GRi Sports 08-02-99

 Nana Antwi the Second, Saamanhene of Ashanti, was over the weekend arrested and placed in police custody following a shooting incident during a demonstration by about 2,000 supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko football club at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.

The Saamanhene, who by custom is supposed to guard the Manhyia Palace and had gone to assist the palace guards during the demonstration, shot through the crowd and injured nine of the supporters.

A source close to the Police Public Relations Directorate in Kumasi, said the supporters marched to the palace to seek audience with the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware the Second, who is also the life patron of the club, and present a petition requesting him to appoint a new Board Chairman for the Club.

The source said while the supporters tried to force their way into the palace, the guards at the palace fired warning shots to disperse the demonstrators who had massed behind the palace gate.

The Saamanhene was said to have shot into the demonstrators who chanted and sang war songs.

The nine people who sustained injuries were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where they were treated and discharged.

After the shooting incident, the incensed crowd invaded the Saamanhene's palace opposite the Manhyia palace and caused damage to slide-doors, louver blades and the windscreen of a Nissan pick-up parked at the palace.

Two people, Gado Abubakari and Alhaji Sumaila, suspected to be involved in the vandalism have been arrested and placed in police custody.

Some Kotoko players who accompanied the demonstrators abandoned the Kotoko Autosan bus while policemen were deployed to guard the palace.

Some of the demonstrators told newsmen that the demonstration was peaceful and condemned the shooting incident.

Accra (Greater Accra), 8 Feb

Defending league champions, Accra Hearts of Oak thrashed Afienya United 4-1 in their first week ABC premier football league match played at the El Wak Sports Stadium yesterday.

Hearts, who won the pre-season ABC Champion of Champions and Guinness Gala trophies, scored the opener through centre forward Joe Fameyeh in the 13th minute. He beautifully controlled a pass from midfielder Osei Kuffuor of Dwarfs fame and shot beyond the reach of goalkeeper Joseph Anyaare in the posts for Afienya.

The Phobians took absolute control of the game after the goal and forced the visitors into their own half to play defensive.

Two minutes later, midfielder Charles Allotey connected a Robert Sabah conerkick for Hearts' second goal after Sabah's goal-bound shot had deflected off the body of a defender.

The Afienya defencemen, who could not find the antidote to slippery right winger Emmnuel Yartey's defence-splitting passes, resorted to playing it hard on him. As a result, Central defender Dennis Botwe earned a yellow card for fouling Yartey in the 25th minute and centre forward Michael Bortei-Duku who challenged the action taken by FIFA referee Mike Amedior from Kumasi also received the card for dissent.

The Phobians nearly made it three in the 27th minute but centre forward Osmanu Amadu's chip over on-rushing goalie Anyaare sailed over the bar. Another goal attempt by Fameyeh in the 42nd minute missed the target narrowly.

Afienya resumed the second half on a bright note as they pulled a goal back after 50 minutes through substitute Yaw Anane, who come on for Bortei-Duku. He shot into the net after receiving a pass from inside left Richard Okyere.

Fameyeh was on hand again for Hearts' third goal in the 60th minute when he nodded home a freekick taken by Sabah from the right flank.

The Afienya boys protested against the goal, claiming the ball did not cross the goalline, thus causing the game to be held up for a few minutes.

When play resumed, Hearts brought on Desmond Amoah and Ishmael Addo for Osmanu and Allotey respectively.

Addo immediately announced his presence when he raced with the ball from the midfield to score Hearts' fourth goal in the 77th minute.

Hearts substituted Yartey for Lantei Lawson while Afienya brought on Yaw Adjei for Ben Doe in the dying minutes, but the changes did not affect the trend of the game as the Phobians, apparently satisfied with the scoreline, never made any goal attempt till the final whistle.

Ghapoha F/C and Accra Great Olympics settled for a goalless drawn game in their drab match played at the Tema Sports Stadium. Olympics lost control of the game after they kicked off and allowed Ghapoha to take the upper hand. The homesters wasted a fourth minute scoring chance through inside left Adolf Mensah. Unmarked left winger Samuel Monnie of Olympics also threw away a good chance in the eighth minute. The second session was uneventful as both sides failed to impress the crowd. The brightest moment of the half came in the 70th minute when Ghapoha's overlapping right full back Forster Mensah's beautiful shot was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Same Quaye of Olympics.

