National Sports Authority (NSA) has requested Dreams FC to pay GH₵36,070.00 for their use of the Baba Yara Stadium in their upcoming CAF Confederation Cup semi-final second-leg match against Zamalek FC.
Dreams FC has utilized the stadium since the qualifying stage and has established it as a stronghold throughout their successful debut campaign in the competition.
In response to Dreams FC’s announcement offering free entry to the center line and Popular Stands at the Baba Yara Stadium, the NSA has taken action by sending a letter to the General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association.
In the letter, the NSA formally demands a total of GH₵36,070.00 from Dreams FC for their use of the Baba Yara Stadium.
It details various expenses associated with the facility’s usage, including field preparation, janitorial services, sanitation, and the provision of a standby generator.
Signed by Kwame Baah Mensa, the Regional Director of the NSA, and dated April 23, the letter is addressed to the General Secretary of the GFA.
It meticulously itemizes the costs involved in utilizing the stadium.
Traditionally, arrangements for facility usage have involved sharing gate proceeds, with agreed-upon percentages covering costs.
However, given the announcement of free entry, the NSA promptly reminds Dreams FC and the GFA of their financial responsibilities in this regard.
Dreams FC is set to face African giants Zamalek in the second leg of their semi-final clash in the ongoing CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday, April 28. The first leg ended in a goalless draw.
Dreams FC have left Ghana for Conakry, Guinea, where they will play Milo FC du Kankan in the first leg of their TotalEnegies CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round matchup.
The group, which consists of 18 players, a technical team, and management staff and is led by Executive Council Member Frederick Acheampong, took off from Accra on Thursday, August 17, early in the morning on an Asky Airline flight.
Both teams won their respective domestic competitions last season and are now making their debuts in continental football.
In the meantime, Moussa Diou of Mauritania has been named by the Confederation of African Football as the match’s referee. Compatriots Brahim Samed H’Made (Assistant I), Bouna Ndiaye (Assistant II), and Babacar Sarr (Fourth Referee) will be Diou’s coworkers.
Mohammed Tafsir Souma of Guinea has been appointed as the match’s medical officer, and Yameogo Koudougou David of Burkina Faso has been given the role of match commissioner.
On Saturday, August 19, 2023, the first leg of the preliminary round will take place at the General Lansana Conte stadium in Conakry. Kickoff is set for 16:00 hrs.
The 2022/23 MTN FA Cup was won byDreams Football Club at the conclusion of the season after their victory over King Faisal on Sunday, June 18.
With goals from Abdul Aziz Issah and Sadiq Alhassan, the Believers were able to win their first major championship in club history.
Issah gave Dreams a fantastic start to the match by scoring the game’s first goal just 19 minutes into the intriguing finale.
King Faisal, who were hoping to enjoy glory from the cup final after suffering relegation from the Ghana Premier League, were handed a further blow after Sadiq doubled the lead for Dreams after a solo run in the final third of the pitch.
A late fight back was far from favourable for the Kumasi-based side as they ended suffering a 2-0 loss at the Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex.
The victory also means Dreams have a first major trophy to their name and will have the opportunity to represent Ghana at next season’s CAF Confederation Cup.
Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison scored in Young Africans victory against Geita Gold at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza on Saturday in the Tanzanian Premier League.
Yanga beat Geita Gold 1-0 to extend their unbeaten run in the league to 45 matches.
Bernard Morrison, who had just returned from suspension, scored the only goal on the stroke of halftime with a penalty kick.
Morrison’s second goal of the season comes as Yanga continues to be the in form side in the league.
With the win, Yanga holds a five-point lead at the top of the table, with 20 points in the bag, as they inch closer to their aim of defending the championship.
Geita Gold is now ninth in the standings after the defeat, with 13 points from 10 games.
Yanga’s next match is against Club Africain of Tunisia on Wednesday at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam in the CAF Confederation Cup.
The second leg will be played a week later in Tunisia, with the overall winner advancing to the group stage.
Watch Bernard Morrison’s goal for Young Africans against Geita Gold below:
This was regardless of the team’s narrow 1-0 win over AS Real Bamako in the second leg of the tie in the second preliminary round of the competition.
Due to a 3-0 defeat from the first leg, Hearts of Oak crashed out of the CAF Confederation Cup on the back of a 3-1 aggregate defeat.
