Zakkour calls for Osam-Duodu’s head
Mines Stars, B.A. United qualify for Premier division
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 January 2002 - Former head coach of the Black Stars, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, has sent a goodwill message to the team in Segou, Mali, as they gear up for their crunch group B match against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Thursday.
In a statement copied to the GNA Sports late Tuesday evening, the coach reminded the playing body that they are going to play against a powerful enemy who is very strong, dedicated and discipline, but said that "in spite of all these you can still do it".
"As an old player and having had the opportunity of coaching most you, I know what you are capable of doing, I have the strong conviction that you can rise to the occasion in Segou", the coach said.
Coach Attuquayefio, helmsman of Accra Hearts of Oak, who also took over the reigns of Italian Guiseppe Dosenna as head coach of the Stars in December 2000 urged the players and their technical handlers to remember they are always winners.
He said despite the difficulty, he has no doubt in his mind that they could even surprise all Ghanaians by winning the cup.
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Sagou (Mali) 24 January 2002 - Mr Edward Osei Kwaku, Minister of Youth and Sports on Tuesday, donated 800 dollars to a group of Ghanaian supporters who arrived at Segou without the chunk of their sponsorship money.
The supporters who arrived on Monday are being accommodated in a house, opposite the CAN Village through the benevolence of a Togolese couple, Julius and Patience Kwami who charge them a meagre 1,000 CFA per head per night.
Mr Joseph Laangabell, leader of the supporters told the GNA that his group was able to raise ¢77 million from Accra Brewery Limited, Vanef/STC, Mid West, GLICO and Fritz Tel to facilitate their journey to Mali.
He said after they had completed arrangements they were joined by Mr Abraham Boakye, popularly known as ‘one man supporter’ who assumed leadership and led them to the Castle, Osu to receive cheques for the money.
Mr Langabell said after they had cashed the whole money, Mr Boakye convinced them to visit the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in Kumasi.
He said after waiting in Kumasi for three days without seeing the Asantehene, the group proceeded to Segou after Mr Boakye had given each member 180,000 cedis all totalling 4,320,000 cedis.
Mr Langabell said though ‘One man supporter’ promised to join them before the Black Stars first match last Monday, he had failed to show up, a day to the Stars' second match.
He said Mr Boakye has ¢43 million of the group's money in his custody while they are leaving in abject poverty. We had problems with feeding and accommodation and now face a bleak future in Segou."
He said under the circumstances, they had no other option than to approach the Minister who was kind enough to give them 800 dollars to cater for their immediate needs.
Mr Langabell said Mr Boakye paid ¢30 million to the transport company, which conveyed them to Segou, but the bus has since returned to Accra even though they have to travel about 500 kilometres to Mopti for the Stars last group match against the Stallions of Burkina Faso.
He said they are not bothered about the return journey because they are optimistic the Stars would reach far in the competition.
GNA investigations revealed that, the Minister donated part of the per diem of sacked Bayern Munich defender Samuel Osei Kuffour who returned his 1,200 dollars voluntarily when he was asked to decamp.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 24 January 2002 - Even before the Black Stars face South Africa in their crunch second group B match at the on-going Africa Cup of Nations in Mali, Hearts of Oak Chief Executive Harry Zakkour has called on soccer authorities to dispense of the services of the coach when the team arrived back home.
"The GFA management board should pay him off and look for a more competent coach to handle the Stars", Zakkour apparently disappointed after the Ghana-Morocco match, told the GNA sports in Accra on Wednesday.
He said even though he is not a coach, he believes the team would have performed better if the right selection had been made.
The Chief Executive who has been in football for the past 33 years wonders how a player like Derek Boateng of Greece team Panathinaikos and Ishmael Addo of Hearts of Oak fame could not even form part of the first 18 players.
He questioned how a local player who features regularly for 90 minutes could be dropped for a foreign-based who hardly plays for 90 minutes.
Mr Zakkour said the coach made a very big mistake right from Accra where he left out most of his seasoned local players including Ghana's most valuable player Charles Taylor after months of camping.
He said by the coach's action Kotoko's Board Chairman, Herbert Mensah, has been vindicated for not allowing his players to join the Stars on grounds of wrong approach by the GFA and against the backdrop that the players would end up as "training horses".
"You can not tell me that Alex Techie Mensah who wasted a 90th minute opportunity is better than Issa Mohammed of Hasaacas or that some of the defenders the coach fielded were better than Joe Hendricks of Kotoko", Mr Zakkour said.
The Chief Executive said it was sad that the coach chose to agitate for a higher salary in Mali, an issue he could have discussed with the authorities in Accra.
He said much as CAF frowns on government interference in soccer administration, President J.A. Kofuor, his vice Aliu Mahama and Youth and Sports Minister, Edward Osei Kweku, who were all one time involved in soccer, should liase with the GFA to find a last solution to the country's downward trend in the sport.
On the Stars chances in Thursday's match, he said, "football is football, you could be the best and yet could be beaten". The Chief Executive said the Stars could pull a surprise win over the South Africans who have beaten them twice since 1996.
Asked whether Samuel Kuffour expulsion from the team could affect the morale of the boys, Mr Zakkour said, "that is why the authorities should have exercised restraint in their action". He said that notwithstanding, the Black Stars could still surprise all.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 24 January 2002 - Mr Harry Zakkour, Chief Executive of Accra Hearts of Oak, has said the club would recruit only five players this season to augment the squad for a record sixth successive league title.
He declined, however, to name players being targeted to join the Phobians. In an interview with the GNA Sports on Wednesday, Mr Zakkour said, "the reason for being silent on players is that their prices soar when their names appear in the media".
He said the current large squad of 41 players is draining the resources of the club financially adding that management has consequently decided to register not more than 30 players for the next soccer season.
Mr Zakkour said even though the team embarked on a massive recruitment exercise last year only a fraction of them were used and "it does not make economic sense to recruit more."
The Chief Executive said although some of the star players including goal-king Ishmael Addo are likely to leave for Europe, the team can still perform creditably because there are equally good materials to take their place.
"I don't see any stiff opposition from any team in our title aspirations though the competition gets tougher year by year.” On the technical direction of the team, in view of recent differences between the head coach, Jones Attuquafio and the management board, Mr Zakkour said the problems are over.
"Jones has asked for one month leave and we expect him back 10 days before the commencement of the Star Premier League." Asked whether he still intends to be with the team, Mr Zakkour responded in the affirmative.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 24 January 2002 - Prestea Mines Stars played a determined game to beat Power F/C 2-1 in their first division middle league match played at the Cape coast Sports Stadium on Wednesday.
By this victory, Mine stars who are now having 10 points from four matches have qualified to play in the Star Premier League next season since their last match with BA United on Saturday will be a formality. Incidentally, United whipped Yeji Stars 4-1 to also amass 10 points qualifying them for the Premier game next season.
From the blast of the whistle for the Miners-Power match, Mines Stars went in strongly and opened the scoring with a free kick taken by outside left William Okudjei in the 15th minute.
Undaunted Power however, hit back and equalised through outside left Mike Serwonu in the 40th minute in goalmouth melee. On resumption, Mine Stars took an absolute command of the game and launched series of attacks in their opponents’ vital area until the 89th minute when a hard- pressed defender of Power F/C whacked Okudje in the vital area.
Referee Samuel Essel Walker who handled the match awarded a penalty, which Mine stars goal keeper Eric Asare scored from the resultant Kick.
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