GRi Sports News Ghana 15 –05 - 2000
B.A. United
register's first win
GOC launches
Sydney 2000 sponsorship drive
GFA
condole wife of Prof Mawuse Dake
Ministry
to start charging VAT on gate fees
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2000
Wonder Club, Accra Great Olympics played a
splendid second half game to beat visiting Kwaebibirem United 1-0 in their 10th
week ABC Premier League match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Kwaebibirem who were visiting the Accra turf
for the first time however staged late raid and could have snatched an
equaliser if their attacking machine had been a bit sharp.
The match took off on a fast note and barely 10
minutes into the game, inside left of Olympics, Joe Louis, side-netted after
receiving a neat pass from Jonathan Abeiku on the left flank.
Kwaebibirem, featuring veteran Ayittey Dormon
and ex-Hearts of Oak player Lantei Lamptey in midfield, managed to tighten
their midfield and turned the heat on the homesters.
Deadly striker Oppong Kyekyeku, sent shock
waves through the spines of Olympics fans when his 35metre drive caught
Olympics goalkeeper Nyarko flat footed but the ball ricocheted off the cross
bar into play.
However, in the 53rd minute, it was Billy
Sulley who registered Oly's second win in the 16-club league with a one-time
shot.
It was a two-man move with Joe Louis, which
Sulley, after laying on a pass to Louis, run through the visitors' defence to
connect a return left footer from Louis.
Eight minutes after the goal, right winger
Wisdom Abbey dived to slice home a perfect goal but it was ruled off side by
referee Sey.
Olympics British coach, Tom Vernom, sent on
Amui Quaye and Tahiru Brimah in the 80th and 86th minutes respectively, while
Kwaebibirem substituted Joseph Yeboah for Papa Yaw in the 88th minute.
However, it was the visitors who nearly
benefited from the changes when a minute after coming on, Yaw found the
homesters net but it was ruled off side for an earlier infringement.
GRi../
Goldfields, Power draw
Obuasi (Ashanti Region)
Koforidua-based Power FC put up a vintage
performance to hold Goldfields to a goalless drawn game at the Len Clay Stadium
on Sunday.
Goldfields started the game in more purposeful
and earned three cornerkicks in the 3rd, 5th and 6th minutes. They were however
wasted.
Determined to win at home, the homesters kept
the pressure on the visitors and it nearly yielded dividend, when skilful
inside left, Abdul Karim Sylla, drove the ball through a forest of legs towards
goal only to miss the post narrowly.
In the 41st minute Power FC could
have gone ahead from a curling go-bound freekick but Goldfields goalkeeper
Constant Mantey did well to grab it.
Back from recess, Goldfields maintained their
onslaught but goalkeeper Fred Ollenu who was at his best prevented them from
scoring.
Both teams exhausted their substitution but
that could not alter the scoreline till the final whistle.
GRi../
Cape Coast ( Central Region)
Continental campaigners, Coast Coast Mysterious
Dwarfs beat visiting RTU 1-0 in their match played at the Cape Coast Stadium.
The only goal was scored in the 6th minute by
Steven Owusu through a free kick.
Dwarfs dominated the match and made several
advances into the half of the visiting team but failed to hit the net. As a
result of good saves by Suraj Mohammed of RTU which would have seen Dwarfs
register not less than four goals.
The visiting team came back well composed and
made a number of incursions against their opponents but all were wasted.
In the 67th minute Dwarfs were awarded a
free-kick and powerman Steven Owusu hit a first timer into the net for the only
goal of the match.
GRi../
Kumasi (Ashanti Region)
Defending champions, Accra Hearts of Oak had to
fall on their rich experience to enable them register a hard fought 2-1 victory
over stubborn King Faisal at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.
Faisal gave the Hearts players the scare of
their lives with an early goal in the third minute through inside-left Nana
Frimpong, who connected home a cross from left-winger George Eranio after
Hearts goalkeeper Sammy Adjei had failed to grab the ball.
With their pride at stake and cheered on by
their teeming supporters, Hearts were unperturbed as they continued to pile on
pressure earning three corner-kicks in the eighth, 10th and 11th minutes but
could not utilise them.
The forwards of Hearts missed some goal scoring
chances, especially inside-left Ishmael Addo, when in the 16th minute, with
goalkeeper Nicholas Opoku Ware completely beaten and a yawning net, he lobbed
the ball over the bar.
Hearts earned two more corner-kicks in the 30th
and 35th minutes but wasted all until two minutes later when Charles
Taylor's cross was deflected by a Faisal defender into his own net.
Goalkeeper Opoku Ware got injured in the
process when he clashed with Allotey and one of his defenders and this delayed
play for about three minutes.
The second half saw a more rejuvenated Hearts
side and in the 56th minute goal-poacher Joe Famiyeh received a pass at the
edge of the penalty box but shot wide and Addo for the third time missed
another opportunity to score in the 61st minute.
However, Addo atoned for the misses with the
winning goal in the 90th minute in a goal mouth action which left their
supporters in wild jubilation and the players of Faisal looking dejected.
