The Ghana Football Association has appointed retired referee Alex Kotey as Referees Manager.
Kotey emerged the best out of the many penciled down by the Ghana Football Association Executive Council.
He will lead the Refereeing Department of the football governing body.
Below is a statement from the GFA aproval of Alex Kotey
With the approval of the Executive Council, the General Secretary has appointed Alexander Neequaye Kotey as the Referees Manager of the Ghana Football Association.
Mr. Alexander Kotey came tops following a rigorous recruitment process by the Association.
The Referees Manager will head the Refereeing Department of the GFA and shall report to the General Secretary.
The Referees Manager will perform, among others, the following duties:
– Assist the Referees Committee
– Implement decisions adopted by the Referees Committee
– Carry out all tasks related to the logistics of Refereeing
– Carry out all administrative duties of the Refereeing Department, and
– Implement programmes to develop Referees according to the guidelines approved by the Referees Committee.
The appointment of the Referees Manager by the General Secretary is in accordance with Article 44 (k) of the GFA Statutes 2019, which states as among the functions of the General Secretary that:
“He (General Secretary) will propose to the Executive Council for approval, the appointment of Deputy General Secretaries. All other appointments may be made by the General Secretary subject to the approval of the Executive Council.”
Alex Kotey, a 2006 SWAG (Sports Writers Association of Ghana) Referee of the Year, has worked as a Referees Instructor, Referee Assessor and also a Match Commissioner.
The retired FIFA referee officiated at the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana. He has also handled games at the CAF U-20 level and the CAF Champions League, where he handled matches up to the semi-final level in 2007.
Mr. Kotey is a FIFA – Futuro III Technical Trainee Coach, Referee Assessor and also a CAF Technical Coach and CAF Technical Assessor
He has previously served on the GFA Disciplinary Committee and the Referees Committee.
Alex Kotey sees himself as a team player with excellent interpersonal relations and good communication skills. He is also adaptable with a flexible mindset.
Alex Kotey will be offered a one-year renewable contract based on performance.
Portuguese second-tier side FC Vizela have confirmed signing Ghanaian defender Richard Ofori.
Ofori signed a two-year deal with the newly promoted Liga 2 outfit ahead of the resumption of the suspended season.
The 27-year-old left-back, has promised to assist the club to win laurels and gain promotion to the top-flight.
“I will work hard to help Vizela achieve the goals. I promise that I will do my best to help the club. We hope that the fans can come in large numbers to support us.
“Together, we will achieve something,” he said on the club’s official website.
The Teshie native spent three seasons at Fafe, making two appearances for the club in the 2019/20 season.
He has also had stints with Académica de Coimbra, Sporting da Covilhã and Beira Mar.
Ofori had his first taste of European football in 2011, moving from Tudu Mighty Jets to Belgian side RSC Charleloi.
Former Asante Kotoko defender, Kwabena Adusei has revealed that his wife advised him to join the Ghanaian giants even if he was not going to be paid.
The lanky central defender joined the Porcupine Warriors from Medeama in 2012 despite holding a fruitful negotiations with rivals Hearts Of Oak.
According to the former Okwahu United player, prior to signing for Kotoko he had discussion with Togbe Afede XIV and, Hearts were prepared to cough out GHS 80,000. But reacting Kumasi he had a call from Didi Dramani – who was joining Kotoko as head coach.
Adusei and the llate Soulama Abdoulaye
He continued that Kotoko were ready to pay him a signing-on fee of GHS25,000 – which he was not pleased at the spot.
However, speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Ashh FM, Adusei affectionately called ‘Azaro’ disclosed that his wife convinced him to sign for the Reds although Hearts’ offer was better comparatively.
“I nearly joined Hearts Of Oak before coming to Kotoko. CK Akonnor recommended me and I had a fruitful discussion with them, and they were willing to pay me 80,000 Ghana cedis,” he told Ashh FM.
“Shortly I received a call from Didi Dramani and after negotiations I joined Kotoko although they wanted to pay GHS25,000. In fact, I was not happy but my wife told me to choose Kotoko ahead of Hearts even if they will not pay.
“Another top Ghanaian coach who I don’t want to mention his name also advised me to join Kotoko,” he added.
