Sports
Lepowura Jawula will be missed!
• Lepowura Jawula – A fallen colossus
Precisely a week ago, one of the nation’s and undeniably Africa’s finest football administrators – Lepowura Alhaji MND Jawula, passed on to eternity and was laid to rest 24 hours later in line with Islamic traditions.
The former Ghana Football Association (GFA) boss (1997-2001) gave up the ghost in the United States where he had gone to seek further medical care, having battled a bout of ailment for a while in Ghana.
His expiration came as a huge shock to Ghanaians, especially when he even granted interviews after the Black Stars’ star-crossed campaign at the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament that ended just last month.
For many, the iconic football figure – and prince of the Gonjaland, would not only be remembered for the rotund voice bottled up in his frame, but for his ability to quickly think outside the box to proffer practical solutions.
It was the chief reason the Confederation of African Football (CAF), especially during the reign of Issa Hayatou (1988 and 2017), would always put him on a committee or two, expecting him to use his vast experience to put things right.
The charismatic Lepowura Jawula is regarded as one of the marquee names in football administration, having chaired the Black Starlets team that won gold at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Ecuador ‘95.
His rule as GFA boss saw the Starlets also finish second and third at the Egypt ‘97 and New Zealand ‘99 World Cup tournaments respectively.
Aside a sundry of positions he once occupied in the game, the 74-year-old Jawula was the chairman of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) Management Committee, and board member of Real Tamale United (RTU) – a club’s whose return to elite football in 2001 he spearheaded – after eight years in the doldrums.
Indeed, even before his passing, Lepowura was a member of the CAF Inter Club Committee – having served as a CAF match commissioner and many other portfolios for several years.
In other aspects of life, those who have walked close to him would tell you how deeply they drank from his reservoir of experience, wealth of knowledge and free-flowing philanthropic nature.
Incontestably, he was the kind who would always advise you to sprint beyond the normal distance, challenge yourself and dash for the jugular whenever the opportunity presents itself.
On two occasions (2008 and 2020), he was at this writer’s book launch as chairman, an invitation he accepted with no strings attached – encouraging him to publish more of such literatures “because tomorrow is not for us.”
Though extremely jovial, he was not the kind of man you could take for granted – as he would stoically hold his ground once he knew he was on the right track.
Today, the tender remains of Jawula – the Lepowura of the Kujolobito Gate of Lepo-Kpembe in the Kpembi Traditional Area in Gonjaland, Northern Region, lie in the bowels of Nashville, in United States of America.
You will be sorely missed, Lepowura. Rest well, King Lepo!
By 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.