GRi../
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo)
A 72nd minute goal by skipper Casola da Costa
enabled Brong Ahafo United to beat visiting Ghapoha 1-0 to record their first
victory in the 10-week old league match at the Sunyani Coronation Park on
Sunday.
Until then, Ghapoha had done everything
possible to frustrate the efforts of the homesters to the displeasure of their
vociferous supporters who stormed the field during the recess and threatened to
beat both the officials and players of their team if they failed to win the
match.
Overlapping Da Costa, who received a pass from
the right flank, beat two defenders and lobbed the ball over Ghapoha's
goalkeeper Joseph Mensah for the only goal.
B.A. United kicked off under the instruction of
Kumasi-based class one referee Stephen Oduro and displayed good football during
the early exchanges.
But Ghapoha led in attack by Don Bortey,
accpted the challenge and nearly had the opener in the 17th minute.
Don Bortey, who received a yellow card in the
23rd minute was substituted for Mensah Pomayie, combined effectively with John
Ainoo, they constantly harassed the homesters till the end of the first half.
In the second half, both teams made
substitutions but the game became a ding-dong affair with Ghapoha slightly on
top until skipper Da Costa broke the deadlock with his beautiful 72nd goal.
At the Nkawkaw park, Okwawu United played an
improved game to beat visiting Sekondi Hasaacas 1-0 under their new coach
J.E.A. Sarppong.
The only goal of the match was scored in the
11th minute by inside right Isaac Kwasi Asante with a beautiful header to a set
piece taken by Ismaila Iddrisu which beat Maxwell Owusu Banahene in goal for
Hasaacas.
GRi../
Kotoko beat Dawu Youngsters
Kumasi Asante Kotoko on Sunday managed a hard
fought 3-2 victory over Dawu younsters in their match played at the Dawu Sports
Stadium.
It was a match, that the Fabulous club needed
to win at all cost to appease their fans who stormed the Dawu Stadium in their
numbers.
Kotoko were in full control for the first 30
minutes of the game but were unable to utilise the chances profitably. Shilla
Alhassan missed a glorious opportunity in the 15th minute and Adu
Poku, Stephen Oduro and Michael Osei took turns to blow begging chances off
target. In the 31st minute however Michael Osei broke the deadlock
when he shot from an acute angle to give Kotoko the lead after Oduro Oduro
failed with yet another chance.
But the jubilation of Kotoko fans was short
lived as referee P.S. Odai awarded a penalty against Samuel Bakai for handling
the ball in the 18-yard box. Skipper Richard Narey fetched the equaliser from
the spot-kick.
Dawu increased the tally after recess in the
48th minute through a scissor-kick after Kotoko's newly-signed keeper Osei
Boateng, failed to grab the ball first time.
Play was halted for about five minutes when
some Kotoko fans started throwing missiles onto the pitch to express their
displeasure at referee Okai's handling of the match.
In the 80th minute, Kotoko's Isaac
Owusu performed a rescue act when he cannoned a freekick on the edge of the
penalty yard line to put his side on level terms.
Substitute Augustine Amponsah gave the Porcupine
warriors the much-needed victory in the 87th minute from a bullet
that was directed through an acute angle.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra)
The ugly side of soccer reared its head again
on Saturday when the skippers of Liberty Professionals and visiting Bofoakwa
Tano, Kofi Deblah and Abeiku Aikins traded in the fisticuffs moments after
their league at Accra Sports Stadium, won 2-1 by Liberty, came to an end.
The confrontation, which sparked off a free for
all fight among some players of both teams, took security men some time to
resolve.
Liberty kicked off and nearly scored the first
goal as early as the first minute but Wahid Mohammed's header went off target.
The visitors seized the initiative and took the game to the home team and
succeeded in scoring the opening goal in the 12th minute when Pasco Amponsah
volleyed in a cross from Kofi Amoako.
The visitors, who dominated the exchanges,
nearly added to their tally in the 30th and 37th minutes but veteran Ben Kusi
and Kofi Amoako shot wide.
Against the run of play, Liberty equalised in
the 39th minute through skipper Kofi
Dablah when his shot beat Damba Mohammed in
goal for the visitors.
Liberty capitalised on the goal and controlled
the game, adding a second goal in the 43rd minute when Wahib Mohammed headed
home from a goal mouth melee after a corner kick.
In the second half, Bofoakwa, who dominated
play, brought on Maxwell Mensah and Attah Fuseini for Ben Kusi and Fuseini Bawa
in the 58th and 74th minutes respectively to strengthen their attacking
machinery but were not able to get the equaliser till the final whistle.
