Don Bortey registers first goal as Hearts
beat Hasmal
Osu Stand's capacity to be reduced by 25
percent
Osam outlines a 17 friendly-match programme
Felix Aboagye makes dramatic return to Egypt
Sowah and Mary win La Hotel Golf
Star League results and standings after
final first round matches
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
Result of the ninth week Star Premier League outstanding matches played on Sunday.
Accra: Hearts 1 Hasaacas 0 Kumasi: Kotoko 1 Adansiman 0
Obuasi: Goldfields 3 K. Faisal 0
Standings
Club Local/Region P W D L F A Pts GD
Hearts Accra, Greater Accra 15 12 3 0 31 7 39 +24
Kotoko Kumasi, Ashanti 15 12 2 1 26 4 38 +22
Goldfields Obuasi, Ashanti 15 9 1 8 27 10 28 +17
Hasaacas Sekondi, Western 15 8 1 6 17 16 25 +1
RTU Tamale, North 15 6 4 5 14 10 22 +3
Bofoakwa Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 15 5 5 5 15 14 20 +1
Dawu Dawu, Eastern 15 6 2 7 18 18 20 0
Liberty Accra, Greater Accra 15 6 5 4 17 17 20 0
Okwahu Nkawkaw, Eastern 15 4 6 5 17 15 17 +2
K. Faisal Kumasi, Ashanti 15 6 2 7 11 13 17 -2
B. Arsenal Berekum, Brong Ahafo 15 4 3 8 10 24 15 -14
Maxbees Suhum, Eastern 15 4 3 8 12 31 15 -19
Adansiman Obuasi, Ashanti 15 3 5 7 16 21 14 -5
Ghapoha Tema, Gt. Accra 15 2 6 7 6 10 12 -4
Kwaebibrem Asuom, Eastern 15 3 3 9 8 17 12 -9
Gt. Olympics Accra, Gt. Accra 15 2 5 8 8 16 11 -8
NB: Four points were deducted from the accumulated points of King Faisal for fielding an unqualified player in their 2-2 drawn match against Tano Bofoakwa. They lost the point that they picked in the second week match and three from their accumulated points.
GRi…/
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 27 August 2001
Kumasi Asante Kotoko were stretched to the limit in their match against Obuasi Adansiman United before they could beat them by a lone goal in their outstanding Star Premier League match played at the Kumasi Stadium on Sunday.
It was Adansiman who were visiting Kumasi for the second time in the season that ironically carried the game early to the Porcupines but a blast from the foot of Isaac Asare just after kick-off sailed narrowly off target.
When Kotoko warmed themselves finally into the game, Stephen Oduro made a but it lacked good finishing as Shilla Alhasan wasted a chance.
Encouraged by the constant cheers from their teeming supporters, Kotoko piled pressure Shilla Alhassan’s volley would have sailed into the net but for the alertness of goalkeeper Samuel Antwi, in post for Adansiman as he managed to tip it over the bar to the bewilderment of the Kotoko fans.
Adansiman resorted to hard tackles on the Kotoko attackers and in one of such incidents Joe Louis was hacked down in the 10th minute by John Pobee leading to early substitution.
In the 17th minute, the sidepost denied Kotoko of a goal when Godwin Ablordey’s drive in the box bounced into play with the goalkeeper completely beaten.
In the 22nd minute, keeper Antwi again dived full length to save Stephen Oduro’s shot.
In the 48th minute, Osei Boateng in post for Kotoko came to their rescue when he stretched to push Alfred Arthur’s bullet to corner, which was wasted.
The game was a ding-dong battle until the 75th minute when a hard pressed defender handled the ball in the box and skipper Godwin Ablordey planted it neatly in the net for the only goal of the match.
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Obuasi (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
Alhaji Grunsah's King Faisal put up a spirited performance but lost 0-3 to Obuasi Goldfields in their outstanding Star Premier League match played at the Len Clay Sports Stadium.
