Evans Oppong, the Communications Director of Aduana Football Club, has suggested that the team may not participate in the upcoming 2022/2023 betPawa Premier League season, following a temporary ban from playing at home.
The Ghana Football Association imposed the ban after videos and images emerged on social media, allegedly showing Aduana FC fans attacking the Tamale City team bus and players outside the stadium after their Week 25 clash at the Nana Agyemang Badu Park last Sunday.
If the three-game home ban is confirmed, the club will be unable to host upcoming matches against Great Olympics, Gold Stars, and Karela United in Dormaa. Oppong expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision and hinted at a possible league boycott, claiming that the ban is evidence of the GFA having a preferred team to win the league.
“The decision of the GFA to ban our venue temporarily is a clear indication that they have a particular team in mind to win the league. The best thing Aduana would do as a result of this decision is by boycotting the GPL,” he said in an interview with Sunyani-based Space FM.
Aduana Stars are set to play King Faisal at the Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex, but it is unclear whether the team will fulfill their upcoming betPawa Premier League games.
Steve Mukwala Desse, the forward for Asante Kotoko, remains determined to win the Ghana Premier League goal king award.
Despite enduring an eight-game goal drought, the Ugandan international scored twice in Kotoko’s 4-0 victory over Real Tamale United on matchday 25 of the league, bringing his total goal tally to 10 for the season. He is currently only two goals behind Mezack Afriyie, the striker for Berekum Chelsea who is leading the goal king chart.
When asked about his aspirations for the goal king title, Mukwala replied, “Sure, I am still chasing it. Basically, I feel so proud. It was really hard for me to open my account in the second round of the league. It was really nice to score in front of the amazing supporters at Baba Yara.”
Asante Kotoko will face King Faisal in their next Ghana Premier League match at the Baba Yara Stadium. The Porcupine Warriors are currently in fifth place on the league table with 38 points after playing 25 matches.
With immediate effect, Aduana FC has been temporarily banned from using the Nana Agyemang Badu I Park as its home venue by the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association.
This decision was made following the unfortunate incidents that occurred outside the park after the Match day 25 game between Aduana FC and Tamale City FC on April 2, 2023.
According to Article 14(2) of the GFA Premier League Regulations, the GFA has the power to order the closure of any league centre if the safety of clubs, match officials or spectators cannot be guaranteed. The decision to ban Aduana FC is in accordance with this regulation.
The Competitions Department has been instructed to determine the venue for Aduana FC’s subsequent home matches in accordance with Article 14(3) of the Premier League Regulations.
However, this order does not affect the determination of the case pending before the Disciplinary Committee, who have been charged with hearing the case in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The 2022/23 Ghana Premier League continued with match-day 25 fixtures over the weekend.
Asante Kotoko bounced back to winning ways after walloping Real Tamale United (RTU) at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday evening in the Ghana Premier League.
The Porcupine Warriors who were searching for a win in their third match earned an early advantage as RTU’s goalkeeper Yaw Osei headed for an early shower in the 34th minute having handled the ball outside the penalty area. The red card forced an early substitution which saw second choice goalie Lukman Sherrif man the post for the rest of the game.
The defending champions took full advantage of the situation with Augustine Agyapong shooting them into the lead with a superb freekick four minutes after.
Ugandan striker Steven Mukwala doubled the lead through a spot kick two minutes into the second half before adding another in the 64th minute.
Brazilian forward Matheus Medeiros de Souza, who made back to back appearance for the first time in a Kotoko jersey cemented the victory in stoppage time to push Kotoko higher up the table to fifth place.
Elsewhere league leaders Aduana Stars went three points clear of Bechem United as they managed a slim victory over Tamale City Dormaa. The result ended a three game winless run for Paa Kwesi Fabin’s men.
In Accra, Great Olympics earned their first win in six matches to push them out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory over Berekum Chelsea. Richard Berko’s solitary goal gave Karela United a third win in five games as they emerged victorious over Samartex.
Kotoku Royals held Medeama to a 1-1 draw while the game between Nstoatreman and Bechem United ended with the same score line.
Scores at a glance;
DAWU: Dreams FV 0-0 Hearts of Oak
Man of the match: Abdul Jalilu (Dreams FC)
ACCRA: Accra Lions 0-1 King Faisal
Scorer: Benjamin Bature
Man of the match: Emmanuel Dzigba (Accra Lions)
ACCRA: Great Olympics 2-1 Berekum Chelsea
Scorers: Yussif Abdul Razak(2x) || Isaac Osei
Man of the match: Yussif Abdul Razak (Great Olympics)
ANYINASE: Karela United 1-0 Samartex
Scorers: Richard Berko
Man of the match: Emmanuel Owusu Boakye (Karela United)
DAWU: Kotoku Royals 1-1 Medeama SC
Scorers: Francis Andy Kumi || Jonathan Sowah
Man of the match: Collins Kofi Cudjoe (Kotoku Royals)
DORMAA: Aduana Stars 1-0 Tamale City
Scorer: Isaac Mintah
Man of the match: Kwame Adom Frimpong (Aduana Stars)
NSOATRE: Nsoatreman 1-1 Bechem United
Scorers: Frederick Boateng || Isaiah Nyarko
Man of the match: Frederick Boateng (Nsoatreman FC)
BABA YARA: Asante Kotoko 4-0 RTU
Scorers: Augustine Agyapong, Steve Dese Mukwala(2x, 1pen), Matheus de Souza
Man of the match: Steve Dese Mukwala (Asante Kotoko)
Monday
DUN’S PARK: Goldstars 3-2 Legon Cities
Scorers: Abednego Tetteh (2x), Charles Gyamfi Kamara || Ebenezer Amegah, Eric Osei Bonsu
In the Ghana Premier League matchweek 25 encounter with Real Tamale United, Asante Kotoko’s Brazilian forward, Matheus Medeiros De Souza, marked his first goal for the club at the Baba Yara Stadium on Sunday night.
