AUGUSTINE OKRAH CONFIRMS EXIT FROM BECHEM UNITED, REVEALS NEXT CLUB

Bechem United’s talisman Augustine Okrah has revealed Tanzania giants Simba SC is his next destination after agreeing personal terms with the club.

Okrah who had a sterling season with the Hunters admitted the offer from Simba was lucrative and it came at the right time which made it quite easier for him to make the decision.

In an interview with Wontumi TV, the pacy winger reflected on the just ended Ghana Premier league season and crowned himself as the best player of the season. He added that his stunning freekick goal against Aduana Stars was his best goal of the season.

Augustine Okrah took the opportunity to apologize to all football loving fans to pardon him for his wrongdoing in the FA Cup Final against Accra Hearts of Oak.

The 2021/22 season saw Okrah score 14 league goals which aided Bechem United to place 3^rd on the league log. The player will seek to continue with the same impressive form with Simba SC of Tanzania next season.

LOCAL PLAYERS DESERVE BETTER

 

For so many years, it seems as though getting a call up to the Black Stars as a Ghana Premier League (GPL) player is a myth, a miracle or perhaps the greatest achievement in one’s career.

A lot of the high performing GPL players rarely get the opportunity to display their quality on the international stage. Handlers of the senior national team always look to prioritize the foreign based Ghanaian players over the locals when it comes to international tournaments.

In situations whereby two or three local players are invited for a tournament, they barely or in fact never get a place in the matchday squads until the competition is over. The impression created is that; GPL players are not good enough to have playing time in comparison to the foreign based players. 

This has been the picture painted in the minds of many football fanatics in Ghana which in effect doesn’t augur well for the development of our league. Players perform exceptionally well in GPL with the hope of securing a deal abroad in order to get a somewhat easier chance of playing for the national team.

A lot of players have accepted the notion that as long as they continue to play for any of the local clubs, they may never get the opportunity to represent Ghana at any international tournament. Therefore, they will rather put in even more effort to get a transfer outside the shores of Africa and pen down a contract with a foreign club.

This immediate exodus of players every time does not only affect the development of the players, it also affects the quality of our local league. The clubs are unable to keep hold of their best players over two seasons simply because of the lack of funding and assurance to get the players in the Ghanaian national team.

The irony of all of these is that we see other African players get call ups into their respective national teams whiles playing for a GPL club. The question that comes to mind is; why can’t local Ghanaian players enjoy same opportunities with our Black Stars? Why does getting a national team call up always seem like a tall mountain to climb for GPL players?

Surely, something drastic must be done to filter the minds of fans and players alike to believe that players are called to the Black Stars based on performance and not connections or favouritism.

The recent media reports of Bechem United player Augustine Okrah refusing to join Black Stars camp in Japan for the Kirin tournament alludes to the notion that local players are probably not treated rightly. Many people are wondering why a local Ghanaian player would reject a Black Stars call up. An opportunity so many other players both home and abroad are craving for.

It's about time coaches of our flagship national team see the potential in the local players and actually give them the opportunity to play and not turn them into regular spectators on matchdays. The fact is; playing professional football outside Ghana does not necessarily make one a better player than the rest here. The vice versa is also true.

It’s so difficult to understand why GPL players invited to the Black Stars camp rarely get playing time in international friendly matches. If the players are not given the chance to play any minutes at all, why are they selected in the first place? Are they included just to appease the cry of the local fans?

The Ghana Football Association’s prime advocacy of “Bring Back The Love” can only be achieved when every well performing Ghanaian player, whether home or abroad is given equal opportunity in our national team. There must be an end to the inferiority complex and for want of a better word ‘discrimination’ against local players.

By: Edward Kyei Frimpong

Eddybless200@yahoo.com

Kotoko Goal Machine Frank Mbella earns Cameroon call up

 

In-form Asante Kotoko striker Frank Etouga Mbella has earned a call up to the Cameroon national team ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.

Mbella has been named in the team to face Kenya and Burundi in June.

The young striker has been in brilliant form since joining Asante Kotoko, scoring 19 goals as the Porcupine Warriors comfortably sit on top of the Premier LEAGUE (GPL) table.