After the game, supporters of Hearts of Oak held board members Vincent Odotei Sowah and Alhaji Akambi hostage, accusing the duo of being the cause of the club’s woes.
Some fans yesterday went to the extreme by deflating the car tyres of Vicent Odotei Sowah.
Twelve hours later, fans are mounting pressure on the two board members to step aside for others to take charge of the running of the club.
A section of the fans also wants club board chairman Togbe Afede XIV to be blamed for the woes of the club.
Amid the bashing directed the way of Vincent Odotei Sowah and Alhaji Akambi, some fans are calling for the appointment of coach Samuel Boadu.
It is the belief that the club erred in sacking the gaffer who had led the club to five trophies in just 18 months.
Hearts will be looking to overturn their 3-0 first leg deficit against AS Real Bamako in the second leg of their CAF-inter club competition.
The MTN FA Cup champions will welcome the Malian side to the Accra Sports stadium in the return leg on Sunday.
“The players of Hearts should psych their mind and have a winning mentality going into this game. If they are to have this winning mentality, I know they can overturn this tie but complacency would be the killer if they are not well concentrated,” Bekoe told Happy FM.
“If they should score the first goal and the fans start hailing and it gets into their head and become complacent, they would receive the shock of their lives.”
He added, “The players need to bring out their all and fight like there is no tomorrow.”
“They need to have that mentality and the fans need to come support them.”
Hearts suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss to AS Real Bamako in the second round of the CAF Confederation Cup qualifiers in Mali last Saturday.
Ahead of the tough meeting, Hearts of Oak have announced the price of tickets for the game.
According to a post on the Twitter page of the club, the ticket for the Popular stand will be sold at GH₵10 while those for Centre Line will be sold for GH₵20.
Meanwhile, the ticket for the lower VIP and upper VIP sections will be sold for GH₵50 and GH₵70 respectively.
The winner of the tie will move to the play-off round where they will face one of the 16 losers from the CAF Champions League second round.
Hearts of Oak are Ghana’s sole representative in Africa following Asante Kotoko’s early exit from the CAF Champions League.
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Referee Yelebodom Gado Mawabwe Bodjona will officiate the CAF Confederation Cup second preliminary stage match between Hearts of Oak and AS Real Bamako.He will be assisted by compatriots Jonathan Ahonto Koffi, Wassiou Tchamolla Ourotou with Kouassi Attisso Attiogbe as the fourth official.
Match Commissioner for the game is Alhaji Babagana Kalli from Nigeria and Christiana Baah is the COVID-19 Officer.
The match has been scheduled for Sunday, October 16,2022 at the Accra Sports Stadum. Kick off is at 3:00pm.
Hearts of Oak lost the first leg 3-0 in Bamako last weekend and are poised to overturn the result and keep their hopes of progressing to the next stage alive.Yelebodom Gado Mawabwe Bodjona – Referee – Togo
Jonathan Ahonto Koffi – Assistant Referee 1 – Togo
The Phobians will travel to Mail to take on Real Bamako on Saturday, October 8, 2022 for the first leg encounter of the second round of the 2022/23 CAF second tier competition.
It will be David Ocloo’s first game in charge of the club after being appointed as an interim coach, taking over from Samuel Boadu who parted ways with Hearts after a slow start to the 2022/23 season.
“I might not say much about confidence but then, I will say that, I am so much interested when it comes to their performance so for me, the most important thing for them to do is that, they should elevate their performance from that of last year,” Mireku told LUV FM.
“But for me, I am not expecting much from them because it’s a new team all together. Football is all about consistency but then, for you to have individual players, then you might not have a team.
“So for me, I think that’s what Hearts of Oak are lacking for now therefore I am not expecting much from them.
“If we could have these players for two-three years, then my expectation will go high,’’ he added.
The return leg will be held at the Accra Sports Stadium on the weekend of October 14-16, 2022.
The winner of the tie will move to the play-off round where they will face one of the 16 losers from the CAF Champions League second round.
Hearts of Oak are Ghana’s sole representative in Africa following Asante Kotoko’s early exit from the CAF Champions League last Sunday in Kumasi.
Hearts of Oak have announced that the club has appointed coach David Ocloo as a new assistant coach.
The club recently parted ways with head coach Samuel Boadu and his two assistants.
Now desperate to put together a technical team to prepare for the CAF Confederation match against AS Bamakao, Hearts of Oak have recruited coach David Ocloo.
