FootyDream

Ghana Premier League sides Asante Kotoko, Hearts Of Oak and Inter Allies have all climbed up on the latest African Football Digital Benchmark rankings for the month of August 2020.

The three clubs are the only Ghanaian clue that appeared in the Top 100 ranked football clubs on the African continent with growing numbers in the digital community.

The ranking which is conducted in every three months, with the last held in April 2020 is based on the number of followers, likes and subscribers to the club’s social media handles such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linked In, Tik Tok and YouTube.

Asante Kotoko moved two places up to 25th position with a total of 480,000 followers from all their social media platforms. The Porcupine Warriors had an additional 78,000 followers in the last three months.

Hearts Of Oak also moved up from 28th to 27th place with a total of 465,000 followers from all of their social media platforms.

Inter Allies also went up from 66th to 65th position with 19,000 more followers taking them from 100, 000 to 119, 000 from all platforms.

Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC and Zamalek SC are still occupying the top two spots in Africa followed by Moroccan giants Raja Casablanca, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in that respect.

The rankings were done by Digital Sports Africa, a subsidiary of Result Sports in Germany.

I left Hearts two years ago for the United States. I have not had much contact with the people I worked with let alone the players of the club. But somebody at OyerepaFM was tapped to shade me as the cause for the player exodus in the club.

So I want to put it on record that I, Anwar Umar Larry, HAVE no power whatsoever to talk to a Hearts player and influence the person to cancel their contract. Indeed, I had a good rapport with all the players at the club when I used to work with the team but that’s not the case anymore because I have so much on my plate.

I have no knowledge or interest in player management, player contract negotiations nor player transfer. I am not a football agent. I am not a FIFA intermediary. I have never received any percentage or kickback from a new or ex-Hearts player.

I have never brought any player to come and play for Hearts. And I have never managed any player who plays for Hearts. I have never been a witness to or for any player when it comes to their signing/terminating of contracts with Hearts.

In fact, I have had so many players register their interests to play for Hearts through me here on Facebook but I have always directed them to the right quarters. I have helped coaches scout potential players who could help the team in the future but purely as a technical match report writer.

I did a lot of extra things outside my social media job for the benefit of the club and a number of times to the detriment of my well being. And those who saw me work and those I worked with know deep down in their hearts how diligently I toiled so Hearts could be successful regardless of renumeration.

I do not seek praise for what I did for Hearts. But I shall not countenance people ruining my reputation. This is not something I would ordinarily react to but I know how false news gathers dust and it’s better to nip this in the bud than allow it to germinate. I thank the venerable host of the OyerepaFM sports show who asked very good questions to the conjecturing panelist who raised this allegation. How could any level-headed person harbor these nonsensical thoughts and further have the temerity to spit it out on live radio? I worked under Mark D. Noonan. I was not fired. I resigned on my volition. I harbor no malice or spite for Hearts.

Hearts of Oak as a club knows their problems and they have the means to solve their own problems. Naming or shaming innocent people will not solve the problem; it only deflects attention from what the real issue is, instead of providing long lasting solutions. I am the happiest person when a player renews his stay with the club ( https://www.facebook.com/100003622908106/posts/1789201057877307/)); and I don’t blame nor shame anyone if a player leaves the team. A contract is an agreement between two people; I have no power to influence one or the other. Hearts is a 109-year institution; people will always come and go. I was hurt when we lost players for free in 2017 but I was happy that at least we would learn something from it going forward. Things will not change overnight but I pray Hearts of Oak will find a lasting solution to this quandary.

For the seven years I worked for Hearts, the only allegations I have heard prior to this was that I had intentions of being head of communication. So let me put that on record too: I have no interest whatsoever in being head of communication at Hearts. I have never had interest in that position and I turned the offer down three times in my last year with the club. I will never have interest in that position. My job with Hearts is finished. The only thing I have left is to write a book for the future generation of supporters and honor the players and supporters who paid their dues for this great institution — in the mean time I try to celebrate forgotten heroes on HeartsEleven if and when I have the time.

