Sports
Locker Room Bonus increment can improve performance
The news of an increment in the novelty Locker Room Bonus for Ghana Premier League (GPL) players is surely a positive one for many of them, if not all.
It gives credence to the belief or adage that every beginning is difficult, but it gets easier from there on.
It has generated excitement among the players who are the main beneficiaries of this initiative from the Premier League sponsors, betPawa.
What this means is that from an initial amount of GhȻ150.00 paid to every single player captured on the Team Sheet of winning teams via MoMo, players are now set to receive GHȻ400.00 each as winning bonuses.
That is to compliment what their respective clubs pay as winning bonuses.
But what is been acclaimed today was a huge subject for contention with betPawa on one side and the clubs, and by extension their umbrella body, the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) on another side.
One even wondered why clubs should raise objections over such a laudable idea which in the long term will ease pressure of paying bonuses to players on them.
But to be fair, the position of the clubs was not to oppose the idea but its modus operandi.
The clubs wanted to be recipients of this money and disburse to players instead of allowing a betting company to have such important details like players registered phone numbers and deal with them directly.
Some of the fears the clubs harboured were not misplaced, though especially in an era where betting syndicates have got the flak for influencing games even in more advanced leagues.
The story is not different in Ghana where clubs have been demoted for their involvement match-fixing.
And, guided by the history of clubs and payments of such bonuses, betPawa stood their grounds and finally, it kick-started and just a year after, it has been increased.
This is a good move worth commending. It will not just promote competition among the teams that would be striving to win match after match.
Among the players, it will also promote a healthy competition since it will apply to only players that form the match day squad.
Players can also make a lot of money within a month, even more than what they are paid by their respective clubs, if they are able to embark on a winning spree.
It is therefore the more reason why partners of the league must work together to maintain this collaboration to ensure competition among players and clubs to make the league attractive to the fans as well.
The level of competition in the league has been a major headache for stakeholders in recent times and is reflecting in the performances of the clubs in Africa.
It has taken Ghanaian clubs years and counting to start performing in Africa club championships to force the hands of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to restore the two slots each allotted Ghana in club competitions.
The player exodus is also yet to be curtailed because the local league is still not attractive enough for selectors of the Black Stars.
Players must still play abroad before standing any chance to don the Black Stars jersey. Those that are given the chance just go to warm the bench.
But such initiatives can go a long way to restore player confidence since football is driven by laurels ad huge financial motivations that comes with it. Kudo to betPawa.
By Andrew Nortey
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.
