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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2013
Tetteh calls up 15 foreign-based pros, 41 locals for FIFA U-20 World Cup
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hana’s U20 team at African Junior ChampionshipGhana U20 coach Sellas Tetteh has named 15 foreign-based players in a preliminary 41-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U20 World Cup. The Europe-based youngsters are expected to justify their inclusions next month when the leagues are on break. But a list of 26 home-based players dominated by those who featured at this year’s African Junior Championship will begin training next Monday in Accra. The foreign legion includes promising prospects like
Sassuolo’s Richmond BoakyeYiadom who was a member of Ghana’s squad at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Anderlecht’s Frank Acheampong, who has made one appearance for the senior national team, has been named in the squad and Zak Ansah of Arsenal. Greuther Furth’s Baba Abdul Rahman and Daniel Amartey of Swedish side Djurgarden IF were called up. Tetteh wants to build a formidable squad before their Group B opener against France in Istanbul on 22 June before playing Spain three days later
and against USA on 27 June. The former Rwanda national team coach won the FIFA U20 World Cup with the 2009 Black Satellites team. Ghana finished second at the African championship in Algeria last month losing on penalties to Egypt in the final. THE LIST Goalkeepers: Felix Annan (Kotoko) Eric Ofori Antwi (Amidaus) Michael Sai (Chelsea) Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars) Defenders: Kofi Koomson (Amidaus) Richard Nketia (Medeama) Jeremiah Arkorful and Joseph Attamah (Tema
Youth) Ebenezer Ofori (New Edubiase) Lawrence Lartey (AshantiGold) Princebell Addico (Bechem) Midfielders: Derrick Mensah and Moses Odjer ( Tema Youth) Seidu Salifu and Emmanuel Gyamfi (Wa All Stars) Ollenu Ashittey (Hearts of Oak) Michael Anaba and Prince Baffoe (Kotoko) Clifford Aboagye (Inter Allies) Jacob Apau and Joseph Gordon (Medeama) Strikers: Francis Narh (Tema Youth) Kennedy Ashia, Selorm Geraldo, Ebenezer Assifuah and Kwame Boahene (Liberty) Foreign-based players:
Hamilton, Disu urge club owners to cooperate with LMC P
aul Hamilton, a former Super Falcons Coach, has appealed to club owners in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to cooperate with the League Management Committee (LMC) for the game’s progress. Hamilton, who made the appeal against the backdrop of the recent face-off between the club owners and the LMC, said it would be better for peace to reign between them so that the league could run smoothly without hiccups. “My own concern in the matter is that I will be happier should the LMC and the club owners make peace so that the
league will not be disrupted in any way.
Isaac Danladi, Acting Chairman of Club Owners
“Let them bury their hatchets and allow the league to move on so that the players do not suffer in the long run with a delayed league,” he said. The former coach said that he expected club owners to cooperate with the LMC since it was set up by the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to organise a good competition. “Currently, players in the league, as far as I know, are not complaining about the way the league is being managed, so I see no reason for the club owners to complain. “I hope both parties will come to a compromise soon, for the good of all,” Hamilton said.
Another former coach, Tunde Disu, also said that the dispute
Nduka Irabor, Chairman LMC
Adeniji-Adele, says kickboxing not a dangerous sport
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degboyega Adeniji-Adele, the Technical Director, Lagos State Kickboxing Association, on Wednesday said that the sport was not a dangerous activity, contrary to the views of some sports enthusiasts. Adeniji-Adele insisted that the sport was a noble and interesting one adding that every sports discipline had its own hazards, adding that kickboxing should not be singled out as a dangerous sport. According to him, “kickboxing is guided by its set rules and we are rigidly adhering to them, to help us to develop the sport in Nigeria”. Adeniji-Adele added that the call to scrap the sport was, therefore, not necessary. It would be recalled that the
Kickboxing event at the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos was abruptly concluded by Games Services, over the disturbances that erupted over disputed results. The Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria (KBFN) later slammed a two-year suspension on Lagos, Edo and Benue states for being the brains behind the disturbance. Reacting to the development, Adeniji-Adele said that the suspension was not justified, and it would not in any way prevent the state from organising its programmes. “Lagos, Edo and Benue are the states that have been promoting the sport at the grassroots, the suspension by KBFN are not justified; it can not affect our own
programmes. “They ought to have heard from the affected states before the
suspension order. There was no consultation of any sort, that is why the suspension is not
Isaac Nana Asare and Anthony Manison (Rayo Vallecano, Spain) Zak Ansah (Arsenals, England) Moro Ibrahim (Aik, Sweden) Alfred Duncan (Inter Milan, Italy) John Antwi (Ismaila, Egypt) Frank Acheampong (Anderlect R.C, Belgium) Daniel Amartey (Djurgården, Sweden) Arago Jamal (Atromitos, Greece) Richmond Boakye Yiadom (Sassuolo, Italy) Lord Ofosuhene (Rio Ave, Portugal) Baba Rahman (Greuther Fürth, Germany) Carlos Ohene (Ael, Cyprus) Paul Quaye (Espanyol, Spain) Ebo Andoh (Ael, Cyprus). between club owners and the LMC should not arise at all. Disu, a former coach of the U20 national team, said that football was about peace and that it was an irony that stakeholders in the league had engaged in such a dispute, to the game’s detriment. “I am surprised that there is a dispute between club owners and the LMC at this point in time, when the league needs all the support from stakeholders. And why did their protest not commence immediately the committee was set up by the NFF, but had to wait till now,” he said. Disu urged club owners in the NPFL to cooperate with the LMC since it was an interim body that would be disbanded after it achieved its aims. “Let them allow the LMC to work since it is an interim body that was set up to achieve certain objectives by the NFF,” he added. binding on us,’’ he added. The Technical Director, however, said that the state would soon reel out its programmes to ensure that its athletes are able to remain in shape.
Kick-boxing match in action
Ex- ref Audu says no unseen match incidents
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unday Audu, the i m m e d i a t e - p a s t Secretary of the Nigeria Referees Association (NRA), has said that incidents that escaped the attention of a referee during a match were usually captured by other match officials. He said in Lagos that match commissioners and assessors
usually took note of such developments; and address the incidents according to their gravity. It would be recalled that Luis Suarez of Liverpool FC of England, in one of last weekend’s English Premiership League matches, where Suarez was involved in an incident where Branislav
Ivanovic of Chelsea FC was bitten by Suarez. In spite of the gravity of the incident, the referee did not witness it and Suarez was able to escape the referee’s red card. “In a match of that magnitude, there is an assessor and a match commissioner has the duty to assess the match and write a report indicating
the incident. The Suarez incident generated an uproar in football circles across the world and the English FA has charged the Liverpool striker with violent conduct, after studying footages of the match. “When such issues arise, the assessor and the match commissioner will discuss and
take appropriate action, and where the referee is at fault, appropriate sanctions are meted out. “There should be a retrospective action to caution players to be able to draw a line between their professional lives and their temperaments, as the two have to be controlled at all times,” Audu added.