AshantiGold are on the verge of appointing astute football administrator Oduro Nyarko as Accra Representative and Special Consultant after dropping Kofi Manu.
Outspoken Kofi Manu was highly tipped for the position, but Oduro Nyarko has disclosed that he is in talks with the hierarchy of the Miners for the job.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM, the former Chief Executive Officer of Wa All Stars confirmed talks with the Obuasi-based club.
“Discussions are on going, nothing concrete has been arrived at.
“Our discussions is about me becoming the Accra representative of the club.”
The management of AshantiGold led by Emmanuel Frimpong had a change of mind after broader consultations as to who to represent the club in the capital.
Oduro Nyarko is expected to use his enormous experience acquired in the last three decades to help the Ghana Premier League side.
Raphael Guerreiro scored twice as Borussia Dortmund put the pressure on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and blew away any cobwebs in style with a crushing 4-0 win over rivals Schalke. In their first game for 66 days Dortmund shook off early signs of rust in front of an almost-empty Westfalenstadion to take a commanding lead by half-time through Erling Haaland’s 10th goal in as many league games for the club (29), and Guerreiro’s smart finish on the stroke of the interval (44).
Thorgan Hazard, who was drafted into the starting line-up during the warm-up owing to an injury to Giovanni Reyna, made the most of his chance by adding a third three minutes after half-time, before Guerreiro doubled his tally with a fine outside-of-the-boot finish (63) to emphasise an emphatic victory over sorry Schalke.
David Wagner’s well-beaten side rarely threatened and drop out of European contention to eighth as their winless run since January 12 was extended to an eighth game, while Dortmund’s victory puts them within a point of league leaders Bayern Munich, who travel to Union Berlin on Sunday.
Dortmund return with a flourish
A cagey opening in the eerily quiet surroundings of Dortmund’s massive home was perhaps no surprise less than two weeks since the Bundesliga had returned to training, as Schalke looked just as assured in the early stages without seriously testing Roman Burki.
Team news
Borussia Dortmund left Jadon Sancho on the bench with Thorgan Hazard his replacement on the right, after Giovanni Reyna was injured in the warm-up.
Schalke 04 included Jonjo Kenny in their starting line-up with Marcus Schubert again preferred to the departing Alexander Nubel in goal.
They had to survive an early penalty scare against in-form Haaland with barely 10 minutes on the clock as Jonjo Kenny appeared to handle the Norway striker’s shot, but after a VAR review referee Deniz Aytekin let the Everton loanee off the hook.
Haaland would instead get the better of the 23-year-old Englishman less than 20 minutes later when Hazard was given time to cross from deep on the right, and Haaland confidently tucked the ball past Markus Schubert for the opener.
Goalmouth action was still lacking with the deadlock broken but 21-year-old Schalke goalkeeper Schubert’s error played a part in its return, when his poor clearance was threaded into Guerreiro’s path by Julian Brandt, and he slotted in a second off the far post.
Image: Raphael Guerreiro scored his first goal just before half-time
Wagner’s half-time instructions for his team went up in smoke less than three minutes after the restart, as from their first attack of the second period Brandt fed Hazard to beat Schubert, who should have done better with his effort on an increasingly difficult afternoon for him. With barely an hour gone an emphatic victory was sealed as a lapse in concentration from Kenny played Guerreiro onside and, perhaps waiting for the linesman’s flag to rise, he fired in a deft effort with the outside of his left boot for a fourth.
What’s next?
Dortmund travel to Wolfsburg next Saturday at 2.30pm, while Schalke host Augsburg on May 24 at 12.30pm.
Former Ghana international, Godwin Attram has urged the Ghana Football Association to resume the 2019/20 Ghana Premier League after the German Bundesliga resumed Saturday.
Football activities have been suspended due to the widespread of the novel COVID-19 pandemic. All leagues across the world were put on hold in a bid to curb the disease and to reduce fresh cases.
Some federations have announced dates to resume their seasons, with the German Bundesliga being the first major European league to return Saturday, May 16, 2020.
With regards to the situation in Ghana, while others have proposed for complete cancellation, some believe the season should be continued.
Attram – a former trainer of Great Olympics and Chief Executive Officer of Attram de Vissar Soccer Academy – has called for resumption of football in the country.
“The league was good. It was really back. Two years we did not play. What makes me happy now is that Germany are playing football today despite COVID-19. People are dying but they are still playing. This makes me believe that football must come back [resume the season],” he told Joy Sports Saturday.
He indicated that the football governing body could put in place some measures to ensure football returns safely.
