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recentanimenews · 8 years ago

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The Real Life “URAHARA” – Take a Trip Around The Hidden Harajuku [Part 2]

Things are looking quite grim in the otherwise vibrant and trendy Harajuku, as the Scooper invasion is starting to look more and more inevitable. After a shocking twist that left our three fashionistas/defenders of humanity in distress, it seems like nothing can stop the saucer-shaped aliens from absorbing the town’s culture and creativity. So before all of Harajuku’s landmarks are gone for good, let’s take another look at the real-world locations of URAHARA!

As explained in Part 1, URAHARA takes place in Tokyo’s ultra-stylish fashion district, Harajuku, which is famous for its chic boutiques, cozy cafés, and countless crêpe stands. But the show’s setting isn’t limited to the jam-packed and well-known Takeshita Street or Omotesando, instead focusing on the lesser frequented areas of Harajuku, often called "Urahara." This is short for Ura-Harajuku, which as the anime itself explains, basically means “hidden Harajuku.” The hidden Harajuku can be roughly narrowed down to the area between the two aforementioned major shopping streets, and is full of smaller independent boutiques and second-hand fashion stores. And it’s also here, in one of those streets off the beaten path, where you’ll find the real-life PARK store.

The LaForet department store contains a lot of small boutiques and shops geared mainly towards young women. The store’s logo atop the tower has been changed from LaForet to URAHARA in the anime.

The girls stand in front of the massive torii gate (or at least what’s left of it), marking the entrance to the spacious Meiji Shrine. The shrine was built in 1920 and is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji. Unlike the busy and loud Harajuku, the shrine is surrounded by the tranquil Yoyogi Park. Unfortunately, the girls never checked out the shrine itself.

Where could this little path, which looks like it came straight out of a children’s fairy tale, be leading?

Apparently, it leads into a really tucked away back alley in Harajuku’s Cat Street.

But what could’ve possibly caught the girls' interest?

It’s this little creepy-looking bronze statue! The rabbit, named Usadar, is apparently the mascot of a soft drink called Lifeguard, which is manufactured by the Cheerio Corporation. The official Urahara Twitter account and the Cheerio account both follow each other on Twitter, so it’s safe to assume that there’s some kind of collaboration going on, although none of the company's drinks have appeared in the anime as of yet.

Exit A2 of the Omote-sando subway station.

The specific entrance here is right in front of Tokyo’s third Apple retail store.

Luckily, the actual station wasn’t as dark as in the anime.

The girls are walking along Omotesando’s broad and leafy main street. The shopping street is not only lined with dozens of trees left and right, but also with high-end fashion stores like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, and Gucci. However, those don’t really fit Rito, Mari, or Kotoko’s current fashion style.

This one was actually quite tricky to find. Aside from the vague yellow logo on the left, the crosswalk in front, and the slightly tilted utility pole, those two images barely look alike. The anime used an older reference picture for this one, as it still shows the old façade of the Murasaki Sports Shop and the former Au store entrance, which has been replaced by an New Balance building this year. Also the iconic Harajuku Street signs have been removed in real life.

That’s Jingu Bridge, which leads to the entrance of the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park. You might think now that the weather was rather bad when I was taking these photos, but don’t let yourself be fooled, that’s the giant protective bubble to keep the Scoopers out.

This is the historic European-style Harajuku Station building, which is going to be rebuilt in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

The spot where the girls are having their little picnic in the anime is actually a smoking area in real life.

You’ll find crêpe stores on just about every corner in Harajuku – most of them with absurdly long waiting lines – and the most famous one of them all is probably Marion Crêpes here. Marion opened up in 1976 and was one of the first crêpe shops in Harajuku. It now has over 80 shops in Japan, and even a few in the United States. It was also part of the recent URAHARA stamp rally.

Let's go to the Urahara Harajuku Tour! ❤️ http://pic.twitter.com/SncsKWNk2q

— Crunchyroll (@Crunchyroll) November 15, 2017

PARK is located in one of Takeshita’s many side streets.

