Kudjo Fianoo, Chairman of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), sheds light on the choice of Asante Kotoko and Asec Mimosas for the upcoming 2024 Presidential Cup.
Scheduled for Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, the event coincides with Ghana's 67th Independence Day celebration and will be attended by heads of state Nana Akufo-Addo and Alassane Ouattara.
Fianoo explained, “We want to change our way of doing things. Ghanaians have raised concerns about our frequent use of Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in playing the President's Cup. We decided to use a different team this time. People also think Kotoko and Hearts of Oak are cash cows. In the previous edition, we played for free, meaning the enthusiasm is not there anymore.”
He continued, “We want to alter our style of running the President's Cup. Some may think we are overambitious. We have plans to sit down with any President and know the team they support, so we can organize the Cup competition based on the club of their choice."
“In the case of Nana Akufo-Addo, we realized he always invites a special guest (the President of another African country) during the Independence Day celebration. Last year was Guinea-Bissau’s President. After contacting the Presidency, we got to know Ivory Coast’s leader Alassane Ouattara will be the special guest for this year’s Independence Day. So we decided to pick the champions of each country for the President's Cup.”
“Asec Mimosas will represent Ivory Coast. Medeama was supposed to represent Ghana but won’t be available at the time because of their CAF Champions League participation, so Asante Kotoko will replace them. For now, we have settled on Kotoko and Asec Mimosas.”
Hearts of Oak currently holds the President's Cup after narrowly beating Asante Kotoko in the 2023 edition. Asante Kotoko holds the record with eight titles. The GHALCA President's Cup is an annual event honoring the sitting President of Ghana and is typically played in July to coincide with Ghana's Republic Day celebrations.
Former Black Stars coach, Goran Stevanovic, has expressed keen interest in taking charge again following the dismissal of Chris Hughton.
Hughton, along with the entire technical team, was shown the exit door after the team's disappointing performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
The Ghana Football Association is on the lookout for a new coach, setting a deadline of February 2, 2024, for the submission of applications.
Reports suggest that the 57-year-old Serbian coach has submitted his application for a second stint with the national team.
Stevanovic previously managed the Black Stars from 2011 to 2012, guiding them to the semifinals of the continental showpiece.
Arsenal's midfielder, Thomas Partey, has suffered a setback in his return from a thigh injury, forcing him to miss the upcoming clash with Premier League rivals Liverpool.
The Ghanaian player has been sidelined since October, missing the last 20 games for Arsenal.
Despite recent optimism with his return to training, a recurrence of the injury has delayed Partey's comeback.
This setback is a significant blow for Arsenal, impacting their pursuit of the title as they currently trail league leaders Liverpool by five points.
Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Partey's discomfort in the same thigh area, with the exact timeline for his return remaining uncertain.
“With Thomas, unfortunately we had a little setback a few days ago so he’s not going to be available to be in the squad. Whether it’s a matter of days or weeks, we will see, but he had a little thing.”
‘I’m not a doctor but I can try to explain. He felt something again in a very similar area and he wasn’t able to train for the last few days,’ the Arsenal head coach added.
Guinea head coach Kaba Diawara has stated that his side is mentally and physically prepared to face DR Congo tonight (Friday) at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
DR Congo find themselves in the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations without winning a game in regulation time in Ivory Coast, as they will slug-it-out with Guinea tonight (Friday) at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
Ghana Football Association Executive Council member, Frederick Acheampong has stated categorically clear that, due to the country's current economic circumstances, it will be very difficult to appoint the people's favourite Hervé Renard to lead the Black Stars.
