Sports
Volta Regional FA executives call on Regional Minister
The Executive Council of the Volta Regional Football Association (VRFA) last Friday paid a courtesy call on the Volta Regional Minister, Mr Yao Archibald Letsa, at the Regional Capital, Ho.
The visit forms part of the RFA’s series of meetings and engagement with stakeholders in football. This is the second time the football fraternity is meeting the office of the Regional Minister.
Chairman of the Volta Regional Football Association, Daniel Agbogah, outlined a sequel of activities and steps the RFA has embarked on since assuming office in October 2019. He explained that plans are already in motion to grow the game in the region.
According to a statement released by the VRFA Communications Department, the plans included the secretariat’s request of land to build a regional head office (Secretariat), acquire offices for the nine functional districts football associations, revive juvenile football, deploy the “catch them young” policy to attract and develop budding talents in refereeing and strategies to develop women’s football.
Mr Agbogah further urged the Minister to assist in getting the district assemblies to appreciate the need to invest in sports with their sports fund and other sources of finance so as to reduce social vices that some idle youth may engage in.
The regional Chairman also used the medium to introduce members of the newly-elected Executive Council to the Minister.
In response, Deputy Regional Minister, Rev Johnson Avuletey, who spoke on behalf of the Regional Minister, advised the RFA to develop a vibrant team and put in place an action plan towards the revival of football in the region. He said the RFA must position itself towards an all-inclusive development plan for football in the region.
He also promised to immediately mediate on some proposals enumerated, especially the land acquisition through the regional lands commission and refer other concerns to the Regional Minister and other stakeholders for further action.
Rev Aveletey further tasked the VRFA to bring back the lost glories the region once enjoyed in the elite division by solidifying the regional Division Two teams for national standards.
Regional Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Kwame Amponfi Jr, also seized the opportunity to encourage the media on positive reportage of sporting activities in the region.
The Regional Executive Council further met the family of former Chairman of the VRFA, Mr Francis Dogbatse to express their condolences for the loss of his wife, Regina Adzo Dogbatse, who passed on in January, 2020 at the Ho Teaching Hospital.
A similar call would be made on the Mr Kwasi Owusu Yeboah, the Regional Minister for Oti Region, at a later date since the RFA also has oversight responsibility for the region.
Source: Ghanaian Times
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.