South African top-flight side Mpumalanga Black Aces signed Kwabena Adusei in 2014 after his two-year contract expired.
Photo:Getty images
He was a member of the Black Stars B side that participated in the 2014 African Nations Championship in South Africa.
Adusei’s two goals for the home-based Black Stars at the tournament helped Ghana to finish second but missed the final after he was sent off in the semi-final against Nigeria.
He also had stints with Tema Youth and Kessben FC.
He has retired from active football and is currently trading in building materials.
Former Black Stars forward, Anthony Yeboah has bemoaned losing the captaincy to Tony Baffoe in the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations finals against Cote d’ Ivoire in Senegal.
Prior to the epic final, Abedi Pele, who was the substantive captain got suspended in the semi-finals, and the armband was expected to be given to Tony Yeboah – the then assistant captain.
But surprisingly the former Frankfurt forward was sidelined to lead the team in the final, with Anthony Baffoe taking over.
Speaking in an interview with GTV Sports Plus, Yeboah expressed shock about how the events unfolded.
“To be honest I was very surprised and at the same time the Kumasi Group (My Group) were also shocked so it was affecting us during the game and I was the assistant captain by then, so when they captain was not there I was supposed to take over,” Anthony Yeboah narrated to GTV Sports plus.
“So my manager from Germany called Tony Baffoe because I brought Tony Baffour to come and play the National team, I was advising him and in the German League I was on top form and captaining Frankfurt so my manager called Tony Baffoe and told him to tell the Management to give the captain back to Yeboah and Tony Baffoe said No, that was before the game.
“He was not supposed to captain and it was a fact, because Kwesi Appiah was the captain and they took the captain for Abedi so there were a couple of senior players and Tony Baffoe was new in the National team. The top people were there, so I think this situation also cost the team because everybody was shocked and the Coach Otto Pfister told us before the game that he had a letter from Ghana that Tony Baffoe has to be the captain, and I don’t know where the letter was from, I don’t know whether it was true or not.
“Everybody was shocked but I motivated the players and told them it was not a problem and that we should go and play but you can see it affected the team. It was in my mind throughout the game, I was trying to score in that game and I even hit the bar but it didn’t work and at the end of the day we lost that particular game.”
Ghana missed the 1992 Africa Cup of Nations title 11-10 on penalty shootout, with Anthony Baffoe who captained the team on the day turning to be the villain after missing his kick.
The Bankroller of the lower-tier side Thunder FC, Alhaji Nash has threatened to report Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko to FIFA due to an unpaid transfer fee of their former superstar Imoro Ibrahim.
The left-back joined the Porcupine Warriors in a four-year deal from the Division Two side last year. He joined the Reds in a transfer fee of Gh¢ 240,000 but the ssid amount is still unpaid.
Alhaji Nash who is unhappy about the the development has revealed that he will drag the record Ghana Premier League Champions to the world football governing body.
“We have officially written to Kotoko demanding the transfer fee of Ibrahim Imoro with a ten-day ultimatum. I have been advised by my lawyers to report Asante Kotoko to FIFA and CAF for the unpaid transfer fee of my boy [Ibrahim Imoro],” Alhaji Nash told Kumasi-based radio station Oyerepa FM.
“Kotoko and Coach Maxwell Konadu contacted me for the service of Imoro. We agreed on a transfer fee of Gh¢ 240,000 but they have refused to pay us after rejecting an initial payment [Gh¢ 35,000] which was a peanut.
“I rejected the initial payment of Gh¢ 35,000 because they to paid less of the signing-on fee agreed with the player. We all agreed that his signing-on fee to be paid annually was Gh¢ 40,000 but they decided to pay only Gh¢ 10,000.
“The player was signed on a four-year deal which cost Gh¢ 240,000. Ibrahim Imoro was to received Gh¢ 160,000 and my club was to be paid Gh¢ 80,000 per the contract we all signed.
“The club’s Chief Executive Officer, Nana Gyambibi Coker has not been responding to my calls. The best option for my outfit is to report them to FIFA and CAF. We have informed the Ghana FA with letters on the issue.”
Imoro ,20, scored one goal in his 11 appearances for Asante Kotoko before the the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season was suspended due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
He was a member of the Black Stars’B’ squad that won silver medal at the 2019 WAFU Cup held in Senegal.
