David Beckham’s recent visit to Old Trafford in the company of AC Milan received such a tremendous welcome from Manchester United fans that it reminded one of the famous Biblical story of the return of the prodigal son.  The fans could not so easily forget Beckam’s contribution to the huge success story of United and they gave him a fitting welcome home.

If Jose Mourino” the special one”, who guided Chelsea to their first Premiership title in 50 years was expecting a similar reception on his visit to Stamford Bridge in the company of Inter Milan, then he really saw the difference between Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford. He was totally ignored and Chelsea fans did not show any appreciation for his impeccable record of not losing a single home match during his illustrious stay at the Bridge.

Unlike Beckham, Mourino was not mobbed at the end of the match maybe, because unlike Old Trafford the home team were celebrating a good win as against Chelsea’s bad home loss twice in succession in the Champions’ League. Star performer Didier Drogba must be cursing his ill luck for being sacked twice in recent times at crucial stages of the competition.

Two seasons ago, he was red carded in the final against Manchester United and the recent one coming in the shadow of his controversial CAF award as Africa’s best footballer for 2009, gives him a really bad image. The snag is Drogba had been the butt of several rough tackles in the match and its just unfortunate that his somewhat innocuous offence caught the attention of the referee who took that harsh decision.

It is becoming fashionable these days for hard nut strikers like Drogba, Etoo, Rooney and Co to be always bullied by defenders and they need to keep a steady head. Rooney is learning fast to control his temper as shown in the last match against Fulham. Etoo is also managing hard to maintain his composure in the face of numerous brutal tackles, no wonder he got that killer goal that sank Chelsea and perhaps strengthened his claim to be Africa’s current best footballer.

With their exit from the Champions League, Chelsea have no option but to concentrate on the Premier league where they are facing stiff challenge from defending champions Manchester United and Arsenal. The Stamford Bridge heroes can also stake a claim for the FA Cup where their chances of success seem brighter than the Premier league since Alex Ferguson appears not prepared to surrender the cup that easily.

United’s determination to keep the Cup is akin to that of Ghana’s Premier league title holders Accra Hearts of Oak who have made a remarkable recovery after a shaky start to  place second to Ashgold. With eight more matches to go, it looks like a two horse race between Hearts and Ashgold.

I like the similarities between the English League and that of Ghana despite the wide gulf in the quality of play. There is a strong desire by football purists to see a change in the duopoly of the league by Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak just as many people loathe the domination of Manchester United in the English league.

But as the saying goes if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Those so called top clubs have not reached the top by accident. They are building on the solid foundation laid by their predecessors and the others must learn to catch up. My contention is that, if the football world can produce more of the Alex Fergusons and Arsene Wengers, football will continue to be the most attractive spectator sport in the world. And that to me is a worthy substitute to all the war mongering around the globe.

Meanwhile let’s await the exciting pairings of the European Champions league which promises to be a fitting prelude to the first World Cup to be staged in Africa.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

From My Archives:

March 17th 1995: British police investigating allegations of match rigging in English soccer have arrested two Premier league players, a Malaysian businessman and the girl friend of a top striker.

The suspects are Zimbabwean Bruce Grobbelaar, English soccer’s most successful goalkeeper and Dutchman Hans Seeger, Malaysian businessman Hong Suan Lin who lives in London and the girl friend of Aston Villa striker John Fashanu.The allegations are that Grobbelaar took bribes from an unidentified Asian gambling syndicate.

The Ghanaian version of Spain’s El Classico featuring football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona comes off at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Sunday between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko in an epic league battle for supremacy.

These two giants of Ghana football have between them won the 52 year old national league 41 times; Kotoko 21 and Hearts 20. This duopoly by Kotoko and Hearts has been a great concern to football purists who had hoped to see a welcome change this season when these two veterans started the competition poorly with debutants Aduana Stars setting a cracking pace. But the second round saw Hearts and Kotoko trying to recover admirably and the race is now quite open.

Kotoko have been a bit unstable but Hearts are fast piling up points and are in a strategic position sharing the second spot with Ashgold on 35 points just two points behind surprise leaders Aduana Stars from Dormaa Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Region. 

Since Kotoko broke Hearts record six consecutive league triumphs in 2003, the title has been changing hands between the two. Kotoko however won back to back in 2005 and 2006 and this is what Hearts are plotting to do this season by retaining the cup they won last season.

With nine matches to go, the three points at stake on Sunday are vital to both team’s ambition to snatch the Cup. Hearts won the first round 1-0 and Kotoko have vowed to avenge defeat even if their chances of winning the Cup look slim the supporters can do with some bragging rights. It is quite a close call and a draw is a very likely result.

The league leaders Aduana Stars will trek to Abramkese to face Kessben who are mourning the death of their youthful ace defender Bartholomew Yeboah. The 19 year old died a few hours after collapsing in Kessben’s recent league match against Liberty Professionals at Dansoman.

