Asante Kotoko’s one-window transfer ban has been lifted Player Status Committee of the Ghana Football Association on Wednesday afternoon, freeing up boss Johnson Smith to make signings before the February window ends.
The Porcupines had been dealt a one-window ban by PSC in January which prohibited them from making new signings until the summer of 2022.
Kotoko were found to have breached players’ contracts on numerous counts by the Ghanaian football governing body but the club always protested their innocence.
The club appealed the decision by the PSC and have now come to this decision which serves as a huge boost to Johnson Smith.
Kotoko will now be able to sign front line recruits, with a new striker a priority for manager Johnson Smith.
The second window opened on February 16 and will shut at 11:59 pm on Thursday, March 18, 2021.
The District Police Commander for Wamfie DSP Francis Akwasi Asante has disclosed how Aduana Stars defender Farouk Adams, was arrested for allegedly hitting a police officer down and leaving him to die.
The incident is said to have happened late Monday between Asuotiano and Asuhyiae in the Dormaa East District of the Bono Region.
Narrating the incident in an interview with Hello FM, the District Police Commander said, “About three days ago, one of our men, Constable Amos Mantey was on snap check duty with other colleagues at Asuotiano on the Berekum road.
“He sought permission to go to town to buy mosquito repellent with a motorbike at around 7 pm. While he was not returning around 10 pm, the other colleagues at the post made several phone calls to the office and some friends but he was not picking.
“The next day(Tuesday), someone called to inform the police that there has been a motor accident but he does not know the person so his colleagues rushed to the place and found that it was their colleague who sought permission. He was lying in the bush without life.
“Fortunately, for us, we got someone who had a CCTV camera that captured the car where it went and parked after the incident. We took the number of the car and checked from DVLA for the owner of the vehicle.
“It led to one Adams Farouk who is a player of Aduana Stars Football Club. We went to Dormaa.
“Because of what happened they took the vehicle to Sunyani to change the doors and other things but we were able to retrieve it. Currently, the car is in the custody of the police”.
Farouk was arrested on Tuesday and has been arraigned before the court on Wednesday.
All 18 Premier League clubs and 48 Division One League clubs must own a U-17 juvenile club, effective 2021/22 season in line with the Club Licensing regulations.
These clubs must compete in the District Juvenile League across the country as part of efforts to move juvenile football to the highest pedestal and to help clubs churn out a host of future stars.
The decision is also to give young footballers of school going age access and a pathway to appropriate levels of coaching, training, development and support, to enable us reach our ultimate goal by producing top quality players to compete both locally and abroad.
The GFA Executive Council took the decision at its meeting in Accra on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
Ghana Premier League side, AshantiGold Sporting Club are close to securing the services of French coach Romain Folz, as the club’s new head coach according to Oyerepa FM.
The Miners recently parted ways with Serbian coach Milovan Cirkovic and are in search of a new trainer to head the technical bench.
Cirkovic left the club due to health issues after being off the dugout for close to two weeks.
Assistant coach Thomas Duah is currently in charge of the team until a substantive coach is appointed.
The report stated that AshantiGold has settled on appointing the former Bechem United coach Romain Folz.
Folz is seen as a good replacement for Cirkovic due to his experience in the Ghana Premier League
The Frenchman resigned from Bechem United in July last year stating personal reasons.
AshantiGold are lying 11th on the league with 21 points after 16 rounds of matches.
Aduana Stars defender, Farouk Adams has been arrested by Dormaa Ahenkro Police after he hit a police officer, Const. Amos Maatey Niganoko with his car on Monday evening.
Snippets of information gathered indicate that, the centre-back was driving a car that hit a police officer who had closed from a shift at Asuotiano on the Berekum road.
The police officer died at the spot and is currently in the morgue.
The newly recruited Police officer, per sources, had started work about 6 months ago.
“Wamfie sitrep. Re-fatal accident involving No. 56637 G/Const. Amos Mantey Niganoko of Wamfie station. On 1/03/21 at about 1900hrs, Const. Amos who was on snap check duty at Nsesresu with Sgt. Ibrahim Karim sort permission goes to town to buy mosquito repellent. While the constable was not returning, phone calls were made to friends to warn him to return to his duty point. On 2/03/21at about 0700hrs, information reached the police that there was a body lying by the roadside between Asuotiano and Asuhyiae suspected to be an accident victim. Police proceeded to the scene only to recognise that the deceased was Const. Amos. Information gathered indicated that the deceased was hit by an unknown vehicle. Meanwhile, the body has been deposited at the Presby Hospital/ Dormaa for preservation. The effort has been made to search for the suspected hit and run driver to assist the investigation, ” a statement a journalist in Dormaa read.
Fifa’s Disciplinary Committee has issued a final warning to Egyptian giants Zamalek for their blatant refusal to comply with a directive to pay former player Ben Acheampong $1.1 million for both his outstanding remuneration and breach of contract.
The Ghana striker has yet to receive any amount since the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ordered the five-time African champions to pay him via a ruling on December 8, 2020.
While expecting to receive his approximately $1.1m cash, Zamalek – early February – wrote to Fifa announcing a “settlement with the player’s agent” in which Acheampong had supposedly agreed to accept just $250,000.
Zamalek engaged Acheampong’s former agent Nader El Sayed in what has turned out a nefarious act of falsifying papers purporting to enable the ex-Egyptian international to deal with the club on behalf of the Ghanaian.