The homesters had to struggle until the 45th minute before Nana Arhin Duah could register the first goal.
Pressed on by their home fans in the second half, Goldfields redoubled their efforts but found the visitors tough as they kept multiplying in defence.
Faisal’s defender, Philip Abu was red carded in the 21st minute for dangerous play on Aminu Musah but they managed to withstand the pressure until the 81st minute before James Boateng made it two for Goldfields.
The Miners sustained the pressure and in the 86th minute benefited from an own goal scored by Faisal's Haadi Ibrahim.
GRi…/
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Don Bortey registers first goal as Hearts
beat Hasmal
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
The most expensive player in the Star Premier League, Bernard Don Bortey, broke the jinx surrounding his inability to score goals when he netted the only goal for Hearts in their ninth week outstanding match against Sekondi Hasaacas at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
The 100 million-cedi worth player converted an 80th minute penalty, after hard-pressed defender Ladzekpo Richard handled a Charles Taylor's goal bound shot in the penalty area.
With this result, Hearts maintained their thin lead on 39 points, closely followed by Asante Kotoko on 38.
The Phobians, playing without two of their key strikers, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, and Ishmael Addo were outplayed in all departments of the game until the last quarter when they went into full gear.
Hasaacas could have won the match if they had maintained their composure and the standard with which they started, but surprisingly they recoiled in the last 15 minutes of the game and allowed Hearts to open an attacking flurry.
They came under severe pressure as Hearts' right winger Bortey raided their "18" with nerve breaking crosses while substitute Awuley Quaye Junior and Taylor confused the defence with their crisp passes.
The brightest chance for the visitors was in the 56th minute when Frank Turkson, after intercepting an Issah Mohammed through ball, fumbled before goalkeeper James Nanor who was virtually on holiday.
Just as the fans were urging the home team to clinch the match winner, a Hasmal defender handled Taylor's shot for the penalty from which Bortey scored.
Five minutes later, skipper and goalkeeper George Owu was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for retaliation when he charged on Taylor, after both of them had fallen in the penalty box. Owu had earlier bagged a yellow for delay tactics.
GRi…/
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Osu Stand's capacity to be reduced by 25
percent
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
The Osu Stand at the Accra Sports Stadium would have its sitting capacity slashed by 25 per cent in line with the recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the May 9 stadium disaster.
The Presidential Commission headed by Mr Sam Okudzeto probed the causes and course of the disaster that ended the lives 126 people when Accra Hearts of Oak played Kumasi Asante Kotoko in a premier league match. The commission was also mandated to proffer solutions to avert future occurrences.
Speaking to the GNA Sports, Brigadier George Brock, Chief Executive of the National Sports Council (NSC) said he has directed all clubs who use the stadium to comply with the directive by reducing ticket sales by the stipulated percentage.
He said the directive is among others issued from Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, Minister for Presidential Affairs' office, which also includes the setting up of Health Posts at the stadiums, the removal of barbed wires and perimeter fences inside the stadium.
"I have started implementing some of the directives by removing all the barbed wires, which I intend sending to Tema and Nkawkaw Sports Stadiums, since both places have become notorious for wall scaling during matches.
"For the removal of the inner perimeter, I would ask for further clarification since what happens in countries like England cannot be easily replicated here due to differences in or cultural settings."
He said that the removal of the barbed wires has created another problem as fans
jump from the Popular Stand to the Osu Stand, making nonsense of the whole idea of cutting down on the capacity there.
"During Hearts of Oak-Real Tamale United outstanding league match, I envisaged this and sent more policemen to that spot but they could not control the tide and had to retreat."
Asked whether he knew the capacity of the Osu Stand, Brigadier Brock said it is difficult since the lower section of the stand has no fixed seats thereby making any figure speculative.
He said to remedy this, the NSC has contacted the firm that fixed the plastic chairs "but the problem there is that FIFA, the game's controlling body has specific heights for concrete slabs before seats are affixed in order to prevent fans from cramping."