“Accra Hearts of Oak Plc is pleased to announce the appointment Mr. David Dickson Ocloo as the club’s new Assistant Coach. His appointment takes immediate effect and forms part of the club’s restructuring exercise of the Technical Team,” an official club statement has said today.
The 38-year-old David Ocloo holds CAF license A, B & C coaching certificates as well as a certificate in Sports performance and video analysis.
In the interim coach, Hearts of Oak says coach David Ocloo will act as the head Coach and will be assisted by Samuel Nii Noi until a substantive head coach is appointed in the near future.
He is expected to lead the team’s preparations ahead of this weekend’s CAF Confederations Cup first leg game against Real Bamako of Mali in Bamako.
The Ghanaian tactician in the past worked for Liberty Professionals and Asante Kotoko.
“It’s been poor for us,” Kobby Jones, PRO of Hearts’ National Chapters Committee said. “It’s not been as we hoped when the league was about to start. Though our first three matches were very difficult, we were not expecting to play three games and have only two points. That wasn’t the plan, we need to look at it and change things.”
The trophy-laden relationship Hearts had with Boadu has come to an end. Five trophies in 18 months after a run of 11 years without a single one, paints the Boadu era at Hearts, and he leaves with a record.
When his wedding was telecasted live on national television, he became the first Ghana Premier League coach or any in Ghana for that matter, to receive such a gesture. It is one which does not just happen, reserved for the class of a royal family, so, it is a big deal – no matter how anyone looks at it. Not even the legendary Jones Attuquayefio had a gesture of that sort – not to compare the two.
Attuquayefio is in a league of his own – no debate, but even with only one win in his last nine league games, Boadu deserves a seat at the Hearts table as he brought the club what it so much endeared itself with – winning.
The recent few weeks have been devoid of it though, and it is what cut short what looked a promising relationship. One win in nine league games – furnished with late comebacks versus city rivals, Great Olympics and nemesis, Kotoko, certainly does not fit the standards of Hearts.
“All Hearts of Oak supporters are unhappy with how things are going. We were not expecting the season to start this way. We were expecting it to start well because of the kind of recruitment the board and Togbe Afede did for us. We thought that we have a team good enough to start the league strongly. It hasn’t been the case and we are worried,” Jones told JoySports.
The National Chapters Committee is the official fan group of the club, a different gravy as compared to the vociferous Phobia Tertiary, but both fan groups were united on one front – an occurrence which almost never happens in football.
All rank and file of Phobia foot soldiers wanted Boadu out of the job once it seemed his winning wand had run out of pixie dust, and their calls grew even more confident with the seeming backing of an individual high up the Hearts hierarchy.
“When the board gets to the stage when something has to be done, I’ll force them to take a decision. No one is bigger than the club, including the Board chairman,” Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe said on Nyhira FM.
A wait too long
The last time Hearts won two games on the bounce happened more than four months ago, after their victory at home to Dreams. The game preceding that was an away 3-0 win at 10-man Accra Lions. Since then, Hearts have posted a record which best represents a mid-table club: D-W-D-L-L-L-L-L-D-D.
Hearts at the end of last season dropped 13 of a possible 15 points from the final five games. The club’s decision to participate in the GHALCA G6 with the Auroras stirred conversation, and the heavy defeats did not help.
There was a sense that fans were beginning to get frustrated with Boadu, and after their defeat to Aduana Stars on the opening day of the season, one summed it up.
“I am not surprised with the result,” the fan who looked to be in his mid 20s said after Aduana’s victory. “You had the chance to have good preparation for the season, but decided to use Auroras instead, and went to play pre-season games with bottom tier sides. I don’t know what they were trying to achieve,” he ended.
Well, whatever Boadu was trying to achieve could not be seen after dropping points in the subsequent games and that was the last straw for him.
“I mean I think supporters can’t wait longer because the thing is you keep having trust one match, another match, ‘another trust’ – and it’s still going. Now teams are winning matches and we’re dropping points. We need to catch up with them. So the decision the board should look at should be one which helps this club. It’s not all the time you give coaches time when you think things are not happening.
“If you want to turn things around, you need to be decisive with what you do. But of course we [fans] cannot sack the coach, they [board] are the managers. They employed him, they have the KPI with him so they should measure it,” Jones told JoySports just a day before Hearts announced Boadu’s departure.
What next?
