Joel Matip’s own goal deep into stoppage time gave Tottenham Hotspur victory over nine-man Liverpool in an eventful and contentious Premier League encounter.
The Reds were compromised by two controversial red cards, the first given to Curtis Jones for a foul on Yves Bissouma after just 26 minutes following a VAR intervention, before half-time substitute Diogo Jota followed him down the tunnel.
In a game in which the Reds were clearly nursing a sense of injustice, they had an opening goal by Luis Diaz ruled out by another controversial VAR decision. Captain Son Heung-min then slid Spurs in front from Richarlison’s pass nine minutes prior to half-time.
But the visitors responded with an equaliser in first-half stoppage time when Cody Gakpo scored. It looked like their resolute rearguard would earn them a battling draw until the drama of the final seconds.
As Spurs mounted one last attack, Matip could only turn Pedro Porro’s cross high past the helpless Alisson to spark scenes of jubilation and relief among the home support, inflicting Liverpool’s first defeat of the season and maintaining manager Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten Premier League record.
Ghanaian champions Medeama SC and FA Cup holders Dreams FC have secured qualification to the group stage of their respective CAF inter club competitions.
Medeama SC made it in the CAF Champions League over AC Horoya whiles Dreams FC beat Kallon Stars to pick the slot in their first continental appearance.
Medeama SC secured qualification to the group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League despite losing 2-1 to Horoya AC of Guinea in the 2nd leg of the second round qualifiers.
The Muaves and Yellow made history by being the first Ghanaian side to make the group stage since 2012/13 when Berekum Chelsea represented Ghana in the group stage. The Tarkwa lads progressed on a 4-3 aggregate score over two legs, having won the 1st leg 3-1 in Cape Coast a fortnight ago.
Ghanain International Jonathan Sowah gave Medeama SC an early lead in the 24th minute through a spot kick but Mandela Ocansey cancelled the lead with a fine finish two minutes later.
Horoya added the second goal in the 76th minute to make it 2-1 for the hosts but that did not deter the Ghanaian side as they kept their discipline and held on until the blast of the final whistle.
Medeama began their champions League journey with a 1-0 win over Nigerian side Remo Stars and qualified on penalty shootouts after losing by the same goal margin in the return leg.
In the second tier competition, MTN FA Cup holders Dreams FC drew 1-1 with Kallon Stars of Sierra Leon to progress on a 3-2 aggregate score following a 2-1 win in Accra two weeks ago.
Agyenim Boateng Mensah gave Dreams FC an early advantage as he converted from the spot in the 4th minute to give the Still Believe lads a precious lead.
The lead lasted until Kallon FC grabbed an equalizer in the closing minutes of the match. But wasn’t enough as Dreams FC pressed on for their first group stage appearance in their maiden Confederation Cup campaign.
Dreams FC eliminated Milo FC in the first round – as they drew 1-1 in Conakry before coming from behind to beat them 2-1 in the reverse fixture at the Accra Sports stadium.
This is the first time that two Ghanaian clubs have qualified to the group stage in Ghana’s history since 2006 when both Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko played in the group stage of the CAF Champions League.
FC Samartex retuned to winning ways in the Ghana Premier League after thrashing Bechem United at the Nsenkyire Stadium in Samreboi on Sunday.
The Timber Boys claimed their second win of the season after staging a remarkable comeback to thump Bechem 4-1 in the matchday three fixture.
Okrah got the Hunters into the lead in the encounter after 18 minutes against the run of play as he found the back of the net, following a brilliant solo effort.
Samartex drew level a few moments later after Evans Osei-Wusu converted a penalty kick, after Bechem goalkeeper Haruna Dari Aziz brought down Bonnah inside the box.
Bechem United would play the entire second half with ten men, after midfielder Emmanuel Owusu was sent off on the stroke of half-time after receiving a second caution.
Midfielder Emmanuel Keyekeh, with an individual effort, gave Samartex the lead in the 65th minute.
Baba Hamadu Musa got the third for Samartex with his his first goal for the club, having scored from the spot, following a penalty, after Osei-Wusu was fouled in the box.
Musa scored again to wrap up the massive victory for the Timber Boys as they ran riot over the Hunters.
Accra Hearts of Oak were dealt a huge blow as they fell 1-0 to Bofoakwa Tano in their betPawa Premier League Matchday three encounter at the Coronation Park Saturday.
Bofoakwa Tano, only making their return to the top-flight after a 16-year absence, went into the game looking for their first Premier League win over Hearts of Oak after 18 failed attempts.
