Minyila visits injured Ghanaian soccer fans
Bamako (Mali) 04 February 2002 - Ghana’s Nations Cup fairy tale was brought crashing down in Mali, on Sunday when the Super Eagles of Nigeria beat the Black Stars 1-0 after a tight quaterfinal game at the March 26 Stadium in Bamako.
Roda FC midfielder Garba Lawal scored the only goal of the game in the 84th minute when he took advantage of a sloppy marking by John Paintsil on the right side of the Ghanaian defence to unleash a shot that beat Sammy Adjei to the far corner of the net.
A similar show or poor marking four minutes earlier, saw Arsenal striker Nwanko Kano shooting over the bar and on both occasion, it was slippery Julius Aghahowa spotting the weakness to lay on the passes.
It was a disasterous anti-climax to the Ghanaian ambition following an impressive first half in which they met the Ghanaians so squarely it was difficult to draw any line between the three-time World Cup aspirants and a side made entirely of Nations Cup debutants.
Aware of their dark horse status and playing without any of the world class stars that made Nigeria look so awesome on paper, the Stars played the first half with the spirit of underdogs.
Super Eagles coach Amodu Shuaibu had defied earlier speculations tha he would introduce some younger limbs to meet the stamina exhibited by the Stars in their previous game against Burkina Faso and charged into the game at full strength.
Shorunmu, Kano, Okocha, Oliseh, Finidi, Taribo and the rest of the 1996 Olympic gold-winning core, all at the verge of a three-time World Cup appearance, assembled against Ghana with the obvious intention of proving to the world that their 3-0 victory over the Stars was not contracted off the pitch at Port Harcout.
Only Joseph Yobo, Ifeany Udeze and 2000 Nations Cup hero, Julius Aghahowa, in the starting line-up were recruited from the present generation.
But the Stars knew that what they lacked in individual stardom, they had in the collective will perform yet another feat to defy the form guide. In the thrilling first half, it was midfield potential, Razak Ibrahim who took control of the midfield and proved that he had learnt how to release his balls on time.
With skipper Emmanuel Osei Kuffour also in command the Stars did not take anything without hitting bank. And with Finidi George and Kano operating well on the right, there was a lot to celebrate in the all attacking first half game.
To slow down the Ghanaian speed, Taribo West and his colleagues in defence adopted some hard tackles earning him and Udeze penalised yellow cards withing 20 minutes.
The closest Ghana came to scoring was in the 34th minute when Kuffour laid on an opportunistic pass to Isaac Boakye from just a foot away, his shot and body struck at the midsection of Nigerian keeper to hospital in an ambulance.
With the first half so evenly fought, the expectation was that the younger Ghanaians would be too much for the ageing Nigerian side. But the reverse was the result. The Super Eagles charged into the second half with such power yet to be seen of them in the competition and forced series of corner kicks.
As usual it was the individual brilliance of goalkeeper Sammy Adjei which kept the Ghanaian slate still clean. And the Nigerian technical bench must have noticed sluggish recovery of John Paintsil anytime he surged to join the midfield, to exploit it so well to put a halt to what was becoming a Ghanaian miracle at the Nations Cup finals.
Earlier in the day, Mali beat South Africa 2-0 in Kayes to book the first semifinal ticket. Cameroon will on Monday play Egypt in Sikasso while Senegal engage Congo DR in Bamako for the two other semi-final places.
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Bamako (Mali) 04 February 2002 - Mr Ben Koufie, chairman of the Ghana Football Association, has said Ghana football could only be redeemed and lifted to the dizzy heights it attained in the past if discipline is instilled in all stakeholders.
Speaking to the GNA in an exclusive interview at the 26 March Stadium in Bamako at the 23rd edition of the African Cup of Nations, Mr Koufie said players could only achieve their full potentials if they subject themselves to strict discipline, on and off the field.
He said football administrators must also operate under an umbrella of truth and adhere to the rules and conventions of fairness in order to influence their players to behave properly.