There were luckily no Scoopers waiting for me outside of the store.

One story above Park is the 2.5 SPINNS café, which is going to be collaborating with the anime and will be offering a URAHARA themed menu starting next week. Have you also been wanting to eat Misa’s talking alien shrimp tempura scarf? Well, now’s your chance!

And did you catch the Crunchyroll Expo poster in the latest episode of URAHARA? The exact same poster is also hanging in the real life PARK store, after original character designer Mugi Tanaka, series composer Natsuko Takahashi, and director Amica Kubo all paid Crunchyroll Expo a visit over the summer. As you may know, URAHARA is loosely based off an illustrated web novel written by Crunchyroll’s own Patrick Macias, and is a production collaboration between Crunchyroll and Chinese video sharing website Bilibili.

Have you been enjoying URAHARA so far? And how will Rito, Mari, and Kotoko solve the current crisis? Sound off in the comments below! ---

You can talk with Wilhelm on Twitter @Surwill.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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kotorisaka · 8 years ago

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170413 Sasaki Kotoko Blog Translation

Slurp, slurp [This sounds so wrong.]

Yesterday was the day Gagarin went to space! I watched some clips of that time a little while ago I was thrilled with excitement! I want to see his bronze statue with my own eyes when I visit Moscow someday, I want to look up at it!

Still related to “Yuri”, I got excited again about Yurio’s exhibition for various reasons!! My heart was pounding

Recently, I drink caffe mocha everyday

Come to the Under Live, okay~?

#nogizaka46 #sasaki kotoko #乃木坂46 #佐々木琴子

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newssplashy · 7 years ago

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UEFA Europa League: Ghanaian coach Didi Dramani on the verge of making history in European football

The former Kotoko has been named among the technical team of Danish side Nordsjælland.

Mas Ud Didi Dramani has been named on the six-man technical team of Nordsjælland for the 2018-19 UEFA EUROPA League.

In a publication by the club in their magazine, the Kotoko coach is among six assistant coaches for the side in the upcoming UEFA Europa League competition.

He will be the first Ghanaian to achieve this enviable feat in European football as a coach.

Mas-Ud Didi Dramani was the head coach of the National Women’s Football Team of Ghana, before his appointment as the assistant coach of the Danish side.

READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo is 20 years old- According to his Juventus medical

He guided the U-17 National Women’s Team of Ghana, the Black Maidens to a third place finish in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2012- winning the bronze medal.

Before he continued the reign of Maxwell Konadu at Asante Kotoko, winning two consecutive league titles with the Porcupine Warriors including a historic double of league and FA Cup titles in 2014.

The youth development coach was handed the opportunity to be on the technical bench of the club by their owner Tom Vernon who doubles as the owner of Right To Dream Academy – a side Dramani coached for some years.

source http://www.newssplashy.com/2018/07/uefa-europa-league-ghanaian-coach-didi_26.html

#News

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footballghana · 4 years ago

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2021/22 Ghana Premier League season get underway today without a headline sponsor

The 2021/22 Ghana Premier League season start today with Accra Lions hosting Elmina Sharks at the Accra Sports Stadium tonight. The game kick-off at 18:00GMT.

The season is expected to be exciting as promised by Kurt Okraku, who is the President of the Ghana Football Association.

However, the major headache for the clubs and stakeholders ahead of the new season is the lack of a major headline sponsor for the topflight.

The Ghana Premier League, Division One League and Womens Football have struggled to attract sponsorships following the premiering of the ‘Number 12’ video documentary by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas in June 2018.

The documentary saw referees and football officials caught on tapes engaging in fixed matches and bribery.

The video forced Kwesi Nyantakyi to leave office as the president of the Ghana FA and also lost his position as WAFA Zone B President, Caf 1st vice president and Fifa Executive Council Member with some referees also banned from officiating matches.