The Board Chairman of the National Sports Authority Hon. Kwadwo Baah Agyemang has cautioned the Ghana Football Association (GFA) not to rush to resume football activities in the country.
Football activities in the country have been frozen since March due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. The government of Ghana placed a ban on public gatherings. This was to lessen recording fresh cases.
However, efforts are being made by the GFA for the return of football.
Earlier this month, GFA sent a proposal to the Government for resumption of the league, adding how they would go about the game if restrictions are reviewed.
But according Baah Agyemang, the suspended season should be annulled completely.
“We shouldn’t rush in returning football because we have to get things right first before making any decisions,” he told Asempa FM.
“I agree with the school of thought that, the season should be cancelled. We shouldn’t rush if the Western world are returning their football seasons. If it’s easy, the EPL [English Premier League] would have started a long time.
“There other European countries calling off their Football seasons. Even France and Belgium have declared their Champions and Ghana is of no exception.
“We need to ensure that we have the capacity to protect those involved in our game before even play resumes.”
Asante Kotoko captain, Felix Annan has revealed a suggestion that could be used to halt the player exodus in the West African country.
Ghana is one country in Africa that sees its footballers travelling abroad in huge numbers every year. Ghana has been ranked as the second exporter of footballers according to a survey conducted by CIES, which the report was released earlier this year.
Providing a suggestion to how the situation could be curbed, Annan – the Porcupine Warriors no.1 goalkeeper disclosed that indigenous players can only be kept in the top-flight for long if they are paid a minimum salary of $1,000.
“For me, the way Ghana has talent, if players are paid a minimum of $1000 then the players will be able to stay for about four to five years before leaving abroad.
“If the players also stay in the league for long, we will be able to compete with clubs from other countries that we have always wanted”, Annan said on Sports WhatsApp.
HB Hoge has extended the loan deals of Inter Allies FC trio of Kwabena Kyemateng, Effiong Nsungusi and Hamza Nasiru till the close of the season.
The trio signed for the Danish side February but are yet to future due to the suspension of football activities in Europe as a result of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
The extension will see them in the Danish side until the season ends on July 26, 2020.
HB Hoge Director Per Rud explained the club wants to play the season to an end with their current squad and have held discussions with the players in that regard.
“This is a very extraordinary situation we are experiencing this year. Of course, we had a desire to extend with all our players, and play the season to an end with the existing squad, and we had a hope and a presumption that the players also wanted to extend.”
He added: “We have now agreed with all of them. Now we are just looking forward to getting started with the tournament in a week.”
Niger, a sparsely populated country in West Africa, is better known for its uranium ore exports than its footballing exports, but in Victorien Adebayor, they have a young gem who could help put Niger firmly on the map.
Adebayor, aged 23, was born on 12 November 1996 in Niamey, the capital city of Niger. He started his playing career at Nigerien academy side Atcha Academie Niamey before transferring to Nigerien Premier League side AS Douanes in 2014.
Following three seasons at AS Douanes, in June 2017, Adebayor moved to French fifth division club US Raon-l’Etape. However, his time in France was cut short after two months, as he returned to Niger in August 2017 to join 4-time Nigerien Premier League title winners Association Sportive des Gendarmerie Nationale Nigerienne (AS GNN).
So far, Adebayor has represented his country on 27 occasions, scoring 9 goals, and he has played 25 games for Inter Allies scoring 19 times.
Position, Attributes and Style of Play
Inter Allies usually deploy Adebayor as a centre forward in a 4-4-2 formation and on occasions as a right winger in a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 formation, whereas for Niger he regularly plays as a right winger and on occasions as a centre forward or left winger in a 4-3-3 formation.
For both club and country, Adebayor is expected to be the creator and main attacking threat. The bulk of responsibility is placed on him to destablise opposition defenses, create chances from wide and central areas and be clinical in front of goal when opportunities present themselves.
Adebayor is only 1.75m and looks somewhat lightweight, especially as a centre forward. To avoid the physical battles with imposing centre halves, he consistently makes intelligent runs in behind the left back and occupies spaces on the right wing to receive the ball.
