Asamoah explains choice of German team
George Owusu eager to play for Stars
NSC to reopen regional/district offices
Black Satellites beat Paraguay 2-1
Soccer-Star Premier League leading scorers
Olando Pirates arrive in Accra next week
Asamoah explains choice of German team
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
Gerald Asamoah, a Ghanaian soccer international based in Germany said in Accra that he opted for the German national team because of poor reception given to him by Ghanaian officials on his first invitation.
He said, he was frustrated and felt unwanted even among his own countrymen on his first invitation to feature for the Black Stars a couple of months ago.
Asamoah was explaining why he opted for the German national team after several appeals from the Ghana Football Association and some concerned Ghanaians.
He said, when he joined the Black Stars in camp, for his first assignment, no official or the coach, Giusseppe Dossena, ever spoke with him; not even after the match and he felt he was not wanted. "It appeared to me I was being imposed on the team."
Asamoah, known in Germany as "Blondy" said an hour before the match, he contacted the skipper, Charles Akonnor, whether the line-up for the match was ready, and he was told it was not ready.
He said he found this quite unusual because back in Germany, even four hours before kick off, the final list of players to feature is made known.
The player said to his astonishment, he found some of his colleagues in tracksuits while he was not given any, and when he asked for one he was told to wait.
He said he later found out that those in the tracksuit have been selected to play.
Asamoah said he found the whole scenario very disturbing and it appeared as if something was being hidden from him.
He said he was then hoping that at least someone could approach him to explain things to him after the match, but that never happened.
Asamoah said before he was invited to play for the Stars, the Germans had been pursuing him, so with the experience he encountered in Ghana, he decided to opt for the German national team.
When asked whether he regrets having taken that decision, he answered in the affirmative, but said it could be a way of marketing Ghana.
Since joining the Germans, Asamoah has featured once in an international friendly and has scored a goal.
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George Owusu eager to play for Stars
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
The name George Owusu, may not be well known in soccer circles, especially in Ghana, but the 22-year old Ghanaian with CAPS United, a premier division team in Zimbabwe, is literally deified in that country.
His exploits in Zimbabwe have made many sports journalists, wonder why the young, ebony black chap has never received a call up to feature for the senior national soccer team, the Black Stars.
A fortnight ago, when the Black Stars stormed Harare for the Cup of Nations qualifier, George Owusu's eminent face was splashed on the front page of the Herald, a leading newspaper in that country, after banging in a hat trick in a 4-2 thrashing of Dynamos.
CAPS and Dynamos happen to be the two top teams in Zimbabwe and the match obviously was a top of the pack encounter of the pairings for that week.
But perhaps what made that match very special was the fact that Owusu had just joined CAPS from rivals Dynamos after his contract had expired.
Owusu featured prominently for Dynamos in the champion's League two years ago and scored four goals for his club.
The young player started his carrier with Young Kotoko FC in 1993, moved to Fantomas a year later before having an insignificant stint with Accra Hearts of Oak.
He later joined Union Sports De Bafan in Cameroon, had a stint with Hellenic FC in South Africa before finally moving to Harare.
As a budding star George Owusu had a national call to the Black Starlets, Ghana under-17 team before his 15th birthday.
He was the second highest goal scorer, in the division one league in Cameroon while with Bafan, scoring 16 goals. George hit the net four times for Dynamos in the 1999 CAF Champions League.
Apart from his striking roles, George also functions effectively in the midfield.
GRi…/
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NSC to reopen regional/district offices
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
The National Sports Council (NSC) is set to reactivate regional branches of all sports associations by the end of this year.
This is to make them national in character, Brigadier George Brock, Acting Chief Executive of the NSC said, when he unveiled a four-year action plan of the council at a meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Youth Sports and Culture and Mr Joe Aggrey, deputy minister of the sector.
He said the NSC has also drawn up plans to open district offices by June 2002.
Brigadier Brock said the regional and district offices would enable the Council to undertake a nation wide talent hunt and those discovered would be encouraged and guided to develop their full potentials.
The acting chief executive identified lack of motivation and low morale as the causes of Ghana's dwindling fortunes in international sports.