However, Mr Okraku in September this year vowed that the country’s football governing body is working tirelessly to ensure they secure a headline sponsor before the start of the season.

"We are working tirelessly to secure a headline sponsor for the Premier League and the Division One League," Mr Okraku said.

"We tried last season but I am hopeful it will work this time around.

"I am only pleading that we all play our role well because the FA is doing their best and the media must also do the same but if we continue to do the wrong things, it means we will struggle to get what we want," he added.

The 2020/21 season kicked off and ended without a major headline sponsor. The last headline sponsor for the Ghana Premier League was Zylofon Cash. A deal that abruptly ended following the premiering of the ‘Number 12’ video at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Zylofon Cash signed a 5 year deal with the Ghana Football Association in a deal that was worth $10m.

Three years have passed and stakeholders have not seen the league acquire a headline sponsor, a worrying state of events.

Ghana FA, however, made great efforts to secure TV rights sponsors and other sponsors last season.

They also went ahead to secure some interesting category sponsors like Melcom Ghana, InterCity STC, Macron Ghana, StarTimes and Nasco.

With the season set to kick-off, football fans only hope to see a major headline sponsor for the country’s topflight.

Meanwhile, the League winner will take home a trophy and cash prize of GHC 250,000 and 40 gold medals whiles the 1st and 2nd runner up receive GHC 150,000, 40 silver medals and GHC 80,000, 40 bronze medals respectively.

Below is the full fixtures of Matchday 1

Accra Lions v Elmina Sharks

Dreams FC v Asante Kotoko

Bibiani Gold Stars v Berekum Chelsea

Hearts of Oak v Legon Cities

Bechem United v Medeama SC

Karela United v Aduana Stars

Real Tamale United v Great Olympics

King Faisal v WAFA

Eleven Wonders v Ashanti Gold

source: https://footballghana.com/

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soccernetghana · 4 years ago

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Ghanaian coach Didi Dramani open to Kotoko return in futureÂ

Highly-rated Ghanaian coach Didi Dramani has said that he is open to working with giants Asante Kotoko again in future.This comes after he not long ago confessed his love for Hearts of Oak who are the sworn rivals of his former club.Dramani, the current director of football at the famous Right to Dream Academy, spent two years at Kotoko from 2012 to 2014 and won three trophies.In his firsts season, he won the Ghana Premier League. Didi's Kotoko defended their title in the 2013/14 season and added the MTN FA Cup.And according to him, Kotoko gave him one of the biggest platforms to coach and to exhibit his coaching credentials, and would not hesitate to take another chance at the club.Am a professional, maybe there is something there I could not finish, and an opportunity to continue and accomplishAs I said, I give my dedication and service to where I work, Kotoko gave me the platform to work, and develop myself and all that I do I see myself as service, and so where ever I go I do not say am working, but servingBefore taking up the Kotoko job, he guided Ghana's U17 female team Black Maidens to win bronze at World Cup in 2012. source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

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soccernetghana · 5 years ago

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Best Soccer Players from Ghana and How to Follow Their Journey