The GFA chairman said in order to rescue Ghana football there must be total commitment on the part of players and the only way to achieve this is to tell them the truth when they err and subject them to a penalty commensurate with their misconduct.
Mr Koufie advised Ghanaians to stop unnecessary praise singing, which in his opinion, make some players think that they are super stars and therefore above the rules and regulations of their administrators.
On the performance of the Black Stars in their match against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in which they lost by a lone goal scored by Garba Lawal in the 81st minute, the chairman said the boys did not disgrace the country even though they lost.
He said they played well in the first half but failed to lift up their game in the second half as they lost their composure and allowed the Nigerians to steal the show from them. Mr Koufie said the team has promise and would be retained and groomed for future assignments.
He was particularly happy about the formidable partnership between Kofi Amponsah and John Mensah in the central defence and said with time they could carry the fortunes of Ghana soccer on their shoulders.
The GFA chairman tactfully evaded a question on whether the technical team of the Black Stars would be changed when he said the FA has not taken any decision on the issue, but added that Osam Duodu was put in charge to prosecute the championship in Mali.
Abedi Pele, former captain of the Black Stars and a member of the GFA management committee was also full of praise for the team. He said in the first half they matched the Nigerians in combat and possession but failed to sustain the momentum in the second half. Pele said the team would blossom in the not too distant future and bring the smiles back on the faces of Ghanaians.
“The Ghanaian team is a very good one. They are young and anxious to play football. They gave us a very tough game and it was sheer experience which won the day for us.” That was how Stephen Keshie, the assistant coach of the Eagles summarized the match.
His boss, Amodu Shaibu agreed with Keshie's views when he described the Ghanaian team as a bunch of talented players who gave his side a scare.
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Bamako 04 February 2002 - Ghanaian supporters who came to Mali on the ticket of the Sports Supporters Of Ghana (SSOG) under the leadership of Mr James Yalley feed on gari and shito three times a day.
Mr Yalley told the GNA Sports at their residence at the former Ghana Embassy at Badalabougou, Bamako, that he could not afford any other meal for the group and himself because he had to foot all the bills to get the supporters to Mali.
He said he told them in Accra before departure that the trip was going to be a very difficult one as he could not get any sponsors to support them. The supporters' leader said based on his thin resources and his determination to make the supporters available to the Black Stars, he bought enough gari and shito for the trip and prepared the minds of his group towards it.
Mr Yalley said he was offered a bus by the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) but was asked to fuel it for the round trip and he is doing that through his own resources.
A female member of the group who craved for anonymity said though it is very difficult to eat gari three times a day, she is pleased to be part of the team and that it has given her the opportunity to know Burkina Faso and Mali.
She said Mr Yalley has been very nice to all of them as he shares in their sadness and joy. "When we eat gari he also eats gari. He joins in prayers every day and he does not go out and leave us to our fate. He keeps assuring us that our support would help the Black Stars to win the cup and we shall be given the due recognition when we return to Accra," she said.
Though the two groups of supporters have merged into a formidable cheer group for the Stars and are accommodated in the same building, they feed separately as members of the group under "One Man Supporter," Abraham Boakye receive allowances of 2,000 CFA a day each to fend for themselves.
Sometimes however, some of those who went on the ticket of Boakye could be seen sharing the gari with their friends from Mr Yalley's group.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 04 February - A contingent of 21 players of second division African Stars Football Club has left Accra to participate in a 40-nation carnival cup soccer tournament in Italy as representatives of Ghana.
The tournament is being held from January 28 through February 11, 2002 in Viareggio, Italy. The carnival cup is a youth soccer tournament that showcases new potentials in soccer.
The African Stars participation is under the auspices of Global Management Group headed by Ghanaians born George Lamptey, a soccer coach based in the United States of America.
African Stars are paired in Group Seven, which also included the youth sides of Inter Milan, Lazio and Stella Rossa of Yugoslavia. Obuasi Goldfields was the first Ghanaian side to take part in the tournament.
