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“I begged Ibrahim Danlad to stay at Asante Kotoko” – Nana Yaw Amponsah reveals
Nana Yaw Amponsah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Asante Kotoko, has disclosed that he had to persuade goalkeeper Danlad Ibrahim to reject an offer from Sudanese giants Al Hilal before the World Cup in Qatar.
Al Hilal, based in Omdurman, presented a $50,000 offer for the Black Galaxies goalkeeper, which was turned down by Kotoko as they believed Danlad’s value was twice the amount proposed.
In an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM on Wednesday, Nana Yaw Amponsah revealed his intervention in convincing Danlad to decline the offer in order to secure a place in the Black Stars’ World Cup squad.
“When a player like Danlad Ibrahim decided to leave Kotoko and join Hilal, I pleaded with him (to stay). That’s why we signed (Moise) Pouaty. It was only after Hilal lost interest that he agreed to stay, and by then we had already brought in Pouaty. But some of the things I told him [Danlad] were that if he agreed to stay, he would be Kotoko’s number one goalkeeper, play for the CHAN team, and also have an opportunity to participate in the World Cup. However, if he moved to Hilal, there was no guarantee that he would be the first choice there, he would automatically lose his CHAN spot, and if he didn’t become the number one at Hilal, it would be very difficult for him to make it to the World Cup.”
“So he thanked me when he stayed, and all these things eventually happened. You see, we don’t just wake up and sell players. If an offer comes and a player decides not to stay, no matter what, ‘you can force a horse to the river, but you can’t force it to drink’ because they also have families.”
“If you ask Bantamahene [Nana Baffour Owusu Amankwatia VI], when he was managing Kotoko, I was at his house when Inkoom’s father, mother, and pastor came to discuss an offer from Romania, urging us to allow him to go. I had to intervene and speak to convince the boy that if he stayed, a good offer would come. However, the family was somewhat hesitant, so it’s not our intention to sell players.”
Danlad has made 10 league appearances this seaso, conceding 12 goals and has kept 2 clean sheets in the 2022/23 Ghana Premier League season.
“Asante Kotoko cannot win always” – Nana Yaw Amponsah tells critics
Nana Yaw Amponsah, the CEO of Asante Kotoko, has defended the team’s poor performance in the 2022/23 betPawa Ghana Premier League season and admitted that it is impossible to win every year.
After winning the Ghana Premier League last season, the Porcupine Warriors were expected to contend for the title again this season, but the loss of key players and management changes have resulted in a significant drop in their performance, and they are currently struggling to secure a top-three spot on the league table.
Amponsah spoke to Joy Sports and acknowledged that things have not gone as planned, but such events are normal in sports.
He said, “We will continue to fight until the end. The bottom line is that we cannot win every year,” he said.
“Hearts won the league two years ago, last season they were sixth. We won last year [but] this season we are struggling. That is the nature of sports. So for us, we will continue to fight till the end.”
Asante Kotoko currently sits sixth on the Ghana Premier League table, with 44 points from 30 games and four games remaining until the end of the season.
They are eight points behind league leaders Aduana FC, who have played the same number of games and earned 52 points.
Just In: Medeama SC slapped with transfer ban by FIFA
Ghana Premier League outfit, Medeama Sporting Club has been hit with a transfer ban by FIFA after breaching a contract with former player Amed ‘Simba’ Toure, according to AshesGyamera.com.
The 36-year-old filed a complaint with FIFA in July 2022, citing unfair treatment and other grievances, after joining Medeama on a two-year contract in 2021 from Guinean top-flight side AS Kaloum.
FIFA ordered Medeama to pay Toure GHS101,500 for wrongfully terminating his contract in January 2023, but the Tarkwa-based club failed to meet the deadline, resulting in the ban.
A statement from FIFA, obtained by AshesGyamera.com, stated, “We take due note that in its correspondence, the creditor informs us that the respondent, the club Medeama SC, has not complied with its financial obligations in accordance with the decision of FIFA. In this regard, we wish to inform the parties that a ban from registering new players internationally has been implemented by FIFA as of today.”
“Moreover and in accordance with the aforementioned decision, the respondent’s member association (Ghana FA) is requested to immediately implement on the respondent, the club Medeama SC, a ban from registering new players at the national level.”
If Medeama win the league title, they will not be allowed to register new players to enhance their squad for the CAF Champions League unless FIFA lifts the ban.
WATCH LIVE: AC Milan vs Inter Milan
Click on the link below to watch the game. Kickoff is 7pm.
Lineups:
?? AC Milan — Maignan; Calabria, Kjær, Tomori, Theo; Krunić, Tonali; Brahim, Bennacer, Saelemaekers; Giroud.
?? Inter — Onana; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Džeko, Lautaro.
‘Some Ghana Premier League players earn better salaries than you’ – Tough-talking Oduro Sarfo hits back at journalists
Nana Oduro Sarfo, an Executive Council Member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), believes that most players in the Ghana Premier League earn higher salaries than Ghanaian sports journalists.
Sarfo, a veteran football administrator who has been in the media spotlight for negative reasons, has raised questions about the salaries of players in the top league, suggesting that the amounts are not enticing.
However, while speaking in an interview, the Chief Executive Officer of third-tier side Port City took a dig at sports journalists, asserting that players in the Ghana Premier League receive better pay than journalists.
“I sometimes wonder when sports journalists talk about the salaries of Ghana Premier League players because most of them earn more than you,” he stated in an interview with Accra-based Angel TV.
Recently, Nana Oduro Sarfo made controversial remarks about Stephen Appiah, the captain of the Black Stars, describing him as a frustrated individual who should return to the classroom to gain knowledge if he wishes to hold any position in football.