The Sunyani lads had failed to beat the Phobians since the Premier League era in 1993/94 – following 13 defeats and 5 draws in 18 meetings. But The Green and Whites broke the hoodoo on Saturday thanks to the brilliance of Captain Sakaa Dauda.
The first half ended goalless as both teams struggled to find the breakthrough.
Back from recess, Bofoakwa captain, Saaka Dauda, pulled the trigger in the 46th minute to as he went round the Hearts of Oak backline to fire home the only goal of the game.
The swift attacker smashed the ball into the bottom corner to beat Hearts of Oak shot stopper Richard Attah for the opener.
The win extends Bofoakwa Tano’s impressive home record to two wins in two games as they remain unbeaten in three matches after a goalless draw against Accra Great Olympics on Matchday One.
Great Olympics recorded their first victory of the campaign after beating Bibiani Gold Stars 1-0 win at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 1 2023.
Michael Osei’s second half goal for the hosts was the difference in a keenly contested match.
The first half was an even battle with chances falling to both teams, but they failed to convert.
After recess, Osei lifted his effort into the post after he noticed Gold Stars goalie Yaw Osei had come off his line to give Olympics the lead on 48 minutes.
Annor Walker made changes to his team with the intention to jealously protect that lead and record his first win, which he so much craved.
Michael Osei’s poor away run continues as Gold Stars failed to build on their momentum after their first ever win over Asante Kotoko last week in Bibiani.
A gift from the ECOWAS Parliament to President Akufo-Addo
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called on the membership of the ECOWAS Parliament to speak against the extension of presidential term limits by some leaders to strengthen their grip on power.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “these actions tend to result in discontent amongst the populace, which create fertile grounds on which military interventions disingenuously feed.” Adherence to this, he said, will ensure that we don’t “give up when it comes to guaranteeing the democratic integrity of our respective countries, where we should have governance systems based on the separation of powers, which are free from corruption, and are respectful of the rule of law, individual liberties, human rights, the principles of democratic accountability and social justice.”
A group photograph with President Akufo-Ado
President Akufo-Addo was addressing the 2nd ECOWAS Parliamentary Seminar, in Winneba, on Friday, 29th September, 2023, under the theme, “Challenges Relating to Unconstitutional Changes of Government and Presidential Term Limits in West Africa – Role of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Based on the theme, the President charged them to “propose measures to ensure the anchoring of democratic and republican values, both at the level of political elites and citizens of the Community. This would help towards preserving the peace and stability of the region.”
Cultural display
He suggested that “any attempt at the manipulation of opinion and of the rules of the democratic game for partisan political ends always leads to a loss of legitimacy, which is reflected in the social tensions it creates.”
Continuing, he stated that, “the attempted confiscation of democracy by elites, who engage, through legal antics, in the manipulation of constitutional rules and the subjugation of the institutions of the Republic with the sole aim of remaining in power.”
He opined further that, “it is also important to remind us that democracy is not, as some would have us believe, a western concept, but, rather, a universal concept of general application,” and asked the August house to ensure there is “no backsliding in support for democratic values anchored on the promotion of the rule of law and respect for human rights. And when the coups do happen, we must insist on the shortest period of the transition process, especially in the Sahel, where the military, having tasted power, appear reluctant to restore democratic rule.”
“The history of the world, including that of Africa, testifies that the process of electing and installing leaders in democratic circumstances provides the best form of governance. The great British wartime leader, Winston Spencer Churchill, it was who said “democracy is the worst form of governance, except for all the others”. Modern history has taught us that tyranny, oppression, and totalitarian government do not last long. No matter how a people apparently reject democracy and civil liberty, circumstances would always force them back to embrace them,” he added.
Concluding, he said, “out of duty towards our children and grandchildren, we must not give up when it comes to guaranteeing the democratic integrity of our respective countries, where we should have governance systems based on the separation of powers, which are free from corruption, and are respectful of the rule of law, individual liberties, human rights, the principles of democratic accountability and social justice.”
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has charged members of the Parliament of ECOWAS to find solutions to the emerging re-militarisation of governance, the attempted confiscation of democracy by elites and the wanton desire to destroy democracy by terrorist groups and armed criminal gangs in the region.
Stating what he described as three serious threats to democracy in the region, President Akufo-Addo said, “democracy in West Africa is in danger”, thus the regional fraternity “must work even harder to entrench the principles of democratic accountability in the citizenry.”
According to President Akufo-Addo, democracy in the region has been seriously subverted by “the attempted confiscation of democracy by elites, who engage, through legal antics, in the manipulation of constitutional rules and the subjugation of the institutions of the Republic with the sole aim of remaining in power.”
