Investigate Referee Idrisu’s decisions
Accra (Greater Accra Region) 24 October 2001 - The management of Accra Hearts of Oak has called on the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to investigate the circumstances that led to certain decisions by referee Ibrahim Idrisu of Tamale in their 19th week encounter against Asante Kotoko in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, on 16 September 2001.
According to them, this has become necessary as a result of revelations of alleged impropriety made against some officials of Kotoko by referee J. D. K. Essel in the famous “Charles Taylor Yellow Card Saga”.
In a letter addressed to the GFA Secretariat and signed by the Administrative Manager of Hearts, Mr Tettey Oku, the club suggests that Referee Essel’s revelation should lead to further investigations by the football controlling body.
The letter said it is obvious that a lot more might have happened in the past “which should prompt a review of referee Idrisu’s action in the match against Kotoko”. Hearts of Oak also mentioned the 25th minute incident in the said match in which by their estimation, the referee acted strangely.
According to the letter, the referee whistled for an infringement against Dan Acquah of Kotoko on Hearts Ishmael Addo; but apart from shifting the area of incidence, their independent investigations revealed that the referee recorded a yellow card caution against Ishmael Addo’s name although he won the infringement.
Hearts said their request is not meant to change or correct the referee’s decision, but rather to call for a second look at the clip of that match to determine whether that particular act merits further investigations in the wake of Mr Essel’s revelations. They therefore pledged their total cooperation and added that they would make a copy of the clip available upon request to the GFA. – Ghanaian Times
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Accra (Greater Accra Region) 24 October 2001 - Nominations for the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) elections has been opened in Accra, and will last till the close of work on Wednesday 31 October 2001.
A statement signed by the SWAG Electoral Commissioner, Mr Harry Mouzalas of Ghana News Agency named the positions to be contested for as President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and two other executive positions.
The Electoral Commissioner said only fully paid up members, and not associate or affiliate members are eligible to contest and vote on 3 November 2001.
Voting will begin at 11a.m. and end at 5 p.m. at the SWAG Club House, Dansoman in Accra. “There will be non-refundable deposits of 50,000 cedis for the position of president, 30,000 cedis for the vice presidency and 20,000 cedis each for the other positions."
The statement directed interested contestants to contact Sports Desk of the Ghana News Agency for nomination forms, which must be completed and returned before the close of work on Wednesday 31 October 2001.
Mr Mouzalas explained that each contestant must have a proposer who could be a colleague from the same media house but a seconder must come from a different media house.
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo Region) 24 October 2001 - The Ghanaian Times report that the prosecution of Fatawu Alhassan, reserve goalkeeper of Okwawu United football Club, at a law court in Sunyani on Tuesday 23 October 2001, did not materialise following the failure of the suspect to appear before the court.
According to the paper, a police source disclosed to it that, the secretary of the board of the club, Mr Oduro-Nyarko, informed the police that the suspect collapsed on hearing that he would be arraigned before court and was sent to a hospital for treatment. Consequently, Mr Nyarko has been asked to submit medical report to that effect for verification.
Fatawu attacked FIFA referee Joseph Wellington of Accra with a football boot in a Star Premiere League encounter between Tano Bofoakwa and Okwawu United on Sunday 21 October 2001, at the Coronation Park in Sunyani, Brong Ahafo Region.
The act occurred shortly after the referee had signalled for the end of proceedings, which the homesters won
1-0. The suspect who protested vehemently that the goal was scored from an offside position tried to attack the referee with a football boot.
According to Superintendent Ampah-Bening, District Police Commander of Sunyani, a charge of assault has been preferred against the suspect. However, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Yartey Tawiah revealed that the docket of the case is yet to be handed to the police’s court unit.
The Daily Graphic also reports that, Superintendent Ampah-Bening revealed to its sports desk that, the Sunyani Police had not yet completed preparation of the docket on the case. According to him the police are looking for “a vital information” and immediately they lay their hands on it, Fatawu would be charged before court. He however refused to specify the “vital information” the police are looking for.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian Times again reports that, the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has awarded Okwawu United the three points in their outstanding match with Goldfields.
