Sports
Price for Zito’s sack
LAST Sunday’s defeat to Accra Hearts of Oak was Kumasi Asante Kotoko’s fifth in the 22-week-old 2025/26 Ghana Premier League (GPL) season.
For followers of the Porcupine Warriors, it was the most painful among the five defeats, having to see Hearts wield the bragging rights until the next clash.
Hearts is the last club Kotoko would want to lose to; and it is also the case with Hearts. Defeats to each other hurt their egos, puncture their self-esteem and psychologically affects their moods.
In short, a defeat to the other is unacceptable. Such is the robust rivalry that exists between the two clubs.
It, therefore came as a shock to many when Coach Karim Zito was fired just a few days to such an important clash.
Of course, in the world of football, hiring and firing of coaches are very much part of it but it turns into something else when a club gets the timing wrong.
In Kotoko’s case, it was clear the timing was wrong and they paid dearly for it.
Even with a man down to their advantage, Kotoko struggled to control the game and surprisingly conceded some dangerous chances which Hearts failed to score.
But one wonders what considerations were made before the decision to fire a Head Coach who had built some rapport with members of the playing body ahead of such crucial match.
Eventually, Kotoko’s performance suggested that all was not well with the club.
Since Karim Zito joined from Dreams FC, he has enjoyed little peace with the inconsistent performances and outcomes; and has struggled to nail down a top three spot on the table.
But putting up a defence for Zito becomes a difficult task considering the quality of players at his disposal. The same applies to Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani who heads the technical bench of the Phobians.
With the resources at their disposal, they are able to attract the best players on the local scene, and sometimes beyond the borders of the country. Some of these players they sign finish the previous seasons as cult heroes with their previous clubs but after joining Hearts or Kotoko, they become very ordinary.
For Kotoko, ahead of the 2024 season for instance, they signed Albert Amoah from Olympics as one of the finest goal poachers, right-back Shayibu Abubakari from Karela United for the 2025/26 season, forward Johnson Oppong Owusu from Tajikistan, midfielder Hubert Gyau from Berekum Chelsea and midfielder Seth Kwadwo from Bechem United.
Others include midfielder Lord Hilary Adabo from Samartex FC, Philip Amoh from New Edubiase United, Joseph Amoah from Legon Cities, Ndongani Samba Gilbani O’neil from Rahimo FC in Burkina Faso, Mohamed Camara, a goalkeeper from SOAR Académie SC, Guinea, Saaka Dauda, a winger from Bofoakwa Tano, Lord Amoah from Berekum Chelsea, AbdoelRahman Yoouef Yagoub and Esmat Hassabalbagi, all from Sudan, among others.
For the Phobians who have engaged coaches and fired about two, they have also combed the various clubs, signing the best players to stay competitive in the last four years.
Notable among those signings are Kelvin Osei Asibey from Techiman Eleven Wonders, Kofi Agbesimah from Bechem United, David Oppong Afrane from King Faisal, Michael Ampadu from Legon Cities FC, Albert Dieudonne Eonde from Cameroonian, Kwabena Anane from Golden Kicks, Mawumi Wayo from Bibiani Goldstars, George Paaku from Accra Lions, Solomon Agbesi, a goalkeeper, Frank Abora Duku from Vision FC and Black Stars top goalkeeper Benjamin Asare from Great Olympics.
It is therefore a wonder that Kotoko and Hearts are currently struggling to keep pace with the likes of Medeama and Goldstars despite the heavy investment over the last five or so years.
This problem has contributed to the sharp decline of the three traditional giants, the third being the Wonder Club, Accra Great Olympics which is currently in a worse situation; unfortunately, with little investment.
Kotoko got their decision wrong and that will cost them the league diadem but one would only hope they learn some useful lessons and bounce back strongly to compete for the trophy the next season.
By Andrew Nortey
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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.
