture for the week between Berekum Chelsea and Medeama scheduled for Monday at Dormaa – following the rejection of the Golden City Park by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
Accra Great Olympics and King Faisal will begin weekend lineup of exciting fixtures with a mouthwatering clash at the Accra Sports Stadium today.
BY MICHAEL D. ABAYATEYE
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.