It also reports that, the GFA has announced that in all football matches the two clubs engaged in a particular encounter would share 60 per cent of the gate proceeds while 30 per cent will be retained by the FA with 10 per cent going to the National Sports Council.
In addition, all clubs, which honour away matches, would be entitled to a subsidiary to be paid after the match.
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Accra (Greater Accra Region) 24 October 2001 - Sekondi Hasaacas of Western Region has disassociated itself from the alleged violence perpetuated against some officials of Accra Hearts of Oak after their 24th week league match played on Sunday 21 October 2001, during which mobile phones and wrist watches of Hearts officials were stolen.
Mr Richard Quarshie, Accra representative of the club said the club condemns the violence. He said their attention was not drawn to anything of that sort after the match.
“I personally spoke with several officials of Hearts after the match and did not get the slightest hint of any attack on them. I reached Accra before hearing that something of that nature took place. The only case I heard of after the match, was that the phone of Mr Ernest Thompson, Board Secretary of Hearts, was snatched but that was later retrieved and given back to him without any problem”.
It would be recalled that on Monday 22 October 2001, the management of Hearts of Oak appealed to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to investigate the nasty incident in which some officials of the club were physically assaulted by the home fans of Sekondi Hasaacas.
Mr Harry Zakkour, Chief executive of Hearts is however reported to have threatened to retaliate the attack if the phones and the watches stolen were not returned.
Mr Quarshie described the comment from Mr Zakkour as “very unfortunate coming from a big club like Hearts who are expected to set examples for the others clubs to follow”.
Hasaacas would play Tema Ghapoha in a league match at the Accra sports stadium on Friday and Mr Quarshie has called on the FA to ensure that nothing happens.
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Accra (Greater Accra Region) 24 October 2001 - The Referees Association of Ghana (RAG) has threatened to boycott the up-coming sub middle league, which kicks off on Sunday 28 October 2001, if monies due members who officiated the second round league matches, are not settled.
A source close to the RAG secretariat disclosed that all efforts to have the arrears settled have proved futile, leaving them with no alternative than to take such an action.
“We are therefore asking the GFA to settle the arrears by the close of work on Thursday 25 October 2001, or forget about the sub middle league”.
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Accra (Greater Accra Region) 24 October 2001 - Mr Iddrisu Gamal, a basketball resource person, has described the call for the re-organisation of the "lesser known sports" associations as long overdue.
He said the absence of this is compounding the problems of the said associations. Mr Gamal, who is the only Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) referee in the country, said those who believe the changes might affect them are less active and therefore dragging their feet.
He therefore called on the authorities to speed things up to save the associations from collapsing, and also called for the rejuvenation of the various associations, with comprehensive programmes that would make them more efficient; especially basketball, which, he said, has completely gone dormant.
He said basketball is now being supported by private individuals, adding that, the last time it received sponsorship from the National Sports Council was two years ago.
“There is no initiative to sponsor lesser known sports and we demand that resources are given to us to run the game”.
He regretted that, the whole country has no gymnasiums, saying one million dollars could put up a modest 3000 capacity gymnasium, which would not only serve basketball but other disciplines as well.
He lamented that; the basketball court at the stadium, which was destroyed during the last stadium renovation exercise, has still not been repaired.
In a related development, Alhaji Pelgrino Braimah, head coach of the senior basketball team and one time basketball star in Nigeria, has complained that, basketball is far lagging behind as compared to other disciplines of sports.
He decried the poor organisation of the basketball league season, which he said makes it less competitive. “The league is not well organised, I never expect basketball to be played for only one round and the champion declared”, he said.
He described as unfortunate the situation where one person does the league fixtures without any consultation and also declares the league champion in the end.
Alhaji Braimah therefore suggested that the league be played for two rounds and the best six clubs selected for a championship competition to attract sponsorship for the sport.
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