Sports
Some sanity in DOL!
The National Division One League (DOL) will roll out this weekend with matches across several centres nationwide.
Starting almost a month after the Ghana Premier League (GPL), it is expected to create a festival atmosphere which fans in every corner of the country would be part of.
The demotion of Accra Great Olympics among two others to the division last season is expected to heighten coverage and attention for the competition.
Apart from the Wonder Club, there are a number of former Premier League clubs that are campaigning for returns to the elite league.
The likes of Okwahu United, New Edubiase, Real Tamale United, Bofoakwa Tano and many others readily comes to mind.
Though they may be in different regions or zones, they would still make a number of high profile matches that would attract fans to their respective venues.
Despite the excitement it generates, the DOL has been branded as the ‘wilderness’ of Ghana football due to some negative factors associated with it.
Reports of vandalism, attacks on visiting teams, bad officiating leading to chaotic scenes, bad pitches and others have been usually associated.
With such issues, the DOL must be lucky to have courted Access Bank as headline sponsors for the competition.
This is because very few corporate institutions would want to be associated to product that attract such negative reports.
With a new season set to commence, the DOL Board and other stakeholders must be seen to be taking decisions to tackle some of these issues.
The Football Association seem to be doing well in this regard with the organisation of workshops for Venue Media Officers (VMOs), Match Commissioners (MCs) and others that play key roles in ensuring an incident-free season.
These workshops would refresh their memories on amendments to the Laws of the game, Integrity, the Competition Management System (CMS), Report Writing, the Role of the modern Match Commissioner and how to conduct successful technical meetings.
In all of these, officiating is very key. A poor performance from a referee can throw any preparation out of gear so the FA’s focus must be on the referees and their assistants.
They are usually the victims of the mayhem caused by their own actions on the field.
The FA must ensure that their needs are met on time for them to operate very independent while also dealing drastically with people that falls foul of the law.
In that way, there can be sanity in DOL.
By Andrew Nortey
The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars continuing their close battle for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the neck of the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidate, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having blown apart Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions and Hearts of Oak, and are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the last but one team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in a tricky tie.
Head coach of Medeama SC, Tanko Ibrahim, believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town today with the Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi, also hosting the Samartex FC versus Dreams FC clash today.
In other games, the University of Ghana Stadium will play host to the Hearts of Oak versus Basake Holy Stars game; Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC; Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club, Eleven Wonders, at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park with Heart of Lions seeking a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
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The battle for supremacy in the Ghana Premier League will continue this weekend with both Medeama SC and Bibiani Gold Stars maintaining their close contest for the title.
Defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars, are breathing down heavily on the leaders Medeama SC as they aim to hunt down the Premier League leaders from the top.
Fresh from their 2-1 home victory over in-form Hearts of Oak, which saw them cut the lead at the top to just one point, Gold Stars will travel to the Bono Region, precisely the Wenchi Sports Complex, to test their mettle against relegation candidates, Young Apostles.
Gold Stars are on a four-game winning streak, having defeated Swedru All Blacks, Basake Holy Stars, Heart of Lions, and Hearts of Oak. They are gunning to add Apostles to their list of casualties tomorrow.
Apostles, the second-last team on the log, have vowed to escape the drop, indicating their resolve to wrest a point or more in the game.
Medeama SC returns to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to host Hohoe United in what promises to be a tricky tie. Head coach Tanko Ibrahim believes they are still on course to win the title despite the threat from Gold Stars.
Other Premier League Fixtures:
- Vision FC will look to continue their strong home form when they welcome relegation-threatened Berekum Chelsea to the Nii Adjei Kraku Sports Complex in Tema New Town.
- The Nsenkyire Sports Arena in Samreboi will host the Samartex FC vs Dreams FC clash.
- University of Ghana Stadium will play host to Hearts of Oak vs Basake Holy Stars.
- Asante Kotoko will trek to the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to face Karela United FC.
- Aduana FC will seek to add to the woes of bottom club Eleven Wonders at the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park.
- Heart of Lions will aim for a return to winning ways when they host Swedru All Blacks at the Kpando Stadium.
- By Raymond Ackumey
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