[caption id="attachment_839689" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Asamoah Gyan is one of Ghana's legends[/caption] In Ghana, football (soccer) is the most popular sport by far. The game was first introduced in the late 1800s by European sailors passing through the biggest ports. The native people seemed to like the game, and football quickly became one of the most popular sports in the country. The first club was established in 1903, and the sport has been going strong ever since. Some of the popular and goal-oriented players came from Ghana, with many of them playing football in European leagues. Let’s take a look at the players that we are proud to have. They have and continue to captivate sports fans with their elegant playing style. Additionally, since some players might belong to football teams from across the globe, you might not always be able to watch their games. For a dedicated sports fan, this is an issue. Hence, we will touch upon this subject as well. 1. Asamoah Gyan Ghana had many successful football players over the years, but Asamoah Gyan is by far the best of the best. He was born in 1985, and he has an impressive career behind him. Asamoah made an appearance for multiple European teams, and he became the best scorer in most of them. He played for Sunderland, Rennes, Shanghai S.I.P.G., Al Ain, and Kayserispor. He is also a standard member of Ghana’s national team, with 51 scored goals so far. Asamoah proved that he has talent outside of the pitch, opening a few successful businesses that made him millions of dollars. His current net worth is about 24 million dollars. On the latest news, it appears that he will be playing for the Egypt Premier League. So, let’s hope that his goal-making techniques will shine just as bright. 2. Samuel Kuffour Samuel Kuffour already became a world-known football player when he was just 15 years old. He was born in 1976, and he eventually won a bronze Olympic medal at the 1992 summer games. Samuel started his professional career in Torino F.C. and continued playing for teams like Bayern Munich, Nurnberg, Roma, Ajax, and Livorno. He ended his professional career in 2009 when he returned to his home country. Now, he is close to becoming the new CEO of Kotoko. Samuel played in over 53 national appearances, and he was named one of the top 30 African players of all time. His impressive career has helped him earn over $37 million. 3. Sulley Muntari Sulley Muntari started his career back in 2002 in Udinese. He is currently a player for Deportivo de LA Coruna, where he came after a 5-year contract in Portsmouth. He earned 9.5 million dollars during those five years, but he spends a lot of time playing for other teams. Muntari said goodbye to European football in 2015, when he transferred to Ittihad F.C. in Saudi Arabia. The two-year contract earned him another 7 million dollars. When the contract was over, he returned to Europe, where he still plays to this day. Sulley made close to 90 appearances for the national team and made 20 goals. Today, his estimated net worth is about 40 million US dollars. 4. Michael Essien Michael Essien was born in 1982, and he started his professional football career in Ghana, playing for Liberty Professionals. European scouts saw his incredible talent, so he quickly became a member of Bastia in 2000. After only three seasons, he was transferred to Lyon, where he won two league titles in a row. The biggest teams in the world recognized his hard work, and he finally got a chance to play for Chelsea in 2005. The contract was worth 33 million dollars, and Michael became the highest-paid African player in history. His incredible skill helped lead Chelsea to three F.A. Cups and two Premier League crowns. He left Chelsea in 2014 and made a few smaller appearances for other European teams. According to experts, his current net worth is estimated to be close to $70 million, which is quite impressive. 5. Kevin Prince Boateng The youngest player on our list is a German-born Ghanaian, Kevin Prince Boateng. He was born in 1987, and he started his professional career playing for Hertha BSC II in 2004. Boateng is currently a member of Eintracht Frankfurt, a team he scored his first professional goals against in 2005. Boateng played for Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Schalke, and Las Palmas. His contracts ranged between 5 and 7 million dollars, earning him a total of $20 million over the years. Enjoy Watching Your Favorite Matches Ghana is, without a doubt, a country with impressive football talent. Many professional players who still play make an appearance for the national team. However, not all football matches are available to people from specific geo-locations. In some cases, you might be unable to enjoy the matches you have been anticipating. A VPN with Windows or smartphones is the solution for keeping track of all your favorite players from Ghana. With this tool, you will be able to virtually travel to another location on the map. Then, you can bypass geo-blocks that prevent you from using official streaming services. It will allow you to connect to the internet through an IP address of your choice. Choose a server located in Africa, and you can watch all national matches and professional matches as well. You can do the same for any team or sport. Just pick the right server, and you can enjoy any live stream from anywhere you want without restrictions. source: https://ghanasoccernet.com/

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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Odartey Lamptey reveals why he joined Kotoko

Odartey Lamptey in an interview revealed that he decided to sign for the Kumasi-based club because of how former Kotoko board member, Alhaji Nje helped him in his career.

He was a key member of the Ghana squad that won the Bronze medal at Barcelona 1992 Olympics games.