Kotoko CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah denies rift with board
The Chief Executive Officer of Asante Kotoko, Nana Yaw Amponsah has refuted reports of disrespect for the club’s board of directors.
The former Ghana FA Presidential candidate has allegedly engaged in conflict with the club’s board of directors for sometime.
But Nana Yaw Amponsah in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM has rubbished such claims.
“There are claims I don’t respect the board of Kotoko but that is false. We have a board of 12, I don’t think you will get more than three to tell you I don’t respect.
“Jesus Christ was even crucified so I don’t expect everyone to love me. I have never disrespected anybody in my life. Arrogance will never form part of my life because I lost two brothers who did not wake up from their sleep.”
Nana Yaw Amponsah, who was appointed as the CEO of Asante Kotoko in August 2020 on a three-year term will see his mandate elapse this year.
Asante Kotoko will play against relegated Kotoku Royals in week 31 of the Ghana Premier League season
CAF CC: Bernard Morrison on target as Young African stun Marumo Gallants to grab semi-final first leg advantage
Young Africans (Yanga) secured a 2-0 victory over Marumo Gallants in the first leg of their TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup semi-final in Dar es Salaam.
Stephan Aziz Ki opened the scoring in the 63rd minute, shortly after Gallants missed several chances. Bernard Morrison sealed the win in added time, giving Yanga a narrow advantage heading into the second leg.
Ki found the back of the net with a powerful shot from the edge of the six-yard area after Tuisila Kisinda provided a well-placed cross from the right. Prior to that, Gallants had squandered multiple opportunities to score.
Gallants started the second half strongly, with Katlego Otladisa’s shot hitting the side netting just four minutes in. Ranga Chivaviro, their dangerman, also had two close chances but failed to convert. Despite their efforts, Gallants were punished in the 63rd minute when Ki scored for Yanga.
Fiston Mayele came close to extending Yanga’s lead in the 87th minute, but his lobbed effort hit the crossbar. However, he made amends by assisting Morrison’s goal in extra time. After Morrison’s initial shot was saved by the keeper, the Ghanaian forward recovered quickly and squeezed the ball into the net from a tight angle.
Mayele had been a constant threat throughout the match, with three of his shots saved by Gallants’ goalkeeper, Washington Arubi, in the opening 25 minutes. Gallants thought they had scored in the 33rd minute, but Chivaviro’s strike was disallowed for offside.
Former Bayern Munich defender ready to ditch Germany for Ghana
Derrick Arthur Köhn, a Ghanaian-born defender who plays for the Germany U-19 national team, has expressed his desire to play for the Ghana national team, the Black Stars.
Köhn, who currently plays for Hannover 96 in Germany, has been putting in exceptional performances throughout the season, contributing to 10 goals so far.
The talented defender, who joined Hannover 96 from Bayern Munich in 2022 after a successful loan spell with Wellim FC in Germany, is hoping for a chance to showcase his skills on the international stage.
“It would be a great honor for me to receive an invitation to join the Black Stars under the leadership of Chris Hughton, and I am ready to represent Ghana with confidence,” Köhn said in an interview with Hot FM in Accra.
Köhn has scored five goals in the German Bundesliga 2 this season, and his consistent performances have caught the attention of Ghana’s national team selectors. Moreover, several clubs in the top-flight league are reportedly interested in signing him.
Recently, Köhn’s coach, Stefan Leitl, praised him, stating that he is the best left-back in the league. “For me, Derrick is the best left-back in the league. He demonstrated that impressively today,” the Hannover 96 manager said.
“Some board members threatened me to sack Seydou Zerbo or lose my job’ – Kotoko CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah opens up
Asante Kotoko Chief Exxecutive Officer (CEO) Nana Yaw Amponsah has explained the club’s reason behind the sacking of coach Seydou Zerbo.
The Burkinabe was fired in March this year after the Porcupine Warriors were shocked 2-0 at home by Medeama SC.
Nana Yaw in an interview with Oyerepa FM in Kumasi has disclosed that the management were satisficed with the Burkinabe’s performance and had no intensions of sacking him but they showed him the exit due to an intelliegence they picked regarding some sections of the club’s fans decision to invade the Adako Jachie sports complex to attack him.
He also mentioned that he was told by some board members to either sack the coach or resign from his post as CEO.
“We did not bow to just calls for him to go, no. I think as management we knew what the club was and what he was capable of but we picked up strong intelligence that some people had plotted or planned to go and attack him at the training ground, similar to what happened to matic at Hearts of Oak and that incident has happened to Kotoko before and we felt that such a thing happening will not be in the best interest of the club, especially with the image of the club”
“When we engaged him, he also said he had some conversations with his embassy here (Burkina Faso Embassy) and they have reiterated same so we felt that for us to allow some people to attack the coach at the training ground to defame the brand, if he’s falling out of love, we should just save ourselves that trouble.
“If you ask any management member, we were not happy with him going because we felt we still had the chance in the league with him and we felt that the time left, we can’t bring an outsider coach to come and make any massive impact if officiating continues the way it has been”
“There were a majority of supporters who wanted him (Zerbo) out. I remember our game against Hearts of Oak in Accra, I had to step in else he would have been attacked, even some persons I know were part but it’s not necessary now. There was a point there were calls from the board and I say this on authority that they said either the coach goes or the CEO goes, this is on record”
Seydou Zerbo signed for Asante Kotko at the start of the current season and saw the club kicked out of the CAF Champions League and also struggling in the Ghana Premier League.