This is the main reason why I stopped writing on current Hearts issues. If anybody at the club is not happy that I am writing anything on Hearts, no problem you can tell me to stop. And I will stop. But don’t throw my name to the dogs who have no reasoning ability.

I wish everybody the best. Thanks for reading.

Sporting Regards,

Anwar Umar Larry
(Ex-Accra Hearts of Oak Social Media Manager (2012-2018).

Tema Youth bankroller, Wilfred Osei Kwaku has revealed the reason behind the decision to decline from the Ghana Football Association Ad-hoc Compensation Committee following his personal investigations.

The Executive Council with its prescribed powers under Article 42(2) of the statues 2019 constituted an Ad-hoc Compensation Committee.

The committee, chaired by Hearts Of Oak General Manager, Frederick Moore included vice-president of Inter Allies Eric Senaye and Wilfred Osei Kwaku, but Palmer did not accept the opportunity to be on the committee. He was replaced with Financial Economist Sampson Narteh-oye

However, Palmer – who dragged the Normalisation Committee of the GFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sports(CAS) over his disqualification during the recent FA elections – alleged that, it was a plan by the GFA to zip his mouth with the appointment.

“GFA President Kurt Okraku personally called me on phone about my availability for that appointment. After the call, I did my investigations and I find out that they want to shut me up at congress with the appointment, ” he told Accra-based Angel FM.

CAS is expected to release the verdict by September 1.

Pro-Asante Kotoko seasoned buffoons have spat vitriolics and attacked the personality of Medeama SC President Moses Armah over the protracted transfer of midfielder Justice Blay.

Kojo Abu Bonsra, a foul-mouth broadcaster noted for espousing streetism instead of media ethics and professionalism, employed unprintable words on the accomplished businessman and renowned football administrator during a live radio programme on Kumasi-based Light FM on Tuesday.

The tough-talking journalist whom many regard as a ‘half-baked broadcaster’ with an acidic tongue labelled the multiple-award winning business magnate and philanthropist as unreasonable and wicked in an offensive charge on his personality over the proposed transfer of midfielder Justice Blay.

“Parker [Moses Armah] doesn’t want the welfare of the boy. Parker is a wicked man and he doesn’t like the player [Justice Blay]. The figures in their demand doesn’t make any common sense. Parker is the one holding the player to this and he is being unreasonable. It is very unreasonable on the part of Parker and he is being wicked,” he said on Light FM.

Kotoko have expressed interest in securing the services of midfielder Justice Blay on permanent basis after the 28-year-old impressed on loan with the Porcupine Warriors in 2019.

Kotoko Chief Executive Officer Nana Yaw Amponsah has pledged his commitment to sign the enforcer for the club and has reportedly opened negotiations with their Takwa-based counterparts.

Credit: El Akyereko/Ghanasportsonline.com

The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has made an allocation of two hundred and ninety thousand dollars ($290,000) to purchase computers, scanners, printers, I.T systems and internet connectivity materials via the FIFA Forward 1.0 programme.

President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku said on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 during the launch of the Catch Them Young refereeing policy at the GFA headquarters in Accra.

As a result, the GFA will provide the 18 Premier League clubs, 48 Division One League clubs, 16 Women’s Premier league clubs, the 10 RFAs across the country and the GFA head office in Accra with state of the art I.T equipment to help members to effectively communicate among themselves and to ensure that registration of players is decentralized. This is the fourth face of the FIFA Forward 1.0 programme announced by the GFA.

It would be recalled that the GFA, on Thursday, August 06, 2020 announced that a decision has been taken to construct two Astro Turfs – one Prampram and the other at Bolgatanga.

The federation also announced the decision to invest $280,000 into a strategy to improve competitions via the provision of boreholes at game centres across the country before announcing the deal to purchase 6,000 footballs to support grassroots football development.

Source: GFA COMMUNICATIONS