Dawu Youngsters baptised newly-promoted Bofoakwa Tano with a 3-1 drubbing in their match played at Dawu. Dawu, who scored all their goals through free-kicks, allowed Bofoakwa to take the lead in the first minute through centre forward Kwaku Boateng. He received a long pass soon after kick-off and beat three Dawu defenders before blasting the ball past goalie Donald Yusif. Dawu equalised in the fifth minute through outside left Kwame Chronicle Amadu when he headed home a free-kick taken in the half of Bofoakwa. Inside left John Plange and right full back Nii Darko Ankrah scored the second and third goals also through free-kicks in the 43rd and 64th minutes respectively for Dawu.

New entrants Koforidua-based Power F/C put up a good performance especially in the first half but lost 0-2 to Okwawu United in their match played at Nkawkaw park. Okwawu kicked off and wasted a third minute freekick taken outside the "18" of Power by midfielder Douglas Addy. Power countered and wasted a fifth minute corner. They continued to dictate the pace of the game but poor shooting up-front prevented them from scoring. Okwawu started the second half with vigour but had to wait till the 81st minute before scoring the first goal through centre forward Victor Aghoghowva when he connected a pass from right winger Sam Arthur into the net. They made it 2-0 in the 88th minute when inside-left Shamo Abbey formerly of RTU beat two defenders to place the ball at the blind side of goalie Emmanuel Doe.

King Faisal and Real Tamale United (RTU) drew 0-0 in their match played at the Kumasi Sports Stadium. RTU, who outplayed the homesters, failed to take the lead in the ninth minute when a powerful shot by right winger Alex Gyimah hit the wood-work and rebounced as the defence was split open. A minute later, Faisal, in a swift counter-attack, caught the visitors' defence napping. They were awarded a spot-kick when hard-pressed RTU defender Abdul Rahman Bobby pushed down inside left J.B. Danquah in the box. FIFA referee F. K. Mensah whistled and pointed to the spot but goalkeeper John Baker of RTU stretched to his elastic limit to push out the kick, taken by wing half Stephen Amo. From then on, RTU stamped their authority on the match as they fired from all angles but Alex Gyimah hit the side-post in the 30th minute. Faisal hit back in the 32nd minute when Haruna Gariba outwitted the defence and hit a low shot which was saved by goalkeeper Baker. Rampaging RTU piled the pressure on their opponents but they failed to break the deadlock and in the 37th minute Gyimah's close range shot, after he had sneaked through an off-side trap, was punched into play by goalie Opoku Ware. Inside right Shilla Abdulai, in a brilliant dribbling run, sliced through the defence but goalkeeper Opoku Ware managed to grab the ball from his foot in the 40th minute. In the 44th minute RTU defender Dan Acquah attracted the yellow card of FIFA referee Mensah for a foul on left winger Yaw Acheampong.

The two sides fought doggedly in the second half but despite two changes by Faisal as against three by RTU the deadlock could not be broken. In the 76th minute centre forward Martin Appau of RTU, who writhed in pain as a shot hit him in the abdomen in a crowded goalmouth melee, was rushed to hospital. In the dying minutes it was RTU, who attacked in bursts as Faisal played on the defensive.

At Agona Swedru the match between Cape Coast Dwarfs and Kumasi Asante Kotoko did not come off while Sekondi Hasaacas lost 0-1 to Liberty Professionals at the Gyandu Park at Sekondi.

Obuasi Goldfields saw off Swedru All Blacks 3-1 in their match played at the Obuasi Len Clay stadium.

Soccer-- Hearts top the league table.

Accra (Greater Accra), 8 Feb.  

Accra Hearts Oak took the top spot of the 16-club ABC Premier football league table after the first week matches played on Sunday.

.....P W D L F A .... Pts

Hearts 1 1 0 0 4 1 - - - - 3

Okwawu 1 1 0 0 2 0 - - - - 3

Goldfields 1 1 0 0 3 1 - - - - 3

Dawu 1 1 0 0 3 1 - - - - 3

Liberty - - - - - - 1 1 0 0 1 0 3

Olympics - - - - 1 0 1 0 0 0 1

Ghapoha 1 0 1 0 0 0 - - - - 1

King Faisal 1 0 1 0 0 0 - - - - 1

RTU - - - - - - 1 0 1 0 0 0 1

Hasaacas 1 0 0 1 0 1 - - - - - 0

Power - - - - - - 1 0 0 1 0 2 0

All Blacks - - - -1 0 0 1 1 3 0

Bofoakwa - - - -1 0 0 1 1 3 0

Afienya - - - - - -1 0 0 1 1 4 0

Kotoko - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dwarfs - - - - - - - - - - - - -