Hearts alarmed at
low Champions League prize money
Sports exhibition to hold in Accra
Hearts alarmed at
low Champions League prize money
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 May 2001
The management of Accra Hearts of
Oak could be having problems in fulfilling the promises made to their players
before the CAF Champions League finals and could face a possible showdown with
the playing body over CAF's prize money for winning the continental trophy.
Hearts officials were hoping to
reap close to 500,000 dollars after the League and based on that faith,
promised each player 25,000 dollars plus other incentives. However information reaching
the GNA from the continental body shows that the money due the club falls far
below expectation.
The Ghana News Agency laid hands
on a letter sent by CAF to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) stating 291,000
dollars as the money due to Hearts after deductions, in accordance with Article
42 paragraph 4 of CAF regulations.
What the letter failed to
establish however, was whether the money was a part or full payment.
This development has taken the
Hearts top brass by surprise and they have therefore requested the GFA General
Secretary Worlanyo Agra to liase with CAF for clarification, especially on the
19,000 dollars deduction, which is meant for AFRO Media for transmitting the
matches live.
Seventeen thousand dollars was
also meant for the GFA out of which 12,000 are to be paid to CAF as returns
from the matches.
A GFA source said CAF has made the
cheque for 291,000 dollars ready for collection but Hearts want some
clarifications before accepting the cheque.
GRi…/
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Sports exhibition to hold in Accra
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 - 05 - 2001
The First Ghana Sports Exhibition (SPORTEX) would be held at
the Trade Fair Centre in Accra from November 12 to 18.
The fair, dubbed SPORTEX, is being organised by the Ghana
Trade Fair Company Limited under the auspices of the Ministries of Youth and
Sports and Trade and Industry.
Mr Frank Appiah, Managing Director of Talent Marketing
Limited announced this at the launching of the exhibition at the Trade Fair
Site in Accra on Thursday.
He said about ten companies and organisations would
participate n the fair, which would showcase sports equipment and sports wears
and afford the public to acquire some basic remedial skill from a sports clinic
which would form part of the fair.
Mr Appiah said competitions in boxing, table tennis,
netball, football, weightlifting and all forms of indoor games such as cards
playing, ludo and oware would be held during the exhibition.
He said the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, the National
Sports Council and the Ghana Football Association are expected to participate
in the exhibition.
Other organisations making up the number include the Ghana
Education Service (Physical Education Programmes), Sportnet Ghana Limited, the
Ghana Boxing Authority and the Ghana Olympic Committee and Ghana Gymnastic
Clubs.
Mr Appiah said the exhibition is expected to promote peace,
unity, solidarity and friendship among the people and to attract investment to
the sports sector and establish the economic potentials of sports as a major
industry.
The Managing Director of Talent said the development and
promotion of sports are facing tremendous challenges both at the national and
international levels with the dwindling performance of our athletes.
"Ghana is a sporting country, but our participation in
international sporting activities has not yielded positive results in the last
few years," he sad.
He said much attention has not been given to the sector and
expressed the hope that Sportex will not only expose the economic potentials of
the sector of Ghanaian economy, but also whip up interest and enthusiasm in the
lesser sports and games.
Mr Appiah appealed to the business community to support the
fair by offering sponsorship in cash and kind.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 04 May 2001
Barely a week after coach Cecil Jones Atuquayefio was
relieved of his duties as the chief tactician of the Black Stars, it has now
been revealed that the trainer was sacked because of persistent clashes with
the top brass of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
A source within the GFA who pleaded for anonymity revealed
that Jones was sacked because he refused to apologise to Mr Emmanuel
Owusu-Ansah, Acting Chairman of the GFA over media outbursts credited to the
coach, which portended the association as irresponsible.
"The GFA was incensed by many utterances of Jones,
particularly before the Black Stars match against the super Eagles of Nigeria,
which sought to induce public sympathy and paint the credible men in charge of
our football administration dirty and worthless," he said.
Our source said, that the GFA responded promptly to a
request made by the coach for a videotape of the Super Eagles by sending him
one the next day.
They however realise that it was a 1992 tape, which was of
no relevance to him since the present Nigerian team is different from the one
on the tape.
Consequently, the source said Jones rejected it and the GFA
acted swiftly by sending coach Oti Akenten to Lome, Togo to spy on the
Nigerians who had camped there and were billed to play a trial match before
coming to Ghana.
He said instead of Jones conferring with the association to
find solutions to problems he might have been encountering in the discharge of
his duties, he chose the pages of newspapers and air time on radio stations to
amplify his presumed neglect and the irresponsibility of the GFA.
Another issue which prepared the knock out punch from the
GFA was his refusal to use any foreign player in the match against Nigeria even
though he had requested the FA to invite seven players for the encounter and
the officials had indeed sent invitation faxes to the players.
"When the coach decided to use a team made up of only
local players he failed to inform the GFA and we only heard it on the radio and
read it in the newspapers.
"All we could say about Jones' actions was that, either
he was arrogant or he did not know the intricacies associated with the
management of a national team where there are structural responsibilities which
could only be bridged by consultation and conference," he said.
Our source said when things appeared to be falling apart,
the GFA met with Jones and his deputy, Kwesi Appiah with the view to smoking
the peace pipe.
Matters however got worse when the head coach remained
defiant and refused to render an apology to Mr Owusu-Ansah for his
"unpalatable utterances, which had derogated the GFA."
"I shall never apologise, I have not even apologised to
my father before and I shall not be cowed to apologise to anybody for doing no
wrong." Jones was reported to have stormed at Mr Owusu-Ansah.
We were further informed that Kwesi Appiah, the deputy coach
tried to persuade his boss to say he was sorry but the chief tactician remained
adamant, saying he had done nothing wrong to render an apology.
According to our source, Mr Owusu-Ansah was so peeved that
he told Jones that if he "failed to apologise, you could choose your way
while the GFA too chooses its way."
The source said Jones told the GFA top brass they could take
any action they deemed appropriate and that he had the media on his side and he
would always make use of them.
He said the GFA soon after the botched meeting, began
scheming and consulting to get support from some government officials before
announcing the sack. And when they got the backing of political big wig, they
convened a press conference to announce the sack.
Jones was hired as the Black Stars' coach on January three,
2001.
Under him the senior national team played five matches,
loosing three, drawing one and winning one.
The Black Stars lost to Congo DR in Kinshasa by 1-2,
succumbed to Liberia 1-3 in Accra and slumped 0-1 away to Sudan. They drew 0-0
with the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Accra and humbled Congo DR 3-0 in at the
same venue.
The coach was fired on April 18 and the GFA announced his
sack at a press conference citing poor performance and conflict of interest,
resulting in lack of adequate attention for the job as he remained an employee
of Accra Hearts of Oak.
Jones' solicitors have since written to the GFA with an
ultimatum of 14 days to pay their client 80,000 dollars being unpaid wages,
signing on fee and compensation "for wrongful termination of
appointment" or face court action.
GRi…/
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