GRi Sports Ghana 16 - 02 - 2001
Soccer-Jawula
clears air on CAF's grant
GFA to expel clubs which go to court
Soccer-Freiburg striker Tanko given
four-month drug ban
Soccer-Jawula
clears air on CAF's grant
Accra (Greater Accra) 16 February
2001
Alhaji M. N. D. Jawula, immediate
past Chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) on Thursday, broke the
long silence on how 450,000 dollars being a grant by the Confederation of
Africa Football (CAF) towards organisation of last year's Africa Cup of Nations
co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, was disbursed.
He told a GFA congress in Accra
that the money was not given to the GFA directly but rather to the Ghana
government at the request of the state.
Alhaji Jawula said the government
requested assistance from CAF during one of the visits by CAF president Issa
Hayatou to aid her in co-hosting the bi-annual tournament successfully and it
was paid to the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
He could not however say how the
money was disbursed because a report from the Audit Service read at the
congress said the ministry's account was still being audited.
Alhaji Jawula whose
four-soccer-season turner of office ended last Tuesday however said that CAF
gave 200,000 dollars to the GFA for sports development out of which 40,000
dollars was used in acquiring a new plot of land for a permanent office for the
association at Cantonment in Accra.
He admitted that the GFA erred by
not informing the Executive Council, which is the highest body of the
association before the money was disbursed.
Touching on the performance of the
Black Stars, he expressed optimism that the Stars will qualify for the 2002
Korea/Japan World Cup.
He asked the technical bench to
emphasise on selecting active local players and de-emphasise on non-active
foreign-based players to achieve results.
On the standard of the game,
Alhaji Jawula said the standard of soccer in the country is high taking into
account the success chalked by Accra Hearts of Oak.
He called on members to help
furnish officials with right ages of players in order to do avoid fielding of
"over-age" players at the junior levels.
Congress could not elect a new GFA
chairman because the new minister Mallam Yusif Isa who is supposed to nominate
two persons - one to head the GFA and the other as executive member, was only
sworn into office on Wednesday.
The Executive Council however on
Tuesday confirmed two elected persons by the Ghana League Club Association.
They are Lawyer Owusu Ansah (GFA Vice-Chairman), La-Danso. The GFA appointed Mr
Worlanyo Agra to steer the affairs of the GFA until the minister nominates it
representative.
An extra-ordinary congress will be
organised later to elect the nominees.
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GFA to expel clubs which go to court
Accra (Greater Accra) 16 February 2001
Mr Ntow Fianko, a representative of Tano Bofoakwa Football Club has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to take steps to enforce its rule, which expels any club that takes it to court without exhausting all appointed arbitration bodies.
He quoted Article 18 of the GFA constitution, which states among others things that any team or a supporter of a club who takes the GFA to court would have the club expelled from the association. It added however that the club could only escape such a punishment if within seven days it writes to inform the GFA that the club has disassociated its self from any such a writ by individuals.
Mr Fianko who made the call at the GFA congress on Thursday backed his argument with Article 59 clause one, two and three of FIFA regulation which entreats clubs to take such an action only as a last resort.
He registered his displeasure at the way GFA allegedly favours some "big" clubs to the detriment of the "smaller" ones. He cited as an example, his own club Bofoakwa and Cape Coast Vipers. The two clubs were banned for a year each for taking a legal action against the GFA.
Mr Fianko wondered why such punishment could not be meted out to some of the elite club, apparently referring to Cape Coast Dwarfs whose supporter sued the GFA at a Cape Coast court last year. The case was quashed just Tuesday.
Other members, Alhaji Grunsah of King Faisal and Nii Lantey Vanderpuije of Liberty Professionals urged the GFA not to indulge in activities, which would warrant it being taken to court.
Congress could not elect a new GFA chairman after the tenure of office of Alhaji M. N. D. Jawula ended last Tuesday because, Mallam Yusif Isa, the newly Sports Minister who is supposed to nominate two persons for the elections was himself only sworn into office Wednesday.
An extra-ordinary congress would be arranged immediately the new minister nominates the personalities.
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Soccer-Freiburg striker Tanko given
four-month drug ban
Frankfurt (Germany) 16 February 2001
Striker Ibrahim Tanko of German first division SC Freiburg was suspended for four months by the German Football Association (DFB) on Thursday after he failed a drugs test.
Ghanaian Tanko, 23, was playing for Borussia Dortmund when he tested positive for a compound of tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in hashish or marijuana, after a German Cup third round defeat by Schalke 04 last November.
A second analysis of his sample confirmed the positive result.
The DFB, who also fined Tanko 15,000 marks ($6,964), said his ban started from the day the positive result was announced on December 15.
The striker, who joined SC Freiburg during the winter break, will next be available to play for his new club on April 16.
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