“I want to thank the Hearts of Oak family, the board of directors and Togbe Afede for this opportunity,” was what Boadu said in the draw with Kotoko. He was asked to provide his assessment of the game – the man knew it was coming.
The club announced Samuel Nii Noi – head at Auroras, as interim till a substantive is recruited. The rumour mill has been churning since, with a couple of local media outlets naming Erik Van der Meer as Boadu’s replacement.
Meer, whose last job was with Saudi Arabia’s U20s, has been described as one with ‘proper knowledge and understanding of how a football club should be built and work’ by Vardan Israelyan, President of FC Stal. But the Dutch coach also has vast experience in youth football.
While Hearts recently look to be making some form of effort to revive the Auroras, Van der Meer’s work if confirmed, will be way beyond the youth setup with Hearts, as the cycle of firing and hiring managers has lasted too long at the club without reward.
“Years back when Hearts played a game, you don’t ask if hearts won or lost. You ask how many goals Hearts scored but this isn’t the case now,” Dr. Tamakloe said, giving off a rather sentimental feel during final days of Boadu.
But those glorious days of Hearts have been long gone – way before the Boadu era, and the fans recognize it. “There is a need for proper structure for the team,” was all a fan said when quizzed about the club.
But to be fair, there has been commendable effort to put the club on a different pedestal – with the Pobiman project, construction of a new club secretariat and the commissioning and operationalisation of a commercial center.
But the next step for Hearts, without a doubt, is qualifying to the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup. The sacking of Boadu cannot be for the purpose of only winning a couple of premier league games.
With the cost the club is ready to bare administratively for all its projects, there should be a certain standard of effort reflecting on the field, and it starts with playing in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, a platform the club has been absent from for 18 years.
Ghanaian forward Kwame Peprah is reportedly close to leaving Orlando Pirates after just one season due to lack of playing time ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The 21-year-old, who joined Pirates from Ghana Premier League club King Faisal ahead of the start of the 2021/22 season scored nine goals last term for the Buccaneers – seven in the league, two in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Despite an impressive debut campaign, he has found himself slipping down the pecking order.
This season, Peprah has featured in only four matches for the Sea Robbers and is yet to find the back of the net.
With Gabadinho Mhango sold to AmaZulu and Tshegofatso Mabasa loaned out to Sekhukhune United, many would have expected Peprah to be leading the line for Pirates this season.
Instead though, the Sea Robbers have gone out and signed forwards Bienevu Eva Nga and Kermit Erasmus.
Now to add salt to Peprah’s wounds, the Soweto side are reportedly set to acquire the services of another over-30 striker to their ranks in ex-Bucs forward Ndumiso Mabena.
Peprah alongside Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Ofori played an instrumental role in Orlando Pirates’ 2021/22 CAF Confederation Cup campaign.
He won a silver medal after RS Berkane defeated Orlando Pirates in the final of the CAF Confederation Cup which was held in Oyo, Nigeria.
Konadu Yiadom, a former WAFA captain, and Hearts of Oak have mutually agreed upon personal conditions, according to GHANASoccernet.com.
This was after the player’s representatives made a u-turn and aborted a plan to send him to league champions Asante Kotoko.
According to GHANASocccernet sources, the Phobians have registered him for the season and the CAF Confederation.
Early on Monday, his manager expressed frustration with Hearts who were dragging their feet to meet his market price.
The Phobians were said to be offering some of the lowest deals on the market.
Yiadom’s capture increases the rank of ex-WAFA player at Hearts of Oak after Mohammed Alhassan, Caleb Amankwah, Enock Asubonteng and goalkeeper Richmond Ayi.
The Porcupines will compete in the CAF second-tier competition after missing out on the Champions League group stage slot to Sudanese giants, Al Hilal Omdurman.
The first of the match will be played on February, 14, 20201 while the return leg comes off a week after (February 21).
Asante Kotoko was eliminated from the CAF Champions League without playing the second leg of their game against Al Hilal Omdurman.
The game was called off as they failed to raise a 15- man team for the encounter. Subsequently, Al Hilal was declared as the winner of the tie.
It was a disappointing day for Ghana striker John Antwi and his Egyptian club Pyramids as they succumbed to a 1-0 loss to Moroccan outfit RS Berkane in the 2020 Caf Confederation Cup final on Sunday.
Issoufou Dayo’s first-half effort in the single-legged fixture at the Prince Moulay Abdullah Stadium in Morocco was enough to hand The Orange Boys their first title in the competition.