GRi…/
ABC Premier League 10th week results
15 - 05 - 2000
Sunyani:
B A United 1 Ghapoha
0 Nkawkaw: Okwawu 1
Hasaacas 0
Accra:
Olympicse 1 K'bibirem
0 Dawu: Dawu 2 Kotoko 3
Obuasi:
Goldfields 0 Power 0 Kumasi:
King Faisal 1 Hearts 2
C.Coast:
Dwarfs 1 RTU 0 Accra: Liberty 2 Bofoakwa1
Standings of the teams at the end of the 10th
week - 010 15 May 2000
Team Local/Region P W D L F A Pts GD
Hearts Accra, Gt. Accra 10 9 1 0 28 6 28 +22
Liberty Accra, Gt. Accra
10 6 1 3 13 9 19 +5
Goldfields Obuasi, Ashanti 10 5 2 3 11 8 17 +3
Ghapoha Tema, Gt. Accra 10 5 1 4 13 11 13 +2
Dwarfs Cape Coast, Central 10 5 2 3 12 11 12 +1
Bofoakwa Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 10 4 2 4 10 11 14 -1
RTU Tamale, Northern 10 4 2 4 8 10 14 -2
Kotoko Kumasi, Ashanti 10 4 2 4 8 11 14 -3
Hasaacas Sekondi, Western 10 4 1 5 11 13
13 -2
Okwawu Nkawkaw, Eastern 10 3 3 4 11 10 12 +1
Power
F/C Koforidua, Eastern 10 2 4 4 5 5 11 0
King
Faisal Kumasi, Ashanti 10 3 2 5 10 11 11 -1
Kwaebibirim Asuom, Eastern 10
3 2 5 12 19 11 -7
Dawu Dawu, Eastern 10 1 5
4 10 14 8 -4
B.A.
United Sunyani, Brong Ahafo 10 1 4 5 8 15 7 -7
Olympics Accra, Gt. Accra 10 2 3 5 8 15 7 -7
(Note: Three points were deducted from
Olympics' accumulated points for failing to honour their match against King
Faisal).
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2000
The Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC)
on Friday night launched a 3 billion-cedi sponsorship drive to augment
government's allocation for this year's Sydney Olympic Games slated for
September.
The three-hour programme launched
by Mr. Kwesi Abeasi, Director-General,
Private Enterprise Foundation, at
the Golden Tulip, Accra, also outlined Ghana's preparation for the Sydney games
and auctioning of GOC souvenirs.
As a first step towards realising
the target, the GOC is to link up with the private sector via the Internet for regular
update on the sponsorship.
Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of
Youth and Sports noted that sports, was not only a significant international
industry in its own right, but also an effective tool for investment and
tourism.
He said for the nation to reap this
benefit, the private sector, being the "engine of growth," should be
able to complement the government's effort through sponsorship.
The Minister reminded prospective
sponsors that provisions exist under the Income Tax (Amendment) Regulation,
1991 (LI 1511) for donation made towards the development and promotion of
sports to be treated as tax exempt.
He said the law underscores the
fact that the government recognises the invaluable assistance that companies
and firms, groups of persons and individuals could offer to promote sports in
the country.
Mr. Mensah called on the media to
help in the campaign to sell the country's sports development projects and
programmes and also ensure, that they are successfully implemented.
"In this connection, the media
could engage in advocacy to attract public and private investment and
sponsorship of, our sports development programmes," he said.
Colonel George Brock, Acting Chief
Executive of the National Sports Council, who outlined the programmes, said the
nation would spend over 4 billion cedis in the preparation and participation in
the games.
He said the grand total is made of
a 472.5 million cedis and a foreign component of 647,615.40 dollars.
GRi…/
GFA condole wife of Prof Mawuse
Dake
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2000
A five-member Ghana Football
Association (GFA) delegation on Thursday paid a condolence visit to the family
of Professor Mawuse Dake, who died in Accra last month.
The leader of the delegation was
Alhaji Nurudeen Jawula, Chairman of the GFA.
The Chairman described Professor
Dake as an important sporting personality, who has left a legacy of
truthfulness and courage for the sporting fraternity.
He was loyal to Ghana sports and
resolute in everything he did.
Alhaji Jawula assured the bereaved
family that the Ghanaian football fraternity would participate fully in the
burial and funeral ceremonies of the Professor.
Alhaji Jawula prayed for the
peaceful repose of the soul of Professor Dake.
His widow, Mrs. Joyce Kikomeko
Dake, a Ugandan, expressed her gratitude to the GFA for their concern. She
promised to keep the GFA abreast with developments in connection with the
funeral.
The funeral has been tentatively
fixed for June 24 and 25 at Ho Ziavi in the Volta Region.
Members of the delegation include
Mr. Ade Coker, Vice Chairman, Mr. Wolanyo Agra, General Secretary, Mr. Oheneba
Charles and Mr. Sylvester Mensah, Executive Members all of the GFA.
GRi…/
Ministry to start charging VAT on
gate fees
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2000
The Value Added Tax (VAT)
Secretariat has stated that any event, which goes on at the national stadiums
should attract 10 per cent VAT.
At a special meeting between the
Secretariat and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Accra on Friday on the need
to charge VAT on gate fees during any activity at the stadiums, Mr. Ken Bensti
Enchil, Assistant VAT Commissioner, said a letter to this effect was sent to
the Ministry last January, but it has failed to comply.
Mr. Enchil said the implementation
of the excise should have started in January this year, but expressed regret
that the ministry has been slow in effecting it.
Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of
Youth and Sports said even though his Ministry is aware of the consequences of
failure to pay VAT, "we will like to plead with the VAT Secretariat to
pardon us".
GRi../