"We are looking at the possibility of raising the seats to the required heights before the chairs are fitted. "This would be done in Kumasi too" "For the Health Post, I have already set up a committee, of which I am the chairman and we have chosen the offices of Arab Contractors, who renovated the stadium as the most suitable place."
On stewards, Brigadier Brock said presently the NSC does not have enough staff to go round to be stewards so he intends to contract some of the Saint John Ambulance personnel for that purpose.
GRi…/
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Osam outlines a 17 friendly-match programme
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
Black Stars caretaker coach, Fred Osam Duodu, has outlined a training programme, which includes 17 international friendly matches to prepare his boys for next January's Africa Cup of Nations in Mali.
Three of the matches are scheduled for November, nine for December and five in January.
Coach Osam Duodu told the GNA Sports in an interview that with the review of the second round league matches where six mid-week pairings have been scrapped, he is optimistic that he would have the much-needed time to prepare the team adequately before the month-long tournament.
He said his earlier programme, which was formulated to take care of the GFA's earlier decision that not more than two players would be picked from a club to the Black Stars has been nullified.
The idea, he said, was proposed by Mr Ben Koufie, Chairman of the Ghana
Football Association (GFA) to forestall any future postponement of the league.
The GFA regulations state that if up to three or more players are selected from a club, the team's match should be declared outstanding.
According to the coach, most of the friendly matches will be played in November and December to help the team peak at the appropriate time for the tournament.
The coach said so far, only the match against the Pharaohs of Egypt on January 4 2002 has been confirmed. He was however confident that others would be confirmed before the winter break of the leagues in Europe.
According to the programme, the team would be assembling on Mondays at the Winneba Sports Colleges when there are no mid-week matches and the players would be released on Fridays to play for their clubs on Sundays.
He said the Black Stars would play Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda in the first part of their preparations before tackling their West African neighbours Togo, Benin, Cote D'Ivoire and Senegal in the second phase.
The team would camp in Burkina Faso, to acclimatise for eight days before emplaning to Mali for the competition, which starts on January 19.
He told the GNA that an overseas company, Seabreeze Ventures, which he has contracted to monitor Ghanaian players in Europe, is arranging some international friendlies for the Stars.
GRi…/
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Felix Aboagye makes dramatic return to
Egypt
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
Ghana’s international soccer star, Felix Aboagye has been transferred to Egyptian club, Zamalek for $150,000 for a two-year contract by Liberty Professionals.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who once played for Zamalek’s rivals Al Ahly in the mid-nineties has passed his medical examination, and is to receive $100,000 dollars per season for the transfer period.
Also Zamalek would be paying the Liberty Professionals player $2,000 dollars as monthly wage. Former Black Stars coach, Otto Pfister is the coach of Zamalek while one time Black Starlets captain, Alex Opoku also plays for the team.
GRi…/
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Sowah and Mary win La Hotel Golf
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 August 2001
Sam Sowah, partnered by Mary Hanson scored 78 points to win this year's Labadi Beach Hotel Classic golf competition played at the Achimota Golf Course in Accra on Saturday.
Kwadwo Duku and his partner, Suzie Abaloo came second with 74 points while
the pair of Kwame Pumpuni and Dan Dennis placed third with 70 points. John
Dewberry/Francisca Vandyck was fourth with 68 points, beating Kofi Addo/Hellen
Swanepoel on countback and Sammy Adetola/Mike Aggrey placed sixth with 67 points.
The one-day 18-hole stable-ford event, which formed part of activities marking the 10th anniversary celebration of the Hotel, attracted over 120 amateur golfers.
Mr Gilbert C. Morgan, Captain of the Achimota Golf Club praised the Hotel for sponsoring the competition. He said the irrigation work being undertaken by the Club, would be completed by the end of the year.
Mr Andrew Wilson, General Manager of the Hotel who distributed prizes to the deserving winners gave the assurance that the Hotel would continue to assist the government for the development of the lesser-known sports.
GRi…/
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