When Adebayor receives the ball on the right wing, he likes to use quick, unpredictable body feints to unbalance defenders to gain a yard of space to cut inside, and then use his speed, trickery and balance to weave past oncoming defenders and take shots at goal with his left foot.
Importantly, he does not do this too often as it becomes easy for defenders to read his moves. Instead, he mixes up his play on the right wing by taking on defenders on the outside, using his blistering pace and combining it with good crossing with his weaker right foot. This diversity in his attacking play from the right wing makes him hard to defend against.
Then faced up the defender, twisted and feinted to create space just inside the box and bent a delightful left footed shot from a tight angle into the far top corner. It was the sort of goal the most ingenious, mercurial Brazilians like Ronaldinho, Ronaldo or Neymar would have been proud of, a goal worthy of a Puskas nomination.
When receiving the ball, he creates a yard of space through a quick first touch or turn; keeping the ball close to enable a curled left footed finish into the bottom corner of the goal or find himself unmarked in or around the box and place a shot first-time with his left foot into the bottom corner. In both instances the goalkeepers were given no chance. This highlights his composure as he can stay calm under pressure when making split second decisions.
Despite Adebayor’s effectiveness on the ball, he does have some flaws in his game. In particular, his decision making can be poor at times. During open play when he has sight of goal, he will usually have a shot when a pass or a cross is more appropriate. This leads to many promising attacks being wasted.
In addition, he sometimes takes unnecessary shots from free kicks when the chances of scoring are minimal. With more experience and developing a greater understanding with his teammates, though, this deficiency in his game can be ironed out.
Let’s take a look at two clubs that would give Adebayor a platform to develop his game and take the next step in his career.
Club Brugge
Club Brugge were crowned the Belgian First Division A champions this season, and they dominated the league from start to finish in no small part due to their excellent attacking options. This included talented young African trio Krépin Diatta, David Okereke and Emmanuel Denis, as well as Brighton loanee, 26-year-old South Africa international Percy Tau.
These four players contributed 23 league goals along with a number of assists. Tau will return to Brighton shortly, and with the likely departures of two or three of the others, who have all been heavily linked with moves to clubs in Europe’s top five leagues, this will leave Brugge with a depleted forward line.
Photo: Getty
As a result, Adebayor and Club Brugge would be a match made in heaven. He would help fill a gap in their squad and provide them with a quality attacking option who can score goals and create havoc for opposition defences in a similar vein to Okereke and Diatta.
Looking forward to next season, Basel are likely to be in the market for a new attacker who can play on the right wing and upfront. Their key striker from this season Arthur Cabral has been mightily impressive, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists in 14 matches, but he may not stay at Basel beyond this season as more renowned clubs around Europe circle for his signature. In addition, right winger Edon Zhergova will return to Genk after a season-long loan and they have a few aging wide midfielders and strikers like Valentin Stocker and Ricky Van Wolfswinkel.
In light of this, Adebayor would be a good fit for Basel. He would freshen up their attacking options as he can play as a centre forward or right winger, whilst providing them with some much-needed pace and skill across the final third of the pitch and the unpredictability of his play would help them create more chances and score more goals; potentially replicating Mohammed Salah’s impact for them between 2012 and 2014.
Photo: EuroFootball / Getty
A move to Basel would suit Adebayor too because he could develop his all-round game while playing for Switzerland’s most famous club and benefit from the exposure that gives him. At the same time, he would follow in the footsteps of African players who have starred for Basel like Salah, Mohammed Elneny and Seydou Doumbia.
Hearts of Oak legend Ishmael Addo says he is proud of holding the record of most goals in a season in the Ghanaian top-flight.
Addo emerged as the top scorer in the 2001 Ghana Premier League(GPL) season with 22 goals – a record which still stands till today.
His impressive performance aided the Phobians win the treble, with him winning the golden boot that year.
“It makes me feel special because the league was there before I was born and then there has been some records that were set before I came along. So having the opportunity to have a record of my own in the Ghana League, that’s something I will always be proud of,” he told Tv3.
He also indicated that although he struggled with national team output he feels fulfilled over his footballing career with what he did at Hearts.
“I will probably use one word. That is to say I was fulfilled. I gave my best and my all to them (Hearts) when I was with them so I think my job was done and I did a good job with them,”
Ishmael Addo is currently in the United States Of America.