This is the second death of a Ghanaian league player in action for more than four decades. Records show that Amadu Salatu, an 18 year old player of Kumasi Cornerstones collapsed and died later in hospital during  a league match between Cornerstones and Cape Coast Venomous Vipers at the Kumasi  Sports Stadium on  August 4 1968.

Moves from certain quarters to suspend this weekend’s league matches in memory of Bartholomew Yeboah  has been politely declined by the Professional League Board "PLB" that has rather  dedicated the matches in the players’ honour and directed all teams and officials to wear black arm bands and observe a minute’s silence before kick off.      

This to my mind is a perfect arrangement because I believe life must go on.   The biggest tribute Kessben can pay to their departed player is to win handsomely and hit the headlines for stopping the tough nut league leaders.

Title chasers Ashgold stand a chance of maintaing their pursuit of the crown they last won 16 years ago by beating Real Tamale United at Obuasi.

The remaining fixtures are; Eleven Wise v Kpandu Heart of Lions  in Sekondi; Great Olympics  v King Faisal in Accra; All Stars v Sekondi Hasaacas at Wa; Berekum Chelsea v New Edubiase at Sunyani.

It is hoped that all the players will put up a high standard of play and try as much as possible to close the widening gap between the European League matches we see on TV and the local league which looks like a child’s play.

Cheers everybody and let somebody tell Usain Bolt to heed Michael Johnson’s advice to try his long legs on the 400metres in addition to the 100metres and 200metres. Johnson is really a good man; for not many people would love their legendary feats being emulated. Check this out with ant of the political leaders in Africa.

Apologies for the diversion, we are talking sports and not politics. Keep loving sports.

Those who believed strongly that the Kumasi Asante Kotoko- Accra Hearts of Oak duopoly of the Ghana premier league would end this season are now beginning to revise their notes. The two veteran campaigners who had been stuttering all along during the first round have made a dramatic recovery in the second session and are giving the pacesetters a good chase.

With ten more matches to go, Hearts (32) and Kotoko (30) are third and fourth respectively behind leaders Aduana Stars (36) and Ashgold (35). Hearts’ brilliant 3-2 away victory over Eleven Wise in Sekondi and Kotoko’s 2-0 home win over  New Edubiase shot them to their respective enviable positions on the league ladder to be among the proverbial “top four”.

This weekend’s 11th week pairings are expected to provide exciting results that may affect placings at the top. Surprise league leaders Aduana Stars are most likely to maintain their unbeaten home record at the expense of unstable Bechem Chelsea but runners up Ashgold face a tough away encounter against Kpando Heart of Lions which may threaten their second spot on the table.

Defending champions Hearts of Oak could move to second spot by beating city rivals Great Olympics if they maintain the form that won them maximum points at the expense of Eleven Wise in Sekondi last week. Olympics the reputed “Wonder club” of Ghana football have been quite unstable since their return to the Premiership and they stand the risk of going further down the ladder against the rejuvenated defending champions.

Asante Kotoko, the league’s highest collector of trophies, have by their own high standards played below form this season even though this is enough top place them among the top four. The 21 times league champions could maintain their top four slot with a narrow win over bottom club Hasaacas in Sekondi.

Decades ago this fixture would have been a blockbuster but it looks like both teams have lost their past glamour and not much tension is expected in this encounter. Gone are the days when Hasaacas were the real “Giants of the West” who could stoutly stand Kotoko and on several occasions score some incredible victories. Those glorious days at the legendary Gyandu Park are sadly gone and we are now saddled with pretenders parading as professional footballers with very limited skills to show.  Its quite unfortunate, football fans are being shortchanged these days so don’t be surprised to see a half filled stadium.

The remaining fixtures pairing mainly those in the middle belt and the relegation zone will see King Faisal hosting Eleven Wise in Kumasi; Real Tamale United will also host Berekum Arsenal in Tamale and New Edubiase will also  be home to Wa All Stars.

The last but not the least encounter will feature Liberty Professionals and Kessben at Dansoman a suburb of Accra. Both teams have some faint title hopes and it would be interesting to see how they hope to brighten their championship aspirations.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports but please forgive me for my long, unannounced silence on the blog. It wasn’t because I was trying to figure out the whole brouhaha about Wayne Bridge and John Terry over that “Chelsea lady”, neither was I overjoyed with Rooney’s current smashing form but I was bogged down by a virus in my beloved computer that left me completely paralysed (figuratively speaking).

This is no joke. Computer viruses in my part of the world are very stubborn and they take quite a time to be eradicated.

Anyway I am back and three won’t be any more AWOL. Cheers everyone and keep loving sports.

