GRi Sports 07-04-99

Soccer- Over 3.5 billion cedis spent at Ghana '99

Rules for award of contracts not bent -Chief director

Journalists to boycott RTU assignments

New golf champion emerges

Accra (Greater Accra), 7th April

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the last African Under-20 soccer championship dubbed "Ghana '99" spent over 3.5 billion cedis as organisational expenses for the three-week tournament held at the Accra and Kumasi sports stadiums.

Apart from sitting allowances for the LOC members, almost all other expenditure, like transportation of the eight participating teams and officials, accommodation and feeding were all charged in US dollars contrary to a Bank of Ghana directive that all businesses should be transacted in the local currency.

Mr James Tiigah, Accountant, Ministry of Youth and Sports told this to the Tagoe committee investigating the award of contract for the rehabilitation of the two stadiums at its sitting in Accra on Tuesday.

He said that in spite of the directive, all the hotels and transport companies charged their fares in dollars and the LOC was compelled to adhere to it. 55 vehicles, ranging between 60 and 95 dollars a day were hired from Speedway Travel and Tours for the use of CAF officials during the tournament. On the sitting allowance for LOC members, Mr Tiigah said the chairmen of the co-committees each received 200,000 cedis while the members were each paid 150,000 cedis at every sitting. He could not state the number of times the committee sat.

On the payment of the rehabilitation works at the LOC secretariat he said 186.8 million cedis has so far been paid out of the total of 211 million cedis allocated.

Witness said 6.2 billion cedis made of 5.9 billion cedis of contractual works at the Stadiums plus 20 per cent of 1.7 billion cedis being the cost of plastic chairs has been paid to Arab Contractors, contractors of the project.

He said the remaining is covered by a 90-day letters of credit.

Mr Tiigah said Twum-Boafo and Partners, Consultants of the stadium rehabilitation, has also been paid 666,757,386 million cedis as consultant fee.

Accra (Greater Accra), 7th April 

Mr D. D. Obiri, Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Tuesday said the rules for the award of contract for the rehabilitation of the Accra and Kumasi Stadiums were not bent.

He was reacting to a statement by Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, who told the Tagoe Committee at its sitting last Wednesday that the rules were bent due to time constraints and to save the country from embarrassment.

Mr Opoku-Manu who is also secretary to the central tender board had told the committee that the additional works valued at 10.07 billion cedis did not go to the central tender board for consideration.

He said it negotiated with the Arab Contractors, who had then won the original contract of 1.7 billion cedis at the regional tender board. But Mr Obiri, who was making his second appearance before the committee said as far he was concerned, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, client for the contract, never bent the procedure in the award of the additional works.

At his first appearance last Thursday, Mr Obiri was asked to furnish the committee with information as to when Ghana was given the mandate to host the tournament, but he failed.

And when the same question was posed to him on Tuesday, he told the committee he had been busy but would do all he could to provide the committee with the information.

Witness spent the rest of the time fuming at what he termed "unfair press coverage" of the probe proceedings so far.

Sitting continues.

Tamale (Northern Region), 7th April 

Journalists in the Northern region have resolved not to cover any activity involving Real Tamale United (RTU) until their security is guaranteed by the executive and supporters of the club.

They are also demanding an unqualified apology from the executive and supporters for the violent behaviour exhibited by a section of the supporters towards reporters covering the premier league match aginst Accra Hearts of Oak last Wednesday.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Northern regional secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Adam Iliasu after an emergency meeting to discuss the assault on two journalists during the match.

They said journalists in the region have come under constant threats by supporters of RTU for reporting rowdy behaviour at the Kaladan park.

"Things went out of hand on Wednesday, March 31, when two journalists, Mr Shaibu Mahama of GBC and Mr George Alhassan, a photographer with the Information Services Department, former national star and former captain of Accra Hearts of Oak, were physically assaulted by a section of the supporters," the statement added.

Mr Mahama was allegedly beaten by a mob led by one Max Soala and later whipped with an ox-tail by another person identified as King Dallah.

The statement said, not even the intervention of Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, chairman of the club could prevent the supporters from attacking the journalists.

"We have taken serious view of this development and we believe that our lives are not safe in the stadium anytime RTU play. We have, therefore, unanimously decided to boycott all activities involving RTU.

"We wish to inform the supporters that journalists do not create scenes in the stadium. It is our duty to report what we see. If the supporters do not want us to report on any of their uncivilised and barbaric behaviour, then they should begin to behave rationally", the statement added.

The journalists appealed to the Police to let the law take its course.

Accra (Greater Accra), 7th April 

J. J. Harvey became the new Ghana Amateur golf champion when he scored 220 gross to win the 67th annual Ghana Amateur Open Golf championship held at the Achimota Golf course in Accra at the weekend.

Osei Kojo Emmanuel with 223 gross score placed second. J.N. Kwashie took the third position with 227 gross while Samuel Harvey came fourth with 229 gross score with the fifth position going to "Golfer of the year, Anthony Amuzu who scored 232 gross.

Mona Captan retained the Ladies trophy when she scored 155 gross to win the competition.

She was followed by Joy Arkutu with 167 gross score, Valentine Manteaw placed third with 171 gross while Florence Etwi-Barimah beat Florence Schram on count-back to take the fourth position after they had both scored 172 gross.

The three-day competition which was jointly sponsored by Japan Motors and Trading Company, Silver Star Auto Limited and Enyidado Industries, attracted golfers from Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Canada and Benin.

Prof. John Owusu-Addo, President of the Ghana Golf Association (GGA) called on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to help develop the game.

Mr Nuard Kalmoni, Managing Director of Japan Motors gave the assurance that his company would continue to give the GGA the necessary support and called on other companies to help the government develop it.

Meanwhile, Mr Michael Ezan has been elected as President of the Ghana Golf Association for a three-year term. Mr Ezan, who takes over from Prof. Owusu-Addo, has Prof. Michael Ben-George as his vice.