Sports
Ghana soccer to go professional
Ghana football will go professional soon. With this policy, the Ghana Football Association will come out with guidelines before the end of the year.Outlining the programme for the development of the game, a GFA statement said the first year of the development programme includes plans for improved management of first and second division teams for effective professionalism in na soccer and to reconstitute the regional student team, Ghana Academicals. Alongside the running of the national league and knock-out competitions, the GFA envisage the formation of new regional teams, the under 20's, the Meteors the Black Stars.
Hasaacas are Ghana per champs
Sekondi Hasaacas pipped Accra Hearts of Oak by a lone goal to win the 1985 Champion of Champion trophy before a sell-out crowd at the Accra Sports Stadium. Centre forward Henry Acquah got the only goal of the match in which Hasaacas' dribbler Ollabode Williams was outstanding.Cameroun trounce Saudi Arabia
Reigning African champions, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun staked strong claim for the newly-introduced African-Asian championship with an authoritative 4-1 slamming of Saudi Arabia in the first leg of the Africa-Asia inter continental championship in Yaounde.A crowd of 70,000 saw a fine display of attacking football from the African champions who gave the Asian soccer lords littleroom to operate.
Cameroonian hero was Roger Milla who registered a hat-trick in the 7th, 23rd and 46th minutes. Emmanuel Kunde got the other goal from an 85th minute penalty. Abdul Jawal was the lone scorer for the Arabs. The date and venue for the return leg in Saudi Arabia have not yet been fixed.
Union Goree lose in Zimbabwe
Inion Goree, Senegalese conquerors of Accra Hearts of Oak, lost the first leg African clubs championship match to Zimbabwe National Army team, Black Chinos, in Harare. They were beaten 2-0. Jerry Chidawa, 45th, and Maroaga Nyangela, 72nd, were the scorers for the Zimbabweans who were cheered on by 5,000 fans, including President Caanan Banana.Star-studded Royal Air Force of Morocco whipped Guinea's Kaloum Stars 3-0 in an African clubs match in Rabat.
Hearts coach resigns
The head coach of Ghanaian champion club, Accra Hearts of Oak, has resigned accusing other local coaches of intrigues to take over his job.In a letter to Mr Machus Hughes, chairman of the club, Mr Nathan Opare Adjei said: "I am aware of the lobbying being made by some national coaches to be employed by Hearts and I think I should give them the chance to take over.
Players and supporters of the club recen- tly urged the management to seek the release of national coach John Eshun to aid Hearts in their build-up for the African clubs championship tournament next season. And though Mr Adjei did not mention names, observers believe he was alluding to that call.
Kuuku, Dadzie, Dan Owusu for course
Three former players of the Ghanaian national team, the Black Stars, have been accepted for a coaching course at the Technical Training Centre of Coverciano in Florence, Italy.The players, former captain Kuuku Dadzie, three times goal-king Dan Owusu and Pee Lartey, will train for an unspecified period.
Ken serves on referees probe
Mr Ken Bediako, Vice President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana, is a member of the committee to probe into the rumpus at the camp of the Referees Association of Ghana.The committee, under the chairmanship of Mr Ben Placca, a retired FIFA referee, has Mr Kofi Kumado, lecturer in law at the University of Ghana and Major George Lamptey, FIFA referees instructor, as members. Mr Kudjoe Fiano is secretary to the committee.
Goalie banned from national assignment
National junior goalkeeper, Mohammed Odoom and Paul Amokey, both former players of Sekondi Eleven Wise, have been banned from featuring for any national team in Ghana.The ban followed the recommendation of an investigations committee appointed by the Ghana Football Association into allegations made by Eleven Wise to the effect that Odoom, Anokye and others had conspired to influence the outcome of a Wise-Kotoko league match played on June 9. The punishment is an interesting development in a country where losing clubs were fond of making unsubstantiated allegations against some players. Meanwhile, Asante Kotoko have been fined £50,000 for failing to appear before the committee.
Kotoko out of Africa Cup
Fabulous Asante Kotoko have been eliminated from the African cup winners competition completing a season of failures in Ghana soccer.Kotoko lost 5-4 on penalties in their second leg engagement with AS Leopards of Kenya in Nairobi.
With a 2-0 lead from the first leg match in Kumasi, Kotoko started on the defensive and were quickly overwhelmed by a ferocious Leopards attack that clawed the two goals back before full time.
Mulamba got both goals to summon the two teams for the penalty shoot-out. Weche, Musuku, Mulamba, Shilasi and Omondi scored for Leopards. Kotoko scored four, missing one through Saarah Mensah. Ernest Appau, George Arthur, Addai Kyenkyenhene and Ahmed Rockson scored from the spot for the Ghanains.
Azuma trains in London
Azuma Nelson, Ghanaian world featherweight champion who defends his title against Pat Cowdell on October 12, is brushing up at the All Stars Boxing and Youth Gymnasium in London.Azuma is being assisted by Ike Quartey, the only Ghanaian to have won a silver medal at the Olympic Games and Tei Dovi, a retired Ghanaian professional boxer.
Meanwhile, feverish preparations are going on among the Ghanaian community in Britain to give the world champion the feel of 'home' in this 12-round title defence in Birmingham, Britain's second largest city.
African Cup of Nations pairings
African cup holders Cameroun are drawn in Group 'B' alongside Zambia, Morocco and Algeria in next year's African Cup of Nations tournament in Egypt.According to pairings supervised by African Football Confederation President Ydnokatchew Tessema of Ethiopia, host nation Egypt are Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Mozambique grouped alongside in Cairo. Group 'B' will feature in the Mediterranean seaside city of Alexandria.