Speaking on Angel Sports Live the former attacker said

“I never demanded money from the club. I used my own money to buy fuel and drive to Kumasi to play matches before returning back to Accra,”

Watch the full interview below

https://youtu.be/ADsieNUq8Z4

source: https://footballghana.com/

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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No Ghanaian coach is better than Cecil Jones Attuquayefio- Derek Boateng

Former Black Stars midfielder Derek Boateng believes that the late Cecil Jones Attuquayefio is the best ever Ghanaian coach.

Jones had an impressive career as a manager, winning the CAF Champions League with Hearts of Oak in 2000, one trophy in a historic treble campaign. He also clinched the CAF Confederation Cup trophy with the Accra-based outfit after beating bitter rivals Asante Kotoko in 2004.

He managed the Ghana national team in the youth and senior team levels. The former Great Olympics footballer trained Derek Boateng and his teammates at the U-17 national level for the World Youth Championships in 1999. The team under his guidance earned the bronze medal.

He died in May 2015 after suffering a throat cancer.

In an interview on the Joy Sports Link on Saturday, Derek, 37, noted that Attuquayefio’s teachings were replicated by foreign coaches.

“Every player knows, all my colleagues know that whatever Jones shows us during our time in the team, whenever we go to Europe, we see the same things being done by the white coaches. So for me, he is the best coach,” he told Nathaniel Attoh.

Boateng played for several clubs across Europe including Fulham, Eibar and Rayo Vallecano during his career. He made 47 appearances for the senior national team and scored one goal.

Source: Bill Eshun

source: https://footballghana.com/

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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FEATURE: Restoring the glory days of Ghana football

No roll call of heavyweights of football nations will be complete or justified without mentioning Ghana, the sixth country on the Confederation of Africa Football’s (CAF) latest rankings for the game.

Ghana's senior national team, the Black Stars, can boost of four African Cup of Nations trophies having won the prestigious tournament in 1964, 1966, 1978, and 1982. Since then the national team has not been able to win any competitive trophy.

The junior teams, the Black Meteors, Black Satellites, Black Starlets as well as the women’s wings – Black Queens, Black Maidens, and Black Princess, have in the past, equally excelled in their various participation of the game at various tournaments at the global level. It is instructive to state that these national teams continue with their sacrifices and efforts to win trophies for the nation.

The Black Meteors which represent the country during Olympic Games, All African Games, and CAF under 23 championships, are also respected on the African Continent.

They became the first African team to win football medals (bronze) at the Olympics Games held in Barcelona in 1992. Although they failed to qualify to Beijing 2008 Olympics, they won the 2011 All African Games in Mozambique with former Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah in-charge.

The Black Satellites (Under-20 national team) is one of the biggest Juvenile teams on the continent. They made history by being the only African side to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, under the captaincy of Dede Ayew, now the captain of the senior national team.

A member of the victorious team, Dominic Adiyiah also made history, emerging top scorer of the tournament. Ransford Osei, Rabui Mohammed, and others had carried the flag of Ghana high in that same year by winning the CAF Under-20 African tournament.

They are three times African champions in 1993,1999, and 2009, and have participated in six of the past nineteen FIFA Under-20 World Cup events, starting with Australia 1993 where they lost 1-2 in the finals against Brazil in Sydney. Some notable players who were exceptional in the tournaments include, Nii Odartey Lamptey, Samuel Kuffour, Charles Akonnor, current coach of the Black Star (all in 1993), with Awudu Issaka and Micheal Essien in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

The country’s youngest male team, the Black Starlets (Under-17), have also made history at the global level; they are two times FIFA Under-17 World Cup champions, having lifted the trophy in 1991 and 1995, as well as runners up in 1993 and 1997.

Although their last participation in the World Cup was in 2007, they hold the record as the first African country to have won the World Cup in 1991, with the likes of Nii Odartey Lamptey, Yaw Preko, Mohammed Gargo, among others.

In the case of the Black Stars, efforts to recapture Ghana’s enviable position in the comity of continental football nations have since 1982 been disappointingly thwarted by series of near misses in penalty shootouts at the final encounters.