He added that another key threat is “the emerging re-militarisation of governance with the intrusion, once again, of the military on the political scene, who have neither consulted, nor received any mandate from, the people on whose behalf they purport to act.”
The President did not hesitate to also mention “the wanton desire to destroy democracy by terrorist groups and armed criminal gangs, who seek to establish zones of lawlessness and the absence of freedom” as another deliberate threat to the democratic stability of the region.
President Akufo-Addo arriving at the conference being welcomed by some Chiefs of Effutu
Referring to the great British wartime leader, Winston Spencer Churchill’s statement that “democracy is the worst form of governance, except for all the others”, he stated that “modern history has taught us that tyranny, oppression, and totalitarian government do not last long. No matter how a people apparently reject democracy and civil liberty, circumstances would always force them back to embrace them.”
President Akufo-Addo told the gathering that “we cannot run away from the fact that our Region is confronted with a difficult economic, political, social and security situation. As all of us know, despite the considerable progress made by the Community, in the areas of democracy, good governance and the rule of law since the early 1990s, which meant that, four (4) years ago, all fifteen (15) leaders of ECOWAS States were democratically elected, we are, at the moment, witnessing a decline in our democratic credentials.”
President Akufo-Addo was addressing the 2nd Ecowas Parliamentary Seminar, in Winneba, on Friday, 29th September, 2023, under the theme, “Challenges Relating to Unconstitutional Changes of Government and Presidential Term Limits in West Africa – Role of the ECOWAS Parliament.”
Describing the prevalent situation as bitter and implacable, he said, “today, four ECOWAS Member States are led by military governments as a result of coups d’états. This sad and unfortunate development has created a state of palpable anxiety and tension in every corner of the region, raising the spectre of regional instability, which we thought had been banished forever. Equally abhorrent is the culture of violence and disputes that characterise the periods of electing some of our leaders.
Mentioning the election of Mohammed Bazoum in Niger as a recognition of the common will of the people, he said “that is why the coup against him is particularly tragic for the consolidation of democracy in our region” and added that, “the only legitimacy for any leader is through a mandate that is given freely by the people in a fair, peaceful and transparent election. This is the most tangible and objective way to know and recognize the common will, which is the will of the people.”
That is why, he continued, “any attempt at the manipulation of opinion and of the rules of the democratic game for partisan political ends always leads to a loss of legitimacy, which is reflected in the social tensions it creates. We must distinguish between legality and legitimacy, because our region will only experience genuine stability if our powers are imbued with both legality and legitimacy.”
“The true purpose of democratic governance is to obtain the objective of free government, shared prosperity and progress, equitable and accessible justice and lasting peace for the wellbeing of the citizenry, he added.
He called on the ECOWAS legislators to ensure that one of the expected outcomes is to help “us understand even better the root causes of democratic regression and political instability in the region in order the better to address them, and speak against the extension of presidential term limits by some leaders to strengthen their grip on power.
“These actions tend to result in discontent amongst the populace, which create fertile grounds on which military interventions disingenuously feed,” he observed.
Information reaching The Chronicle indicates that police in Burkina Faso have arrested suspected terrorists who were allegedly hiding in Ghana.
It is alleged that the supposed terrorists, who were hiding at Fatchu, in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region were lured to Pusinka, a border town in Burkina Faso and arrested.
The Burkinabe police confirmed the arrest when this reporter and his source spoke to them through a conference call. The conversation was in Moshie language, which this reporter does not speak, but the source, who is fluent in the dialect, quoted them (police) as saying that the suspected terrorists have been on their radar for a long time.
According to the Burkina Faso police, some of the suspected criminals were arrested and upon interrogation, they (terrorists) claimed some of their colleagues were in Ghana.
The police then used those who have been arrested to lure their counterparts in Ghana to cross the border into Burkina Faso.
Upon arrival in Burkina Faso, on a Ghanaian registered motorbike, they were quickly arrested and detained.
According to the police, in the French speaking country, a search conducted in the hide out of the suspects led to the retrieval of mobile phones and a Electoral Commission of Ghana voter identity card. The police also found pictures of suspected terrorists on the seized mobile phones of the suspects.
The police further alleged that the name of the suspected terrorist on the Ghanaian voter ID card, which was issued on July 9, 2020 in the Offinso North district of the Ashanti Region, is Abdulai Ibrahim.
However, the suspect is known in Burkina Faso as Diallo Noufou. The police would, however, not give further detailed information on all the suspects, insisting that the police in Ghana did not play any role in their arrests.
The police in Upper West will officially not comment on the development, but a source confided in The Chronicle that they are aware of the arrest in Burkina Faso and that, since it was not carried out on Ghanaian soil, no official report has been filed.
