Sports
Ghana Targets AFCON Title With Incentives To Black Stars
The Ghanaian government will reportedly offer a special financial package for the national team ahead of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in June and July.
The Black Stars are looking to win the AFCON for the first time since 1982 and it is believed that the package will provide an extra incentive for coach James Kwesi Appiah and his players.
The decision of the government to provide a financial incentive was reached after President Nana Akuffo-Addo met with team captain Asamoah Gyan and his deputy Andre Ayew a few weeks ago.
NSA Board Chairman Kwadwo Baah Agyemang confirmed the meeting in Kumasi but refused to divulge any details.
“It’s true they [Gyan and Ayew] met President Nana Addo to discuss winning bonuses and everything that would be needed to help Ghana win the AFCON,” Agyemang is quoted by The Finder.
“I wouldn’t like to put the cart before the horse so at the right time we will meet the press to make whatever decision we take public,” he noted.
The NSA boss also confirmed that Ghana will camp in Qatar for their final preparations ahead of the AFCON finals in Egypt.
The Black Stars are four-time African champions, but their last triumph was 37 years ago in the finals in Libya.
Meanwhile, former vice president of the Ghana Football Association, George Afriyie, has said that the Black Stars can win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations without some of their “big names”.
Afriyie, who held his position in the GFA during Ghana’s 2015 AFCON campaign which saw them end as runners-up, says they failed to win the tournament in Equatorial Guinea four years ago due to bad luck.
“We came close three times in winning the trophy but we couldn’t. In 2010 and 2015, I was privileged to be at the tournament and the players did their best, but it was unfortunate we couldn’t bring the trophy home,” Afriyie told Tidesports source.
“In 2015, the players were determined to win the trophy and even in their training, you could see that the players were eyeing the ultimate, but luck was not on our side.
“For us to win this year’s tournament, the players must stay focused and work hard.
“Ivory Coast won the 2015 tournament without some of their big names and I think we can do same, but the players must work hard and improve their performance.”
Afriyie’s sentiments are echoed by Kenya FA boss, Nick Mwendwa who said ahead of the Harambee Stars’ last AFCON qualifier against Ghana that the likes of Asamoah Gyan and Andre Dede Ayew should be forgotten.
“The likes of Gyan, Ayew; to me I think the curtain is falling on their international carers, slowly by slowly,” Mwendwa told the media.
“So unless you have some fresh legs, we should be scared. If you are depending on them for AFCON, I’m sorry for you.”
England captain Harry Kane netted a hat-trick to guide Bayern Munich to an impressive victory against Stuttgart.
Kane’s goals, plus one from Kingsley Coman, helped Bayern end a three-game winless run in all competitions.
They faced a tough task against a Stuttgart side who sat back and limited their chances, leading Vincent Kompany’s side to enter the break frustrated and with the deadlock unbroken.
Bayern eventually found a way past Stuttgart’s steely defence when Kane drilled a low effort into the bottom corner from around 30 yards out after Joshua Kimmich overturned possession.
Former Nigeria goalkeeper, Dosu Joseph, is full of thanks to God after he miraculously survived another life-threatening automobile accident recent at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, where a heavy-duty truck ran into his SUV.
Narrating his ordeal, the 51-year-old, who guided Nigeria to gold in the Men’s Football Tournament of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, broke the news in a statement on his social media handles on Friday.
“To God be the glory, another death escaped by Grace and Mercy of God. Me and my friend SM were at Enyo Filling Station after Ojodu Berger bus stop to get fuel on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, around 6 p.m. when this MACK truck fully loaded with iron, with registration number LND 470 XX, left the road and crushed my car beyond repairs. Thank God for life,” he stated.
This is the second time the soft-spoken club proprietor will cheat death by a whisker, having been involved in an accident in 1997 that ended his career at 23 and left his spinal cord in bad shape.
He helped Julius Berger win the Nigeria FA Cup in November 1997 shortly a memorable Olympic outing by keeping a clean sheet in the finals against Katsina United. The following year, he was involved in the auto along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, which not only cut his career short but also left him almost paralysed, ending his spell at Serie A club Reggiana.
The former Nigeria international, who also kept goal for Julius Berger FC, said the case has been reported to Isheri Police Station, Ogun State, where the driver is currently detained and the truck also seized.
According to him, the owner of the truck said he can’t fix the badly damaged SUV until after a year.
Ex – Super Eagles of Nigeria, Okwuchukwu Waobikeze has observed that sports development in Nigeria is going down.
According to him, grassroots sports is very important, without it, the administrators cannot get it right. So everybody should key into grassroots sports development, he said.
Waobikeze said this last Wednesday in an interview with sports journalists shortly after the Port Harcourt All Stars Independence football festival (OCTOBERFEST) at the Port Harcourt club, Rivers State.
He explained that for sports administrators to get it right, grassroots development is key. “They should be organising competition at the grassroots level to fish out the young ones for different sporting activities.
“Grassroots sports is very important so the administrators have to go back to the grassroots.
” Sports Development in Nigeria is going down we need to go back to the basics.
“Look at the just concluded Paris Olympics, Nigeria did not win any medal.
” Our football team did not even qualify for the Olympics. We are going down.
” If they should go back to the grassroots, they will get young ones in the games and talents will be developed.
” I started from school games, to youth games before playing for the national team. Now everybody wants to fly board to play professional football and a lot do not know the basics of the game.
” A lot of people did not know the little things about the game, they just want to play. It is not done so,” Waobikeze stated.
Kiadum Edookor