“The GFA can adopt some measures to let it happen. We can play behind closed doors.”
The Ghana Premier League was at the fifteenth week before the break.
West Africa Football Academy(WAFA) defender, Konadu Yiadom has revealed that players of the club club do not receive monthly salary.
According to the lanky guardsman, he and his teammates only receive match-winning bonuses.
Speaking to Kumasi-based Angel FM, Konadu Yiadom revealed that, the bonuses serves as motivation to the players because they are paid immediately after the game.
WAFA Line-up
“It’s true that players at WAFA only receive match bonuses without salaries. We’re always paid just after the match. This always motivate us to win every match we play. We sometimes play four to five matches within a month.
‘’If the least bonus is GH¢70 imagine the money a player will get when we win all matches within that month” said Konadu Yiadom.
Konadu Yiadom, 20, has played 14 games for WAFA in the suspended 2019/20 Ghana premier league.
Chief Executive Officer of Sekondi Hasaacas, Samuel Paapa Kwesi Esson Arbuah has kicked against the Ghana Football Association idea of reducing the Division One League teams from 48 to 18.
The concept of the reduction was approved by Congress with the process set to begin soon, according to the Ghana FA.
Arbuah in an interview with Kumasi-based Akoma FM, opposed the decision, noting it will adversely affect grassroots football in the country.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me to reduce the current 48 Division One Team League to 18 Teams. Reducing the teams will adversely affect grassroot talents in the interior part of our country.
The 2019/20 Ghana Premier League has been suspended due to the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
Some administrators have called for the complete annulment of the season, while others have proposed for it to be continued at the right time.
Arbuah also indicated that the league should not be truncated as proposed by some club officials.
“The current Primier league should not be truncated. Promotions and demotions should happen as scheduled even if it takes a year to wait,”
International caps: 0 Black Stars, 2 Black Meteors
Summary
ADO Den Haag’s Robin Polley is a young right-back with impressive attacking qualities. The young Ghanaian is an accomplished dribbler, while also possessing creative intent and desirable physical attributes that translate to formidable statistical output in the attacking third. While the defensive side of his game needs work, unsurprising for a player who has spent most of his career as a winger, Polley is another representative of a growing class of young wingers becoming promising, attacking full-backs. As the game continues to develop, such players will become increasingly valuable.
Analysis
Dribbling ability
The preeminent area of Polley’s game is his dribbling ability. He was a winger throughout his youth career and is currently in just his second full season as a full-back. This experience has translated to his threat on the ball.
He possesses quick feet and accomplished close control, which he combines with impressive short-area quickness, speed and balance. Polley often uses body feints to manipulate the positioning of the closest defender and the young Ghanaian has the ability to beat multiple players in a small area, giving him real value in the attacking third in particular.
He is statistically remarkable amongst his peers at full-back in the Eerste Divisie. The young full-back returns the best numbers amongst full-backs for successful offensive duels/90 and successful dribbles/90 as well as operating in the 98th percentile for progressive runs/90. The final stat is particularly useful in highlighting Polley’s ability to move the ball effectively upfield as a dribbler.
Furthermore, he is not just a volume dribbler, with a dribble success percentage in the 76th percentile, which is particularly notable given his staggering volume of dribbles. Amongst other full-backs in the top twenty for dribble success percentage, Polley has by far the highest volume of dribbles, with 7.48 attempts per 90 minutes (the average is just 2.56 attempts). His success rate is indicative of his quality on the ball along with his decision making.
At times, he can overplay, which should improve with further experience. When he beats one or two players he needs to release the ball more quickly, especially in the final third. This enables his team to exploit the overloads that he created with his initial penetration.
Passing ability and creativity
Polley’s history as a winger has also ensured he is well-equipped as a creative force. Additionally, he has also shown himself to be a proficient ball progressor from the deeper areas he now occupies as a full-back.
The young Ghanaian possesses notable progressive and creative intent. He shows a willingness to move the ball quickly with one or two touches, to locate options between the lines and in the penalty area, and to cross into the penalty area from both deeper areas and the byline. His crossing targets dangerous areas and it is likely that were teammates getting into the penalty area in higher volumes, this area of Polley’s game would produce more actions ending in goals.
Nevertheless, he certainly stands to improve his delivery as a crosser. His delivery can make it challenging for his teammates to attack the ball effectively, as it can lack pace and/or accuracy. Additionally, the execution of his passing is occasionally poor, normally when he connects poorly with the ball. Both areas of his game would likely improve with an emphasis on consistent ball striking. Furthermore, he needs to beat the first man more often.