In a letter sent to Asante Kotoko, the player is expected to join camp on May 30th as the team starts preparations for the qualifiers.

“Within the framework of the qualification matches for AFCON 2023, Ivory Coast, Cameroon’s national team will play official matches during the FIFA break starting from May 30 to Jun 14, 2022. June 4, Cameroon vs Kenya. June 8, Burundi vs Cameroon.

“In this perspective, a preparatory training camp will be held in the aforementioned break from May 30th to June 14.

“In view of the above, we hereby inform you that you have been invited to take part in the said meeting,” ;part of the letter read.

Mbella is in contention for the GPL top goalscorer and the best player of the season awards.

Cameroon's 34-man squad for the AFCON Qualifiers:

IS ASANTE KOTOKO’S MBELLA ETOUGA WORTH THE HYPE?

Cameroonian goal poacher Franck Mbella Etouga Thierry is having a stellar debut season in the Ghanaian topflight league as he tops the goalscoring chart with 19 goals so far.

The prolific striker alongside his compatriot Georges Mfegue sparked a lot doubt and controversies amongst Ghanaian football fanatics when they first joined Kotoko before the start of the 2021/22 season. Not many people knew about their pedigree and prowess but after months of consistent impressive performances for the Porcupine Warriors, the two have won the hearts of many people.

It is always not easy for foreign imports to breakthrough in their debut Ghana Premier League (GPL) season and so for Etouga to be having these impressive numbers for a competitive side like Kotoko, speak volumes of his qualities as a striker. For a player to have scored 19 goals in less than 25 games will obviously mean there are so many positives to pick from his play.

One very notable thing about the Kotoko striker is his calmness in front of goal. A lot of times, when strikers are presented with a great opportunity to score, there’s that eagerness to hit the ball as quickly as possible to avoid being dispossessed by the opposing defense. However, for Etouga, he becomes so calm even under pressure and perfectly finds his spot at goal.

The calmness of Etouga in the penalty box of the opponent is one of the reasons why Asante Kotoko have probably won more penalties than any other club in the ongoing league campaign. His intelligence to keep hold of the ball and draw tackles from opponent is a smart attribute of a striker.

One other thing of note is his intelligence on the ball to hold up play and find the right pass in the final third of the field. The ability to beautifully link up play with teammates is laudable and something worth emulating for fellow strikers in the GPL. He’s built such a strong partnership with teammates, most especially Mfegue who has assisted most of his goals.

Mbella Etouga is also a player whose fitness level seems to be very high as he plays 90 minutes of almost every game he’s had with Asante Kotoko. With the luxury of attackers currently at Kotoko, it is not a fluke to be playing every minute of almost every game for the Ghanaian giant. This surely has to be a man who doesn’t joke with his training and fitness.

With six games to end the GPL, a player who will legitimately be in contention to win the best player of the season, is certainly Franck Mbella Etouga. There’s no question about his sterling performances for the season which has won the hearts of both Kotoko fans and rivals as such. 

He is indeed a player who is worth the hype he has gotten so far considering the brilliant goals and overall performance for the season.

By: Edward Kyei Frimpong

2020 COPA AMERICA FINAL: Now or Never for Messi and Argentina

Lionel Messi has led Argentina to the 2020 Copa America final after the Argentines beat Columbia on penalties in the semi final. The match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes and in the shoot-out, the Argentines progressed with a 3-2 win.

The Albiceleste will now face South American rivals Brazil in the Copa America final on Sunday 11 July. The much anticipated clash will see Messi and Neymar go head-to-head at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

This will be Messi’s third consecutive Copa America final appearance with the previous two ending in defeats against Chile and Brazil.

Argentina accumulated 10 points to top group A consisting of Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia. After sharing points in the opening game, they went on to win all remaining three group matches.

The South American giants had a relatively easy 3-0 victory over Ecuador in the quarter final and capped it with an impressive semi final win over Columbia.

In all 6 games played, it is quite notable to see how influential the captain Lionel Messi has been for his side after contributing to 9 of the 11 goals Argentina have scored so far in the tournament. The little magician has scored 4 goals and assisted 5 others. 

