Newly appointed Sporting Director of Ghana Premier League club Bofoakwa Tano FC, Sam Jonah Ampofo shares his story on how he went from playing popular football simulator game Football Manager (FM) to becoming Sporting Director of a professional football club with his just recent appointment.
Sam Jonah is Ghanaian football consultant who has had some good experience working around football in Ghana with some brief stints with local clubs and also extending his networks through to connecting with persons who work in football around the world building on his professional contacts which hovers around Football scouts, Football agents, Club Presidents and Sporting Directors and many other football experts.
Over the years Football Manager has released many playable versions of the popular football management simulator game which has had over millions of players all over the world with a couple of them taking up a leap into professional football, with Sam Jonah becoming the newest FM graduate.
“Football Manager has been a very productive platform where I have learnt many things that surrounds the game, from Club Information, Player Management, Scouting & Recruitment, Negotiations, Transfers, Loans, Counter Offers, Youth Intake which is one of my favorites as I believe in Youth Development. My first FM save was on Football Manager 2015, after a few days I was stuck on the game playing for days without wanting to go off it.”
“Playing FM has been a great experience for me having been privy to all these impactful information on the game, which has one way or the other helped my course and my interests of becoming a Sporting Director of a professional football club. And I still do play, my current FM game is Football Manager 2021.” - Sam Jonah said
Sam Jonah joining Bofoakwa Tano FC is a very huge achievement, especially becoming the first Sporting Director of the club and also the youngest Sporting Director in the Ghana Premier League at only 28 years old, which puts the young football administrator in some good competition to bring many footballing possibilities to the returning Ghana Premier League team.
Bofoakwa Tano FC is a traditional Ghanaian professional football team based in Sunyani and plays their home matches at the Coronation Park. The “Asuo a Eyiri Pebre” lads began their return to the top flight with a goalless draw away from home at Great Olympics and a 2-1 victory against R.T.U after Matchweek 2, with the next match at home against Hearts of Oak this Saturday at the Coronation Park, Sunyani. To continue their brilliant start to the Ghana Premier League after 16 years in the lower division.
“I believe this is a step in the right direction for me and will do whatever possible to take this football club to the requisite height it sure deserves as we look to collectively work together to achieve our objectives for this season.” - Sam Jonah added
Football Manager is a football simulator game that makes you enjoy real-time football management experience playing with your favorite football team, from off the field tactics to on the field coaching onto player transfers and club partnerships, with so many incisive professional in game experience.
The Phobians recorded their first win of the season by limping to a 1-0 win over Nsoatreman at the Accra Sports stadium on Sunday. A Kashala Ramos goal in the early minutes of the game was the difference as the Phobians picked their win of the campaign.
Below are four thing we learned in the game.
Hearts triumph in a must-win encounter
This was a tight, tense match that was always going to be higher on tension than quality. The stakes were incredibly high for both sides.
The game ebbed and flowed, with Hearts’ more patient, considered approach helping them exert control in the early stages and getting a goal in the process. Nsoatreman came on strong midway through the first half, though, and it was they who probably shaded the opening 45 minutes.
The Phobians stood strong during that period and regrouped after the interval, however, with Kashala Ramos an ever-increasing threat up top. The visitors created chances of their own and, on another day, could have emerged victorious.
Wasteful Hearts could have won by more
It seems churlish to criticise elements of Hearts’ performance after such a comfortable triumph, but Martin Koopman’s men really should have won by a wider margin. Kashala Ramos and Linda Mtange were both guilty of spurning golden opportunities either side of half-time.
Having said that, Koopman will be delighted with the number of chances his team created against opponents who are known to be defensively solid and obdurate. Had some of Kashala’s team-mates been as clinical as the Congolese international, Hearts could have scored three or four.
Assibey excellent in heart of backline
When Nsoatreman did get into promising positions, Kelvin Osei Assibey was almost invariably there to thwart them. The new Hearts defender was terrific in the heart of the backline, reading the game brilliantly and making a number of vital interventions, whether through blocks or clearances.