Polley is statistically conspicuous as a passer and creator. His pass accuracy and volume of long passes are both very low in comparison to his fellow Eerste Divisie full-backs, though the former is in part a result of his progressive and attacking intent. He has shown himself to be a capable long passer.
This intent is well-illustrated on the above visualisation and it shows the other aspect of his statistical conspicuousness in this area. He is operating in at least the 70th percentile in every measure except for accuracy and long passing volume. Most prominent are his remarkable volume of successful passes to the penalty area/90 (91st percentile), his successful crosses/90 (100th percentile), his key passes/90 (88th percentile) and his expected assists/90 (100th percentile). These statistics are all emblematic of Polley’s ability to influence the game in the attacking third through a high quantity of useful, quality actions.
Defensive ability
Not surprisingly for someone who has spent much of his career as a winger, the defensive side of Polley’s game requires the most work. Nevertheless, he has made strides this season which suggest he is on a positive upwards trend developmentally and has the capability to develop further. He also shows the requisite aggressiveness and some promising reading of the game to suggest he can continue to make those strides.
Polley understands his pace, balance and short-area quickness can be assets defensively. Athletically he was clearly superior to many of those he faced in the Eerste Divisie. Moreover, his aggressiveness complements his physical traits well, which has led to his impressive possession adjusted interception numbers relative to other Eerste Divisie full-backs. This combination of physical and mental traits has also aided Polley in achieving impressive performances in several Statsbomb statistics, including defensive pressures, pressure adjusted tackles and in the infrequency with which he is dribbled past.
However, he will need to develop further before he can be truly trusted defensively. He struggled somewhat against PSV early this season for ADO, prior to his loan at Dordrecht. Key issues were being caught square and giving the attacker a two-way go. The latter meant he was rarely in control of the attacker who could manipulate the situation as they desired. Though not a full-back, Virgil van Dijk is the world’s best at controlling and influencing attackers and could be a good study.
Another potential issue is his aggressiveness placing him at risk of being caught out of position or beaten by an attacker due to over-committing. At times, the angles he takes to the ball or the aggressiveness with which he steps up are clearly those of a player used to playing with cover behind. Playing deeper, he needs to be wary of being lured out of position and being unnecessarily aggressive in his angles to the ball and approach to winning the ball back.
Additionally, he can get fixated on the ball when it enters the final third and lose track of his threats. This also can cause him to be caught behind the rest of the defensive line. Continued emphasis on scanning and communication with his teammates can alleviate these issues.
Finally, Polley does struggle aerially, demonstrated by his low aerial duel win rate and successful aerial duels/90.
Club context
Polley’s output is particularly impressive when you consider the context of his loan club, FC Dordrecht. Dordrecht were 19th in the Eerste Divisie when it was voided and were one of the league’s worst attacking sides. They were 16th in total xG for the season, dribbles/90 and progressive passes/90 and 13th in progressive runs/90. They were 9th in crosses/90.
In light of that, Polley’s stats stand out even more. He was one of Dordrecht’s primary dribbling, progressive and creative players from the right-back position and was hugely impressive amongst all Eerste Divisie full-backs in the same categories, despite his own team’s struggles.
The following tree diagrams demonstrate Polley’s dominance statistically in his own team.
Similar players
Using a few different clustering methods, several statistically similar players to Polley have been identified. This is not necessarily to say there are qualitative similarities, but that there are statistical and, in some respects, stylistic similarities. The primary candidates are all full-backs who excel as attackers, most notably as dribblers and their attacking output. Three are represented graphically below.
Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich
Alessio Castro-Montes, K.A.A. Gent
Joakim Mæhle, Genk
Club outlook
With ADO escaping relegation, Polley will return to a parent club in the Eredivisie. His performances in the Eerste Divisie were certainly sufficient to suggest he can perform at a higher level.
However, ADO may not be the best club for Polley’s development. A comparison to the two incumbent full-backs reveals two drastically different players. Neither Dion Malone and Aaron Meijers have anywhere near the attacking output of the young Ghanaian.
This is at least partly a product of ADO’s style, which has not been one that would appear to be well-suited to Polley’s skillset. They have gone through two different managers in the past two seasons, neither of whom played a style that required attacking full-backs. Although a new manager is yet to be installed after Alan Pardew’s departure, Polley may be poorly suited unless ADO overhauls their approach.