He is currently the top scorer and the only player to have scored a hattrick so far. He is also the player with the most man of the match awards (4).

Since making his debut for his national team in August 2005, Messi has been heavily criticised for his failure to help Argentina to win any major trophy and this Copa America final presents a perfect opportunity to break the jinx.

Interestingly, Argentina as a football nation has not won any major international trophy at the senior level for 28 years and so a huge pressure mounts on the current set of players to make the nation proud this time around.

Argentina will come up against the dreaded Brazil who have themselves been very exciting in the tournament, having won 5 out of the 6 games played so far. Their talisman Neymar seem to be in great form having scored 2 and assisted 3 others.

It’s going to be a thrilling encounter as the rivalry to determine who is the best football nation in South America comes play. More Interestingly will be the reunion of former Barcelona teammates Messi and Neymar who will this time around play against each other.

A school of thought believe this will probably be the very last time Messi will get a chance to lift a trophy for his nation as he is ageing and nearing retirement in few years time.

At age 34, it will be disappointing for the man who has won it all at club level to go another year without winning a trophy for Argentina.

Not only are Argentine fans wishing for silverware, a lot of neutrals are hoping for Argentina triumph because of one man Lionel Messi, who has won many hearts with his splendid display of magic on a football field.

It is now or never for Messi and Argentina to break the jinx of trophy drought and make history for themselves in the Copa America final this weekend.

By: Edward Kyei Frimpong 

Hooliganism and Ghana football: An unending 'love' story

Football as most people say is the passion of the nation but when it attracts hooliganism at match venues, the passion becomes the killer of the beautiful game.

Ghanaian football over the years has been tarnished greatly by the almost regular activities of violence at the various stadia without having proper solutions to such shameful behaviour.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) who are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the organisation of football at all levels have really not been so productive and proactive in curbing the menace of hooliganism at match centres.

In as much as the GFA mostly ban venues that experience violence over a period of time as punishment, people can attest to the fact that, that directive has done little or no good to stopping violence. It is clearly not enough to just ban object (stadium) without the subject (culprits).

Since the start of the 2020/2021 football season in Ghana, we’ve been met with various degrees of violence at match venues with the latest happening at Dawu and Sunyani Coronation park. As the knowledge of the beautiful game keeps growing, one would have thought the throwing of missiles at match officials and beating them up had nothing to do with football. However, this is sadly the case at some stadia which somewhat provides a conducive atmosphere for such barbaric activities.

Measures to ensure hooliganism is halted at match venues:

The GFA must first of all understand that the ban of stadium has never scared away hooligans from perpetrating their evil acts. It is about time culprits are arrested and prosecuted for actions. The reason we keep seeing such incidents is that culprits know they will always go scot-free while the club only suffer sanctions. However, when arrests and prosecutions are made, it serves as a deterrent to others to refrain from violence.

Another important initiative to deploy is ensuring that the clubs and officials who are caught in the act are given stringer punishment like points deductions and ban on particular club officials at fault.

In addition, the FA must task the clubs to orient their fans on the necessity of avoiding stadium violence and also knowing the repercussions their clubs may suffer as a result of their actions.

The FA must finally corporate well with security urgencies to ensure there is adequate security at match centres for the protection of every club and match officials against potential crowd violence.

By: Edward Kyei Frimpong 

JADON SANCHO JOINS MANCHESTER UNITED ON A 5-YEAR DEAL

Manchester United have reached an agreement with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of English wonder kid Jadon Sancho.

The exciting young winger will join the Red Devils on a five year deal with an option of extension for another year.

The signing of Sancho is subject to contractual terms and a medical, which will be completed after his involvement in the UEFA European Championship. 

It is however rumoured that rivals Manchester City will receive around €13m as part of the deal.

Sancho joined Dortmund from Man City in August 2017 and has since been very instrumental for the progress and successes of the club in the German league.

His arrival is a major boost for the attacking options of Manchester United as they look to clinch the English league title for the first time since 2013.

By: Edward Kyei Frimpong