It was often backs-to-the-wall stuff from Hearts especially in the dying embers of the game, and Assibey did not get much of a chance to showcase his ball-playing abilities, but the former Techiman Eleven Wonders man did all he could to keep Nsoatreman at bay.
Manaf Umar fails to make impression
It wasn’t all good news for Nsoatreman this afternoon with Manaf Umar failing to make a meaningful impact. Up against a hard-working Hearts midfield, the former Hearts man failed to find space but perhaps more worryingly, he failed to make any impact in the area. Famed for his ability to pop-up with a crucial goal, those late runs into the penalty box which has become his trademark were missing on Sunday.
Hasaacas Ladies Football Club has successfully secured the services of Ghanaian International Striker, Mukrama Abdulai.
Asante Kotoko's head coach, Prosper Narteh Ogum, acknowledged that Bibiani GoldStars had the upper hand and appeared stronger and tougher than his team during the first half of the match.
Second half goals from Prince Owusu Kwabena and Eric Bosomtwe ensured Bibiani Goldstars a resounding 2-1 victory against Asante Kotoko.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) have announced the starting date for the 2023/24 Ghana Women's Premier League season.
The Black Queens have landed in Accra after securing an emphatic 7-0 triumph against Rwanda in the first leg of the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier held in Kigali.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Tema Youth FC’s latest request for an injunction to prevent the relegation of the club from the Division One League until CAS renders its final decision in its substantive case against the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
BACKGROUND
The Swiss-based sports appellate body on July 26, 2022 rejected a request of Tema Youth FC for a stay of execution of the GFA’s Appeals Committee decision in relation to the refusal to make payments to Young Red Bull FC and GFA in relation to the transfer of player Joseph Paintsil.
Young Red Bull FC thereafter instituted a case for Enforcement for the payment against Tema Youth FC for which the Tema based club continue to suffer 3 points deduction after playing each match in accordance with the Disciplinary Code for their refusal to obey the decision of the Appeals Committee.
It would be recalled that on 11 June 2022, the GFA Appeals Committee issued its decision (the “Appealed Decision”) in which it upheld the GFA PSC decision, holding that Tema Youth FC shall pay the following amounts within 14 days of the Appealed Decision (14 working days from 11 June 2022):
- EUR 688,000 to Young Red Bull
- EUR 150,000 to the GFA; and
- EUR 150,000 to the Ghana League Clubs Association (“GHALCA”).
TEMA YOUTH LATEST APPLICATION TO CAS
On 25 August 2023, the Tema Youth FC once again went to CAS and submitted a request for provisional measures due to the Appellant’s relegation by the GFA following the release of the final league table by GFA in accordance with the Division One League Regulations.
Tema Youth FC argued for their relegation from the Division One League Zone 3 to Division Two League to be halted by CAS pending the release of the final decision in the substantive case before CAS.
DECISION OF CAS RELEASED SEPTEMBER 22, 2023
Having considered all the arguments advanced by both Tema Youth FC and GFA, the CAS Panel decided that:
EFFECT OF THE LATEST CAS DECISION
The latest CAS decision means that the enforcement by Young Red Bull FC for the payment against Tema Youth FC for which Teme Youth FC continue to suffer 3 points after playing each match in accordance with the Disciplinary Code for their refusal to obey the decision of the Appeals Committee will continue.
Thus, each match that Tema Youth FC plays, the club will forfeit 3 points until it fully settles the indebtedness to Young Red Bull FC.
Dr. Randy Abbey, an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), is highly optimistic about Kurt Okraku's prospects for re-election as the president of the Football Association.
Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member Dr. Randy Abbey has firmly stated that he has no plans to run for the position of GFA president in the foreseeable future.
Former Black Stars midfielder, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu is very optimistic Ghana can make a huge mark in Cote D'Ivoire early next year with a squad that is full of quality and without injuries.