Last week (February 25), Fifa revisited the case after Acheampong through his representatives and Fifpro reported the latest conduct of the 12-time Egyptian champions.
Fifa, on Monday, March 1 has served both parties including the Egyptian FA its latest decision directing pay Acheampong in whole the outstanding amounts stated in the recent Cas ruling.
Zamalek have been further sanctioned with a fine of CHF 30,000 and given a final deadline of 30 days to pay the 30-year-old striker. The club will suffer an automatic imposition of a worldwide transfer ban and a deduction of points or relegation to a lower division may also be ordered in addition to the ban if it fails to meet the final deadline.
Portions of the latest Fifa directive available to Footy-Ghana.com reads:
“Zamalek Sports Club is found guilty of failing to comply in full with the decision passed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on 8 December 2020.”
“The Zamalek Sports Club is granted a final deadline of 30 days as from notification of the present decision in which to settle said amount.
“Upon expiry of the aforementioned final deadline and in the event of persistent default or failure to comply in full with the decision within the period stipulated, a transfer ban will be pronounced until the complete amount due is paid or the non-financial decision is complied with.
“The transfer ban will be implemented automatically at national and international level by the Egyptian Football Association and Fifa respectively, without a further formal decision having to be taken nor any order to be issued by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee or its secretariat.
“In addition, a deduction of points or relegation to a lower division may also be ordered in addition to a transfer ban in the event of persistent failure, repeated offences or serious infringements or if no full transfer could be imposed or served for any reason.” Shot:
The Acheampong-Zamalek row dates back to August 2018 when the player terminated his contract – a decision Fifa approved to have been taken with just cause.
Derrick Kakooza starred with a hattrick as debutants Uganda continued with their dream run at the Total Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), beating Tunisia 4-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Nouakchott on Monday to book a date against Ghana in Saturday’s final.
Kakooza, duly named man of the match, moved clear of Ghana’s Percious Boah in the race for the Golden Boot, his hattrick against the Tunisians taking his tally in the tournament to five. He scored one in the first half and two in the second, adding on to Richard Basangwa’s early opener.
The CECAFA region champions led 2-1 at the break, Basangwa’s left foot causing all the damage for the Tunisians with a goal and an assist.
The forward broke the deadlock in the fourth minute with a brilliant strike on the half volley. He picked up a cross from the left, took a deft touch to rope it over Mohamed Aziz Guesmi’s reach before rifling a low shot into the box.
The Ugandan Hippos were not showing any signs of stage fright despite this being their first ever time at the tournament and were taking the Tunisians by the horns from the opening minute.
They however had to make unexpected changes when Najib Yiga who had started as the left footed swinger of a three-man midfield went down injured and Ivan Bogere was summoned to replace him. This necessitated a change in shape for the Ugandans.
Despite the change in strategy, they were still on top of their game and pressed Tunisia into committing mistakes. The Ugandans worked hard and ran all over the pitch, closing down the spaces for the North Africans.
They were two to the good after 36 minutes and it was that man Basangwa who hurt them again. The forward picked up the ball on the left, drove into the box before cutting back a cross that Kakooza gleefully tapped into an empty net for his third of the tournament.
But Tunisia halved the deficit just two minutes on the turn when Benlamine tapped into the net from close range after keeper Jack Komakech had pushed Chiheb Labidi’s flick off a Zied Berrima corner against the upright.
Uganda almost snapped back their two goal advantage a minute to the break when Bobosi Byaruhanga pinched the ball off the Tunisians in midfield before playing Isma Mugulusi through, the midfielder’s ferocious shot coming off the bar with keeper Elias Imed left rooted to his spot.
At the start of the second half, Tunisia made changes at the front, Nabil Makni coming off for Hamdi Abidi. The substitute almost came in with a bang just a minute after coming on, his towering header off Mohamed Amine Ben Zghada’s cross from the left going inches over.
But the Ugandans got themselves back in comfortable space just two minutes later, Kakooza scoring his second with a looping header after his run behind the defense was picked out by the impressive Byaruhanga.
With a comfortable two-goal margin, the Ugandans eased the pressure with the Tunisians looking lost for answers. A good interchange of passes at the edge of the box almost saw Uganda score a fourth, but Bogere’s shot after a backheel flick from Steven Sserwadda went over.
Tunisia tried to find their way back into the match and they were inches close in the 71st minute but were denied when Musa Ramathan cleared off the line. Keeper Komakech had been beaten by Abidi as he came out to pick a cross, but the substitutes header was cleared before it crossed the chalk.
Off the resultant corner, Uganda were away on the counter attack and they made it 4-1, putting the game to bed. Skipper Gavin Kizito looped the ball forward and Bogere controlled and put Kakooza through, the forward striding through on goal to slide in the fourth and his fifth of the tournament.
There was no way back for the young Carthage Eagles as Uganda took control of the tempo of the game, calming down the pace and managing the time well.
The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that Asante Kotoko’s match day 16 outstanding Premier League game against Bechem United will be played on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Accra Sports stadium.
The game which was originally scheduled for Thursday, February 25, was postponed after a heavy downpour left areas of the pitch in an unplayable condition.
Also, the public is hereby informed that the match day 15 tie between King Faisal and Asante Kotoko will be played on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at the Ohene Ameyaw park at Techiman.
Kindly find below the schedule for Match day 17.
We would also like to inform all Premier League clubs that the second window registration would close on the midnight of March 18, 2021 and the second round would commence on the weekend of Friday 19 to Sunday, March 21, 2021.