Indeed the Black Stars have come close to winning the CAF competition on several occasions: - twice to Cote d’ Ivoire in 1992 (Dakar), in 2015 (Equatorial Guinea) as well as in 1968, 1970, and 2010.

It is significant to note that during the 1992 competition, glory eluded the nation at a time the country could boast of in-form stars like Abedi Ayew Pele, Tony Yeboah, Kwesi Appiah, Emmanuel Armah, Nii Odartey Lamptey, Edward Ansah, to mention but these few, most of whom had gained international recognition.

The junior national teams are equally struggling to win trophies to make the nation proud.

Nonetheless, the history of Ghana’s successes in football will not be complete without recounting the efforts of the female national teams. They have a great reputation at the African and world levels, although female football started to develop not long ago in Ghana.

Black Queens, the senior national team are part of the few female African teams who have participated in the women’s World Cup, although they have never made it out of the group stage of the tournament. However, household names like Elizabeth Addo, Adjoa Bayor, Alberta Sackey are among the debutants who made Ghana proud at the global stage.

The female Under-20 team, Black Princesses are priceless on the African continent. They have been to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup a couple of times, with their debut in 2010 in Germany, and have also made it to the African Women Under-20 championship five times in which they have won it three times in a row from 2010 to 2014.

Similarly, Black Maidens (Under-17) is regarded the most successful youth team in Africa, as the only female team in Africa to qualify to all FIFA Under-17 World cup so far. However, they have never made it to the finals. Their best have been reaching the semi-finals of the competition in 2012 in Azerbaijan where they managed to a 3rd place medal. They have also won the African championship five times.

The club level participation in Africa, however, had witnessed some successes with Accra Hearts of Oak and their arch-rivals, Kumasi Asante Kotoko chalking some tremendous successes at the CAF Champions League and African Club championship

Although Ghanaian clubs who emerge winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup respectively always automatically qualify to participate in the CAF club competitions, that is, the Champions League and the Confederation Cup respectively, they find it difficult to make it to the money zone of the competitions.

Two of Ghana’s biggest clubs, Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak have won the CAF Champions League which started in 1964 has been won three times. Kumasi Asante Kotoko picked it in 1970 and 1983, and Accra Hearts of Oak in 2000 and has since won Hearts of Oak the name ‘Continental Club Champions’.

Since then, the best performance of any Ghanaian club in the past 12 years is at the group stage both for the CAF Champions’ League and the Confederation Cup by Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the 2018 season.

Kotoko avenged a defeat in 1970 by TP Englebert of DR Congo after the Congolese side beat them in 1969 to eliminate them. They beat the Congolese club 2-1 to lift their first CAF inter-club competition trophy. Fast forward to 1983, Kotoko beat Al Ahly to lift their second CAF trophy.

This victory made them earn the bragging right over the premier clubs in Ghana and also making them African club of the 20th century because of their good performance on the African continent.

Accra Hearts of Oak saw their most successful era in the club’s football history from 1996 to 2005 although they have played in the finals of many CAF competition in the earlier decades with the likes of Anas Mohammed, Mama Acquah, Robert Hammond, Mohammed Polo, etc.

In 2005, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko made history by being the first clubs from the same country to play in the CAF Confederation Cup final in Ghana, which we all saw Hearts of Oak being crowned champions in the competition after both leagues.

Obuasi Goldfields now Ashgold also fared well in Africa competitions. They became the first club in Ghana aside Kotoko and Hearts to play in the final of the Champions league in 1997. Can we say that about Ghanaian clubs nowadays?

Performances of Ghanaian clubs especially in CAF competition have been very awful these days. Accra Hearts of Oak have not been in the CAF champions league since 2006, which does not speak well of the oldest club in a well-known football country as Ghana.

Ghana football as a whole seems to have lost shine in African football; the glory seemed to have fizzled into thin air for several reasons, notably the mass exodus of players to Europe and the disinterest in the nation’s local league. The local league is yet to regain its past glory.