The football purists who have been praying for a halt to the duopoly of Ghana’s Premier league by Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak are likely to have their wishes granted if the current forward march by hitherto unsung clubs continues.

Since 1978 when the then newly created Real Tamale United took the league by storm and almost led from start to finish, no newcomer has established such a credible title ambition like Aduana Stars from Dormaa Ahenkro are portraying this season.

Perched on top of the table for the major part of the Premiership, Aduana Stars are impregnable at home; the only side to have won all eight home matches in the league that enters its 19th week on Sunday. That dreaded home invincibility faces a big test when Aduana host 21 time champions Asante Kotoko in the top liner of the weekend’s fixtures.

Everything points to a pulsating encounter. Kotoko are fresh from their 2-0 Africa Cup defeat at the hands of Senegalese club FC Liguere last week and Coach Paa Kwasi Fabin says they are determined to erase memories of that defeat and use the match against Aduana as a dress rehearsal for their return match against the Senegalese on Feb 28. It will be tough.Aduana has not conceded any goal at their pet home grounds and it would be interesting to see how Kotoko could break that enviable record.

Kotoko have history on their side. You may recall that in 1978 when debutants Real Tamale United were sailing menacingly to a league triumph on their first attempt, it was Kotoko that disrupted their title ambitions with a 2-0 defeat at a crucial moment like this.

It looks like history would repeat itself. Unlike 1978 when Kotoko had little title hopes, they are this time hopeful of reaching the top and this should give them an added incentive to halt the marauding youngsters from Dormaa Ahenkro. It’s not going to easy though.

A side attraction to this titanic clash is that Aduana Stars coach Herbert Addo was in charge of Kotoko last season but a dispute over wages led to his departure to Dormaa. It would therefore give Herbert a personal bragging right if he can reverse the 1-0 first round defeat and brighten their record breaking championship hopes. 

The Accra Hearts of Oak v Ashgold match in Accra will be another tough pairing. Ashgold are just a point behind the leaders and don’t seem to have any intention of abandoning that spot hoping to leapfrog to the top at the slightest opportunity Hearts on the other hand want to defend their title in style and also avoid a third time defeat in a row having lost to Liberty Professional and Berekum Arsenal in their last two outings.

Third placed Kessben will travel to Tamale to face Real |Tamale United in another tough encounter.

All the remaining five matches have their peculiar attractions. At Obuasi, New Edubiase will face Accra Great Olympics; Sekondi Hasaacas will face Eleven Wise in a local derby; King Faisal will meet Berekum Arsenal in Kumasi; Kpando Heart of Lions will host Liberty Professional and Berekum Chelsea will also host Wa All Stars.

The general expectation is that there would be dramatic changes in the league table this weekend since the points gap among the first five top clubs are very tight;Aduana Stars 32,Ashgold 31, Kessben 30, Hearts 28,All Stars 28 follow in that order.

The race for the top four in the Ghana Premier league is as close as the English Premiership. There must be something in a name after all.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

FROM MY ARCHIVES

Feb 21st 1993: English soccer’s Premier league has signed a 12 million pounds sterling sponsorship deal with Britain’s largest brewery.

From next season, the league will be known as the FA Carling Premier league and the brewers claim their four year deal represents the biggest sponsorship agreement in British sport.

Ghanaian light heavyweight boxer Braimah Kamoko affectionately called “Bukom Banku” is noted for his theatricals in the ring and his stand up jokes on radio and television but I submit he went overboard on Saturday. His appearance in the ring for his non title fight against Brazilian Emmanuel da Silva at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium in Accra was appalling.  In a white gown wearing dark glasses and holding a white cane, Kamoko depicted a blind man in obvious derision of the medical advice given to him two years ago to stop boxing to save his eyes. He has ignored medical advice and resumed the fistic sport.

If Kamoko’s theatricals were meant to ridicule medical science, then it was really misconceived much as the physically challenged would not be the least enthused by his imitation of the blind.

I have repeated several times that we take a lot of things for granted in my part of the world. I can’t imagine this happening in  the UK for example when I can recall what happened to England national football coach Glenn Hoddle who was sacked for making what the nation saw as derogatory remarks about the physically challenged in society.

Kamoko might have won the fight all right via a seventh round TKO but I maintain that those theatricals that heralded his arrival in the ring were neither funny nor necessary at all. It is my considered opinion that the Ghana Boxing Authority should sanction him for bringing the name of the sport into disrepute.

The last time I checked, boxing was still described as the noble art of self defence.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

FROM MY ARCHIVES

Feb 10th 1993: Riddick Bowe’s manager, after a flurry of negotiations, taunts, and name calling on both sides, has offered Lennox Lewis a winner-take-all heavyweight title fight worth about 30millon dollars in June.
Bowe gave up the title under threat of being stripped of the title for not fighting Lewis in the first defence of the crown he won by beating Evander Holyfield last November.