He said our success on the continent was short lived because there were no long-term foundations in place to sustain the standard that was set by our pace setters.
Brigadier Brock said lack of infrastructure, inadequate funding, obsolete equipment or lack of it, coupled with the absence of sponsorship by big corporate bodies and wealthy individuals negate our development.
He appealed to members of the parliamentary committee to institute measures that would compel district assemblies to use part of their common fund or the poverty alleviation fund to promote sports.
The acting chief executive said the district assemblies could use sports to get the youth out of the streets and crime, adding that sports is an important vehicle which could be used to alleviate poverty because athletes are mega buck earners.
He called on corporate organisations to contribute to sports development and reminded them about an existing legislation, which grants tax rebate to companies, which fund sports.
Bridadier Brock said the situation was so bad that Ghana had to borrow an electronic timing device from Burkina Faso to facilitate the hosting of an international competition recently and called for private sector participation to ease the burden on government.
GRi…/
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Black Satellites beat Paraguay 2-1
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
Ghana begun its under 20 World Soccer tournament in Argentina by beating Paraguay in their opening match 2-1.
The goals were scored by Michael Essien in the 58th minute and Derek Boateng in the 63 minute while Guzman Tomas pulled one back for Paraguay in the 69th minute.
Reports reaching the GNA said that the Black Satellites energetic style of play proved too much for their opponents although it was not until the second half before they got an opener.
The satellites failed to convert their superiority into more goals making the South Americans confident that they could match them but in the end the Ghanaians proved that they were in control.
GRi…/
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Soccer-Star Premier League leading scorers
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
Leading scorers in the Star Premier League after the fifth week matches played on Sunday, June 10.
4 - Issah Mohamnmed (Hassacas) Awudu Adama (Dawu)
3 - Ishmael Addo (Hearts) Nana Frimpong (Kotoko) Joseph Adjei (RTU) Asamoah Dzifa (Maxbees)
2 - Anthony Mintah, William Agyapong (Bofoakwa) Adu Kwaku (Kaebibirem)
Chibsah Yusif, Frank Osei (Faisal) Kwaku Asare (Adansiman)
Lawrence Adjei (Kotoko) Baba Sulley (Dawu) Kofi Debrah (Liberty)
Isaac Boakye, Princeston Owusu-Ansah (Goldfields) Issa Shaibu (Maxbees)
1 - Eric Gawu, Tijani Mohammed (King Faisal) Godwin Ablordey,
Shila Alhassan (Kotoko) Victor Antwi, Salifu Shaabu (Kwaebibirem)
Nana Adarkwa, Samuel Kyere, Ibrahim Yahaya, Joseph Boakye, Seth Antwi
(Arsnals) Limbambani Yedibahoma, Akakpo Patron (Liberty) Ben Kwame,
Richard Andersson (Ghapoha) David Amoaku, Samuel Aryetey, Dennis Odoom,
J B Danquah (Olympics) Kofi Apetor, Ernest Boateng, Richard Mireku, Kwesi
Kyeremanteng (Okwawu) Awudu Alhassan, Haruna Gariba (Adansiman) Nicholas
Addo, Eric Mbroah (Dawu), Nana Arhin-Duah (Goldfields), Kwarteng Kingsley
(Hasaacas) Richard Oppong (Bofoakwa) Charles Taylor (Hearts) Dzagbo Kumi
(RTU)
GRi…/
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Olando Pirates arrive in Accra next week
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 June 2001
Olando Pirates, a leading netball team in Namibia are scheduled to arrive in the country on Saturday, June 23, for a weeklong friendly with the national netball team and some selected teams ahead of the Netball Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted by Ghana later in the year.
Mr E. D. Nii Koi, Chairman of the Netball Association of Ghana said in Accra that the international friendly is part of plans to prepare Ghana adequately for the tournament and to whip up interest in the sport before the "D-day".
He said the association is liasing with the national Sports Council (NSC) to use to middle tennis court of the Accra Sports Stadium for its matches.
Olando Pirates would also travel to some regions to play some selected teams before they depart.
He urged companies and individuals to sponsor the team and help popularise the sport.
GRi…/
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