The 21st century looked more promising for Ghana football on the international arena following the Black Stars appearances at the World Cup. In fact, their participations did not only rekindle the love and enthusiasm for Ghana football but also placed Ghana on the global map.

Ghana is yet to recapture her lost glory despite successes at the World Cup, at the CAF level we have come close to lifting the cup on two occasions in recent times – against Egypt in 2010 and against Cote d’Ivoire in 2015.

It is quiet disheartening to note again that we failed to win laurels at a time where the nation could boast of world-class footballers like Michael Essien, Asamoah Gyan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng and host of others, despite the quality of technical men in-charge of the teams. What has gone wrong?

Several reasons have been ascribed to the sad situation in which Ghana football finds itself ‑ among them are disunity, petty squabbles, leadership struggles, lack of patriotism, poor allowances, and bonuses for players. Some players have also expressed dissatisfaction with the Ghanaian FA management alleging poor preparations and favouritism in the selection of players for tournaments.

There had been occasions where management has equally blame indiscipline, lack of commitment, and dedication on the part of players. The entire nation is compelled to join in the blame game because each defeat potentially, ‘break our hearts’ because football is the passion of the nation, and every defeat results in heartbreaks.

Football pundits believe many factors account for Ghana’s dwindling fortunes in terms of football at both local and international levels. They attribute lack of attention to the local league as one of the core reasons in that the local league which forms the ‘resource base’ for the supply of players has been neglected as a result of poor management.

Poor marketing of the local league has resulted in lack of adequate sponsorship and poor patronage. Players are poorly paid and hence prefer to play abroad to earn descent income to secure a better future. I consider the local players as average players compared to their counterparts in other African clubs such as TP Mazembe, Zamalek, Al Ahly, Sundowns, etc.

Whereas these clubs are able to cough out millions of dollars to sign just a single player their Ghanaian counterparts’ focus is mainly to sell players to outside clubs. Besides the value of most Ghanaian players are less expensive as compared to some of the reigning clubs on the Africa continent.

Team owners and scouts in Ghana often sell the few top talents in the league to less-fancied European teams. This deprives the premier league of the needed quality in terms of players and subsequently the needed spectators to the stadia.

Moreover, some pundits posit that Ghana seems to have lost her identity in football tactics and formation in recent years. Every serious football country has a style of play, right from the juvenile side to the senior team side. An example is when the Spanish football Association adopted the Tiki–taka style of play, invented by Johan Cruyff.

This style of play was exhibited during 2010 FIFA World Cup and could be attributed to their victory in both the World Cup and the European Cup two times on a row.

Modern football cannot be run with old fashioned policies whereas and policies are set by the leaders or the administrators of the game. If we want to bring back the love of football to Ghanaians and restore the football glory days, the leadership of the football association must be accountable to the people.

Due to archaic leadership style Ghana football is falling apart suddenly. Currently, the Ghana league is without sponsors from the corporate world. We must hold the football association accountable in order to change the perception that there is corruption in Ghana football.

Today the developed world have developed the game with modern facility that makes watching their game even more interesting and appealing. That is in sharp contrast to ours where poor and substandard facilities are what we use here. Even some of our stadia do not have washrooms or even comfortable place to sit which makes it difficult for people to patronize the local game.

Ghana football does not require any magician a white man to restore its glory but rather requires critical thinking and radical planning to get our game back to its glory days.

Source: graphic.com.gh

source: https://footballghana.com/

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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Frimpong Manso reveals how he switched from playing to coaching

In an interview with Graphic Sports, Frimpong Manso spoke about his passion for football development as a player and a coach. The Ghanaian former international footballer who played as a defender is currently Head Coach of Nkoranza Warriors.