ADO have become increasingly direct, having the second most long passes/90 in the Eredivisie in 19/20, as well as the fewest progressive passes/90, progressive runs/90, key passes/90 and dribbles/90. Though they crossed at the fourth highest rate in the Eredivisie, they were not asking their full-backs to contribute to this significantly.
It may well be, therefore, that Polley would be well-served in moving to a club that permits him to attack with regularity, as he was at Dordrecht. He appears best-suited to a role that gives him the freedom of the right flank, allowing him to utilise his creative and dribbling abilities in the final third.
National team outlook
Ghana have used their full-backs as attacking threats on the flanks in recent seasons. Many of their most prominent wide players are best suited to coming off their flanks and playing between the lines or running in behind. Resultantly, it is a distinct possibility that new coach C.K. Akonnor will ask his full-backs to provide width to allow his wide forwards to operate inside. Such a role would suit Polley extremely well.
Furthermore, the respect Ghana’s opponents often treat them with requires a player on either flank who is capable of stretching the play, beating players and offering creativity from wide areas. In qualifying games and at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, Ghana’s opponents rarely left their defensive shape, forcing the Black Stars to try to break them down. They struggled, with a lack of quality progressive passing and penetration in the final third major contributing factors.
Polley has shown he has the attacking intent and technical quality to be a potential solution to those problems. He attempts penetrative offensive actions with a high frequency, progresses the ball well as a passer and runner and has the quality to beat players one vs one or one vs two. This qualitative superiority is particularly useful.
During the upcoming qualifying campaign, when football returns, the Black Stars could do worse than to give Polley the opportunity to compete at right-back with Andy Yiadom. Yiadom’s competition has been limited, with Harrison Afful turning 34 in July and Daniel Amartey’s injury problems. Adding a talented younger player like Polley to the right-back depth chart would be a positive, with the younger option bringing some genuine attacking flair and verve.
Unless otherwise stated, all data used is courtesy of Wyscout or Transfermarkt.
Tunisian side Club Africain have been ordered by the FIFA to pay Derrick Sasraku an amount in excess of $140,000 for unlawfully terminating his contract early this year.
Club Africain have been given a 45-day ultimatum to effect payment to the former Aduana Stars forward by the world football governing body or face FIFA ban from registering players.
Sasraku joined the Tunisian giants on April 2018, making 11 appearances in the Tunisian top-flight in the 2018/19 season.
A ruling released on April 27,2020 by FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber, signed by the Chief Legal and Compliance Officer Emilio Garcia Silvero stated that:
”The Respondent, Club Africain, has to pay to the Claimant, within 45 days as from the date of notification of this decision, the amount of USD 79,201 plus interest:
”The Respondent has to pay to the claimant the amount of USD 450 corresponding to a flight ticket from Tunis to Accra.
”The Respondent has to pay the Claimant compensation for breach of contract in the amount of USD 47,038 plus 18% interest p.a. as from 24 January 2020 until the date of effective payment.”
Gor Mahia versatile midfielder, Jackson Owusu has vehemently debunked been detained in a Hotel at Kenya.
Kenya portal Nairobi News reported that the former Asante Kotoko midfielder had been detained by Jimlizer Hotel in Buruburu because the club owe an amount of over Sh600,000 in earlier and current pending bills.
According to the portal, Owusu narrated how he is broke and pleaded to the club management to pay the unpaid bills.
“The Chairman (Ambrose Rachier) has always been promising to come on a number of occasions to assist me but he has not been here. I am not allowed to leave with anything out of the hotel until their is a commitment from the club that the money will be paid. As at now I don’t know when this will happen,” said Owusu.
“My parents are poor and fully depend on me and they live in Kumasi many kilometres a way from Accra. But I have been forced to reach out to them and sometimes they have been forced to travel to town and send me something little. You also know that here at the club we have also not been paid and I can’t assist them.
“I survive many a times by only eating one meal in a day and it has to be given out after the attendant has received the go a head from the manager. Some fans brought me food on Wednesday and I am really grateful for their kind gesture,” he added.
But speaking in an exclusive interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM, Jackson Owusu denied being detained and revealed that he is lodged in the team’s own hotel.
“I have not been detained as reported. I’m in my room listening to music. What am I going to do outside for me to be arrested,” he told Oyerepa FM Friday.
“It’s never true. It’s a lie. How am I able to have my personal training if I have been detained as reported? It is not true. Disregard the news.
“The supporters have issues with the team owner. It’s never true I have problems in my hotel.
“It is the team’s Hotel where every player who joins the team is accommodated. How can I have a problem here?. I don’t pay anything here.”
