FootyDream

Asante Kotoko head coach, Seydou Zerbo has named his 20-man squad travelling list for their 2022/23 Ghana Premier League outstanding fixture against Bechem United.

The match-day Two encounter is scheduled for Thursday at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park.

The Porcupine Warriors will be hoping to bag a victory in their first trip of the season after beating King Faisal 3-0 in the Kumasi derby on Monday.

Ernest Osei Poku, Augustine Agyapong and Danlad Ibrahim have all returned to the match-day squad list after missing out in their last game while Frederick Asare, Isaac Oppong and Georges Mfegue Omgba and Solomon Sarfo Taylor are out on the squad.

 A win for Kotoko will place them at the summit of the league table.

Below is the Asante Kotoko 20-man squad list for Bechem United clash

GOALKEEPERS

Danlad Ibrahim (GK)

Pouaty Moise (GK)

DEFENDERS

Andrews Kwadwo Appau

Sheriff Mohammed

Maxwell Agyemang

Samuel Appiah

John Tedeku

Augustine Agyapong

Nicholas Osei Bonsu

MIDFIELDERS

Richard Boadu

Enoch Morrison

Justice Blay

Nicholas Mensah

Eric Zeze Serge

Ernest Osei Poku

Richmond Lamptey

FORWARDS

Samuel Boateng

Dickson Afoakwa

Stephen Amankona

Steven Mukwala 

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has received $2.5m being advance payment from FIFA for the Black Stars participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this Month as its prize-money.

The $2.5m deposit formed part of the $10.5 million participation fee earmarked for countries which will show up at the Qatar tournament from November 20 to December 18. However, all the teams also stand a chance of earning more money from the total Prize Money Fund of $440 million to be distributed among 32 teams according to how they finish in the tournament.

FIFA announced the total prize money fund for the World Cup with a massive increase of 29 per cent, taking the total to $1 billion. The remaining $660 million will be used as solidarity payments for less developed federations, clubs’ benefit and club insurance/player protection plans.

The $1 billion package is allocated for distribution among football federation around the world who have qualified for the mundial and those who failed to do so. However, the actual prize money available for the final tournament in Qatar is $440 million, $40m more than the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.

The biggest increase in this world Cup payment and the distribution pyramid comes in the money to be distributed as solidarity payments and insurance payments to clubs whose players will be playing the World Cup or the ones who get injured.

Bernard Dong Bortey has been appointed as the Youth Team coach of Hearts of Oak, the club has confirmed.

The appointment of the club legend forms part of the side’s restructuring program and a renewed focus on youth development.

Bortey will also assist the club’s Under-18 coach Samuel Nii Noi while “building the foundation modules to revamp the Under-14 team and will also work closely with head coach Slavko Matic.

Dong-Bortey made over 100 appearances for the Accra club and was instrumental in the club winning four league titles and the CAF Confederation Cup. He was a joint topscorer of the leadue in 2002.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) will soon set up a ‘Legends fund’ to provide support for retired football Legends and to protect their activities beyond the pitch.

This was revealed by President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku during the dinner with the Legends event on Saturday.

According to the President, the GFA is very keen on matters that relate to player welfare and would do everything within its powers to pursue an agenda that would protect players beyond their activities on the pitch.

‘’The Retired National Football Association of Ghana (RENFAG) and the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG) exist to not only think about themselves but to seek and promote the welfare of players who have sacrificed for our dear country’’ he said.

‘’Without players, we would not be at the World Cup. Without players the world will not from the 20th of November, be looking at a country called Ghana’’.

‘’It is the players who are the main actors of the football industry for which reason it is important for us to be interested in the welfare of our players’’.

‘’I am happy to say that through the blessings I have received from the Executive Council, the GFA is going to set up the Legends fund. The GFA will set up the Legends fund and provide a seed money for the Legends fund and ensure that we have a capable team who would continue to work towards looking for funding to protect and to support our Legends in this country’’.

‘’We will be meeting on a platform similar to this to officially launch the Legends fund and on that platform all the small details involved in the Legends fund would be made public and this may include monthly stipends to players who have sacrificed for our dear country’’.

‘’It is important for all of us to continue to show interest in the welfare of our players and the Football Association is very much interested in pursuing an agenda that will protect players beyond their activities on the pitch’’ President Simeon-Okraku added.