Their final was originally scheduled for May this year but had to be rescheduled to October due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It was the redemption of sorts for Berkane, who lost in the final of the 2019 Confed Cup to Egyptian giants Zamalek. Their win also highlights Morocco’s dominance in the competition, the 2020 success becoming the fifth title won by a club from the north African country. No country has produced more winners than Morocco and Tunisia (also five).
For Pyramids, however, making the Confederation Cup final just six years after becoming an elite division club and two years after taking on their current identity from being formerly named Al Assiouty Sport will certainly remain a mark of pride despite Sunday’s defeat.
Berkane came into the final on the back of a 2-1 triumph over national rivals Hassania Agadir, while Pyramids accounted for Guinean side Horoya 2-0 in the semi-final to snatch a historic first-ever final berth.
In the end, Burkina Faso defender Dayo emerged the hero of the match as his scrappy 15th-minute goal decided the fixture.
Although there would be no more goals, there was certainly drama towards the end of the tie as Berkane’s Baker El Helali was sent off for a rough tackle after a video assistant review.
Ghana international Antwi was a second-half substitute in the game, coming on in the 66th minute for Ahmed Tawfik.
It was a big disappointment for the Ghanaian, who was hoping to build on his recent exploits of becoming the all-time foreign top scorer in the history of the Egyptian top league and earning a Ghana recall for the first time since 2017.
Ex-Asante Kotoko midfielder Yusif Chibsah has revealed businessman Kwame Osei ‘Despite’ promised to reward the team with a house each if they had won the 2004 CAF Confederation Cup.
But the Porcupine Warriors burned on the cusp of lifting the trophy on their home ground via penalties.
The first leg ended 1-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium and Kotoko held the aces to pull the victory rug from under the feet of their perennial rivals.
But after another 1-1 draw in the return clash at the Baba Yara Stadium, the Phobians won the inaugural edition of the competition 8-7 on penalties.
Reliving the moment on GTV Sports Plus on Sunday, Chibsah revealed he and his teammates
”Do you know what we missed for failing to win the cup? Despite promised each player a house and a 10 million (GHS 1,000) each,” Chibsah said on the Time With Our Captains Show.
”Looking back at the game we should have buried the game in the first half
Chibsah was joined on the panel by former teammate Charles Taylor.
Hearts of Oak were represented by trio Bernard Don Bortey, Lawrence Adjah Tetteh and Amankwa Mireku.
The Confederation of African football says it is ‘closely monitoring’ the evolution of the deadly coronavirus around the world, particular on the African continent and is considering a number of measures to ensure the safety of footballers and fans.
In a press release copied to www.ghanaweb.com, the continental football body says it will consider playing games, including the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers behind closed doors if it becomes necessary.
CAF however says it is not considering rescheduling upcoming games largely because “according to World Health Organization (WHO), no African country till date has been declared a high risk”.
“Consequently, CAF has decided to maintain the schedule of all competitions. Also, CAF has been informed of the restrictive measures taken by the authorities of some Member Associations and is in contact to find solutions on a case-by-case basis, with the option of the organization of matches behind closed doors.
“Regarding the Total African Nations Championship (CHAN) Cameroon 2020, a delegation from the CAF Medical Committee is scheduled to visit Cameroon from 14-15 March 2020. The purpose of this mission is to assess all the preventive measures taken by the Local Organizing Committee”.
The CHAN competition is scheduled for 4-25 April 2020 while the thrid round of the 2021 AFCON qualifiers are set to be played by the end of March.
Ghana’s Black Stars are expected to take on Sudan in a doubleheader later this month, with the first game scheduled for the Cape Coast stadium on March 27.
Maritzburg United No.1 goalkeeper Richard Ofori wants to guide the Team of Choice to the CAF Confederation Cup by winning the 2019/20 Nedbank Cup.
But the PSL club must advance past Bloemfontein Celtic in the last 16 match at the Dr Molemela Stadium.
“It is a very good thing for the nation because to win the Nedbank Cup and be in Africa will be great for the club,” Ofori said.
”It is a nice opportunity for small clubs because they don’t get opportunities to finish in the top three in the league (in order to qualify for these continental competitions).
“This is a good opportunity for a smaller clubs as well. We have to be focused and try to be there.
”We need to enjoy and try our best to win the cup and experience Africa.”