Alhaji Maikono, Chairman of African Stars told the GNA Sports in a pre- departure interview that his team is a youthful side and that some of the players play for premier division sides.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 04 February 2002 - Mr Emmanuel Anue Kofie, a former player of the Black Stars has presented 30 trophies to the Ministry of Youth and Sport as his contribution towards the development of football especially at the youth level.
Anue Kofie who kept the post for the Stars from 1964 - 1969 said the donation was to reciprocate what the country did for him in the past. The former player was given a scholarship by the then Central Organization of Sports to study at the Kaneshie Secondary Technical School in the 60's and was later employed as a clerk by the National Sports Council before leaving for the United States of America.
The trophies are to be sent to the regions to be competed for annually by both male and female youth soccer teams. Anue Kofie said he was motivated by what late President Kennedy told American people years back, "ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.
The former player who is currently an Athlete Counselor and Recruiter for Essex County College and also the head-coach of Newport Technical High School, all in the US, said he wanted to support the new GFA youth programme so that there will not be "a generation gap in terms of footballers".
Anue Kofie who has been in the States for over 30 years but visits the country annually said he plans to come back for good and use his rich coaching experience to help salvage the image of Ghana football.
Mr Edward Osei Kwaku, Minister of Youth and Sports, said the presentation was a laudable gesture and expressed the hope that other former national players would emulate.
Anue Kofie also known as Black Cat in his hey days featured prominently for the national academicals team, Accra Great Olympics and later Kumasi Asante Kotoko, before leaving to play for the New York Cosmos in the United States.
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Mim (Brong Ahafo Region) 04 February - A soccer fan at Mim was electrocuted while trying to mount a television antennae to watch the last group match between the
Ghana Black Stars and the Stallions of Burkina Faso, at the ongoing African Cup of Nations (CAN 2002) in Mali on Wednesday.
The deceased, Kwabena Agyapong, 24, in the company of three others, whose names were not immediately known, were erecting a metal television pole when it touched a high-tension electric line.
The Police told the GNA that all the four received electric shocks and were rushed to the Ayum Clinic at Mim but Agyapong died soon after while the others were treated and discharged.
The Police said Agyapong was passing by and was called in to assist with the erection of the pole. His body has been deposited at the Goaso Government Hospital for autopsy while Police investigation continued.
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Bamako (Mali) 04 February - Colonel George Minyila (rtd) Ghana's ambassador to Burkina Faso with oversight responsibility on Mali arrived in Bamako on Friday to visit Ghanaian supporters who were injured by Burkinabe fans after the Black Stars win over the Stallions in Mopti on Wednesday.
Colonel Minyila met with the supporters at the former Ghana Embassy and interacted with them about the fracas that led to their injuries. He said he was tasked by the ministry of Foreign Affairs to get an on-the-spot report of the incident and report back to Accra.
The Ambassador said it was believed in official circles that some lives were lost and thanked God that the report of deaths was incorrect. Colonel Minyila took the names of those who sustained injuries and gave them 10 thousand FCFA to take a taxi to the Black Stars CAN village camp to see the team doctor Fordjour for further examination and treatment.
He told the supporters not to be intimidated by any person or group of persons but to continue with their support of the Black Stars in their quest to annex the African Cup. The supporters had arrived Bamako from Mopti the previous night and are accommodated at the former Ghana Embassy.
They arrived with a damaged trombone, which the Malian police had retrieved from militant Burkinabe supporters who tormented them after the Stars-Stallions match. Two trumpets, which were also seized from the group could however not be found and no arrests have so far been made by the Malian police.
Emmanuel Amponsah and Francis Chi Chong Koo were stabbed while a gorge was opened in Philip Adom's head with a rock. William Boateng, Thomas Boateng and Kudjo Asagba were also manhandled and in the process, Asagba lost a Kodak camera while Thomas had his wallet containing 100 dollars snatched. Another member of the group who was reported missing surfaced an hour later and said he went into hiding to save his life.
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