The 26-year-old attacker, who joined the Ghanaian champions in January, had only featured as a substitute in their 4-0 win over Accra Lions in February 2023 and started the midweek game against Legon Cities. Under previous coach Seydou Zerbo, he seemed to be out of favour, but he impressed new coach Gazale and was subbed out only in the 76th minute of the match at the El-Wak Stadium.
In the RTU game, Matheus de Souza made his second appearance in a Kotoko jersey and completed the victory with a goal in stoppage time, following earlier strikes from Augustine Agyapong and Steven Mukwala (who scored a brace).
The win pushed Kotoko up to fifth place on the league table, six points behind leaders Aduana Stars, while RTU occupy the eleventh position.
Asante Kotoko secured a convincing 4-0 victory against Real Tamale United (RTU) at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, marking their return to form after failing to win in their previous two games.
Asante Kotoko secured a convincing 4-0 victory against Real Tamale United (RTU) at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, marking their return to form after failing to win in their previous two games.
Right from the start, the Porcupine Warriors displayed their determination to dominate the game, but they had to wait until the 36th minute to break the deadlock. Augustine Agyapong netted from a free-kick awarded after RTU goalkeeper Yaw Osei handled the ball outside the box and was subsequently sent off.
In the 48th minute, Asante Kotoko earned a penalty when Iddrisu Gadafi handled the ball in the box. Steven Mukwala coolly converted the spot-kick to double their lead.
The Porcupine Warriors remained on the attack and increased their lead to 3-0 in the 64th minute, with Steven Mukwala scoring his second goal of the game and his 10th of the season.
Asante Kotoko sealed their victory with a fourth goal in stoppage time, as Brazilian player Matheus De Souza scored his first goal for the club with a close-range finish.
Chelsea have fired their head coach Graham Potter after just seven months in charge, following the team’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.
The decision came as a result of Potter’s failure to secure more than four wins this year, leaving Chelsea in 11th place in the Premier League, 12 points behind the Champions League spots.
Despite an initial promising start with nine games unbeaten, Potter struggled to improve the team’s performance after a 4-1 loss to his former club. The club thanked Potter for his contribution and efforts in a statement announcing his departure.
Although Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique are emerging as the leading candidates for the head coach position, it is currently unknown who will be selected as Potter’s replacement.
Asamoah Gyan, a Ghanaian football legend, has disclosed that his reason for joining Legon Cities was to have an impact on the Ghana Premier League.
The 37-year-old signed a one-year contract with Legon Cities ahead of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League season, marking his return to domestic football after leaving Liberty Professionals for Udinese in 2003. Following a brief stint with Indian Super League side NorthEast United, Gyan joined the Royals.
During an interview with Premier League productions, Gyan stated that he accepted the offer to return to the top-flight league to make a difference.
“After my stay in India ended, Legon Cities contacted me and I accepted the offers because I wanted to make an impact in the Ghana Premier League because most of the players in the league look up to me.
Gyan had spent 17 years playing overseas in countries such as Italy, France, England, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and China before returning to the GPL.
Ignatius Osei-Fosu, former coach of Dreams FC, has provided his perspective on the struggles of Inaki Williams in scoring for the Black Stars.
He attributes this to the high-scoring nature of all the team’s number 10s, likening it to the time of Ghanaian legend Asamoah Gyan, who was successful in the team because players like Kwadwo Asamoah were more concerned with providing him with the ball to score, rather than seeking personal glory.
Fosu suggests that the issue with Williams is that the current number 10, Kudus Mohammed, loves to score goals, and proposes that Williams should be playing with a number 10 who prioritizes creating opportunities for the striker rather than scoring goals.
“The problem is that our number 10 [Kudus Mohammed] loves to score goals. Inaki should be playing with a number 10 who doesn’t have a passion for scoring goals,” Fosu said in an interview as quoted by sportsworldghana.
While acknowledging that Kwadwo Asamoah was not averse to scoring goals, Fosu highlights that his initial thought when he had the ball was not to score.
“Kwadwo Asamoah wasn’t adverse to scoring goals, but his initial thought when he had the ball was not to score.”
To unlock Williams’ potential with the Black Stars, Fosu recommends having a number 10 who is more focused on providing opportunities for the striker.