Owusu joined Gor Mahia in the January transfer window.
Gor Mahia Ghanaian import Jackson Owusu has been detained in a Nairobi hotel due to unpaid bills.
The game is still suspended but the Ghanaian finds himself at an area he didn’t envisage for in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
PENDING BILLS
The versatile midfielder has been staying at Jimlizer Hotel in Buruburu where Gor Mahia Organising Secretary Judith Anyango ‘Nyangi” confirmed that K’Ogalo has accrued over Sh600,000 due to earlier and current pending bills.
Owusu narrated to Nairobi News how he is dead broke and how his pleas to the club management to pay the pending bills have not been responded to as quickly as he expected.
The Ghanaian import joined Gor Mahia during the January transfer window has been able to nail a starting berth under coach Steven Polack in many K’Ogalo matches including the last Mashemeji Derby against arch rivals AFC Leopards in February.
The Briton and the player also worked together when the former coached Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko way back in 2018 season. Polack is revered by the Ghanaian giants fans for leading them to the group stages of CAF Confederation cup.
“The Chairman (Ambrose Rachier) has always been promising to come on a number of occasions to assist me but he has not been here. I am not allowed to leave with anything out of the hotel until their is a commitment from the club that the money will be paid. As at now I don’t know when this will happen,” said Owusu.
He revealed that the issue has really troubled his poor parents in Ghana who are really worried about the plight of their son in a foreign land.
WORRIED PARENTS
“My parents are poor and fully depend on me and they live in Kumasi many kilometres a way from Accra. But I have been forced to reach out to them and sometimes they have been forced to travel to town and send me something little. You also know that here at the club we have also not been paid and I can’t assist them.
“I survive many a times by only eating one meal in a day and it has to be given out after the attendant has received the go a head from the manager. Some fans brought me food on Wednesday and I am really grateful for their kind gesture,” he added.
While reacting to the issue, Gor Mahia Deputy Secretary General Ronald Ngala asked Owusu to be patient, saying the issue will be handled by the club.
“He should be patient. He will just be assisted,” Ngala said.
However, a source at the club revealed that it was not clear how Owusu was still staying in the hotel yet fellow foreign players David Mapigano and Juma Balinya are living in the rental houses.
“Usually when a foreign players join Gor they familiarise themselves with the environment for even a month then after salary payments they move out and rent a house on their own,” said the source who wished not to be named.
RENTED HOUSE
Former K’Ogalo player Yikpe Ghislain, who joined Yanga SC, and Francis Afriye who turns out for Township Rollers in Botswana also lived in a rented house for them by the club.
“I urge all our fans to come out and assist Owusu as we battle to see if he will be allowed leave the hotel. The money will assist in paying three month upfront rent and by that time we shall have found a way out,” she said.
An employee of the hotel said the issue is being discussed for a better solution.
“Yes, we are aware of it and it is within the managers desk. It is being worked on,” the employee said without quoting the exact amount of money the hotel is owed by Gor Mahia.
By the time of filing this story, Owusu had not eaten anything but was with one of K’Ogalo’s fan who had gone to check on him.
Ghana’s Premier League may not be allowed to have fans back inside stadiums SHOULD the Government give greenlight for Football activities to resume per proposal submitted by the GFA’S Medical Committee to the GFA.
And per Oyerepa FM Sports report, the Dr Adam Baba led committee adviced the GFA as follows
The resumption should be gradual -starting with the men premier league then the others(Division One,Women’s league etc) follow when convicted all is well.This is because if we take too much, it can overwhelm us
That all players, officials, coaches,referees and match commissioners undergo mandatory test -The FA must arrange for them to be tested at various laboratories.They were identified into High and low risk groups -The High risk group comprised of referees, match commissioners and technical persons who have close contact with players.
A plan that could see all matches for the remainder of the season played in empty stadiums -The only persons to be admitted will be the press to cover the games and most of the matches shown live on TV. -Those that can’t be shown live should be shown immediately after the matches not to make supporters miss the game so much.
To observe social and physical distance as we enjoy the game of Football
Speaking to Oyerepa FM Sports, the Chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Medical Committee Dr Adam Baba said:
”To cancel or continue will all depend on the dynamics of the pandemic.As the medical committe of the GFA, we were asked for a proposal on the best practices SHOULD the Government give the go ahead to resume Football activities and our advice was based on the records of the pandemic, the death and recovery rates and cases recorded. All that we are doing will hinge around the Ghana Health Service’s final approval, the go ahead or could tell us to wait for a while”