Jeff Konadu, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed worry over the way the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, is being tagged as a member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, Dr Dampare has performed excellently well and that those who have objective eyes will attest to this fact, but instead of being praised he is rather being tagged as an NDC sympathiser just to find the leeway to have him removed from office.
Speaking on Wontumi Radio, Mr Jeff Konadu urged members of the party to desist from tagging the IGP with a political party, but rather focus on what government has achieved on the security front through him.
“If the government was unable to resource the Police, they cannot do some of these things.
So why not take advantage of what the man is doing, rather than antagonising ourselves that he is NDC, which will not help us win the election. Police is police, I agree, but before we came to power in 2000, NDC was with the Police for so many years, but Ghanaians voted for us and they could not do anything.
“In 2016, the NDC controlled everything, but Ghanaians voted overwhelmingly for us and we won. So, what is most important is we should concentrate on building our party base and making sure that our base is strong enough to win the election. All I know is the man has done a good job since he took over as IGP and he is still working,” Jeff Konadu stated.
He further touted the achievements of the IGP and the government. “Are we going to focus on whether Dampare is NDC or GUM and leave our party dormant? For me, let’s focus on building our party base and let’s focus on promoting our party and leave Dampare to do his work. I believe that Dampare has done well and our government has resourced the Police.
Today, our government has resourced the Police and recently they received two helicopters.
“Now, the police have motorbikes and through the efforts of Dampare, he has been able to implement all that. So, if he (Dampare) is doing his work and protecting us as a country, why do we go on saying all manner of things. Why don’t we take advantage of what he (Dampare) is doing.
“In the Eastern region, the Afram Plains armed robbery was a huge issue for us, when women are going to market in the morning, arm robbers will attack and take all their money. All of these robberies have stopped. Dampare has deployed the police to the area and ended the robbery there,” he said.
Madam Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, DCE, Ada East District Assembly
Madam Sarah Dugbakie Pobee, District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Ada East District Assembly, has urged local and foreign investors to explore the vast economic prospects in the area.
She said, the Ada enclave, including the nearby town of Sege, was an untapped economic powerhouse. It had been identified as a tourism, fishing and agricultural hub in dire need of investment.
“The whole Ada enclave, especially Ada East, is a tourism enclave that we can leverage. We have the estuary, a major tourist site with an unending experience. Aside from tourism, agriculture and fishing have been the driving force for our local economy,”
The DCE made the appeal during the World Tourism Day 2023 Celebration.
The theme for the event was: “Tourism and Green Investments,” and other activities include fun games, canoe paddling competition and the exhibition of local products.
With 36 islands located in Ada East and West Districts, Madam Pobee stated that: “we want Ada to be the Florida and Dubai that we visit, so I am urging investors to also come into our enclave.”
She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that with the necessary capital infusion, the islands could become a major source of revenue, adding that they had land suitable for farming.
“The Assembly has secured 150 hectares from the traditional leaders to serve as an agriculture hub. I urge all investors in agriculture to come and explore the opportunities so we can create wealth for the people and feed Ghana.”
The DCE reported that the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development had assisted many fishers, some of whom had started businesses in aquaculture development.
Mr. George Nkrumah Anseree, Tema Regional Director of the Ghana Tourism Authority, told the GNA that the Ada tourist sites were a “hidden gem” that needed value addition to attract more visitors and create more jobs.
“When we do these things, the ripple effects on the economy are huge. The beach environment is very soothing for vacation and relaxation, retreat and official gatherings. The ocean here gives us the best lobster, with other sea foods,” he said.
As part of the three days activities to commemorate the Day, mangroves were planted at Wasakuse, a suburb in Sege, followed by an exhibition of local products at Ada Business Resource Center.
There was a football gala involving the Ghana Tourism Authority, Ada East District Assembly, Ada West District Assembly and ‘Let’s Tour Ghana,’ a travel company, with the latter winning the ultimate trophy and a cash prize. The rest also won cash prizes.
The day culminated in a canoe paddling tournament called the ‘Regatta at Teye Mensah Paanya,’ a suburb of Ada Foh, in which nine groups competed.
The Big Ada Shining Star won the race by paddling their canoes at top speed across the river and back.
It is alleged that the supposed terrorists, who were hiding at Fatchu, in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region were lured to Pusinka, a border town in Burkina Faso and arrested.
According to the police, in the French speaking country, a search conducted in the hide out of the suspects led to the retrieval of mobile phones and a Electoral Commission of Ghana voter identity card. The police also found pictures of suspected terrorists on the seized mobile phones of the suspects.