Responding to a question about how he transitioned from playing to coaching Frimpong Manso said

"I left Kotoko in 1995 for Kuwait to start professional football with Al Shabab and two other clubs. I spent four years with Al Shabab which had started investing in youth football at that time. After playing for about six months, I was made the captain of the team, which placed a huge responsibility on me,"

"I was, therefore, doing the work of the coach on the field, which pleased him very well. Things worked well for me in Kuwait so I later joined Al Salmiya for a season and won bronze during the Pan Arab Club Championships in Egypt,"

"In 2001, I returned home to begin my coaching career because I did not want to play in the local league again," he added.

Frimpong Manso explained his reason for not wanting to play in the local league again.

"I did not want to play partly because of the behaviour of the fans who see experienced players as old hands and cast insinuations on them at the least opportunity. I also wanted to start my coaching career in 2002," he said

source: https://footballghana.com/

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footballghana · 5 years ago

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Profile Of Black Stars head coach CK Akonnor

Get to know more about the coach of the Ghana senior national team, Black Stars.

Full Name: Charles Kwablan Akonnor

Date of Birth: March 12, 1974.

Place of Birth: Nungua - Accra

Nationality: Ghanaian

Marital Status: Married

Age: 46 years

Charles Kwablan Akonnor hails from Ningo Prampram in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana but he was born at Nungua, a suburb of Accra on March 12, 1974. He had his Basic/Junior High School education at Nungua Primary School and proceeded to the Nungua Presbyterian Secondary (Senior High) School for his secondary education.

PLAYING CAREER

During his school days, he was an integral member of his school team. Akonnor represented his school in Juvenile Championships and other Inter-Collages games before he was spotted by Obuasi Goldfields, helping him to pursue an active career in football. He was a unifier wherever he found himself during his playing days, as well as helping to accelerate team goals. With this strong character, he achieved a lot on the field of play. Akonnor was spotted at a very young age when he graduated straight from colts to join former Premier League giants Okwahu United in 1988.

CLUB FOOTBALL:

- 2005-2006 - AC Horsens (Denmark)

- 2004-2005 - SpVgg Unterhaching (Germany)

- 1998-2003 – VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

- 1993-1998 – Fortuna Koln (Germany)

- 1990-1992 - Obuasi Goldfields (Ghana)

- 1988 -1990 – Okwahu United (Ghana)

- 1985 – 1988 – Young Hearts (Tema – Colts)

NATIONAL TEAM

- 1993-2001 - Ghana Black Stars

- 1995-1996 - Ghana National U-23 (Black Meteors)

- 1992-1993 - Ghana National U-20 (Black Satellites)

ACHIEVEMENTS AS A PLAYER

- 1999 – 2004 – Captain, Ghana Black Stars

- 2000 - UEFA Cup- Wolfsburg

- Played in four (4) Africa Cup of Nations - (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000)

- 1998 – Named in CAF African 11 Team of the Year

- Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games- Quarterfinalist (Ghana National U-23 Olympic Team)

- FIFA U-20 World Cup, Australia 1993 - Silver Medal

- 51 International Caps – Ghana

- CAF U-20, Egypt 1992 – Bronze Medal

LEADERSHIP ROLES

- 1999-2004 - Captain, Ghana Black Stars

- 2000-2002 - Captain, VFL Wolfsburg

- 1996 - Captain, Ghana Olympic Team, Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games

COACHING

CK Akonnor is a well-organized team player, detail-oriented and a man who is able to handle multiple tasks with nine years coaching experience. He is a perfectionist and always wants to achieve the best out of the lot, an achiever who fears less in taking risks. He ventured into football coaching right after his professional career and holds CAF Coaching License ‘A’ and UEFA Coaching License ‘C’ and ‘B’. He has had various coaching attachments at Tottenham Hotspurs in 2017, Celtic, Scotland 2015, VFL Wolfsburg, Germany in 2012, FC Nuremberg, Germany in 2010 and Manchester City, the UK in 2010. Here are teams he has managed and achievements as a coach:

TEAMS MANAGED

- October 2018 – July 2019 - Head Coach of Asante Kotoko SC

- Jan 2017- July 2018 - Head Coach, AshGold FC

2014 - Jan 17 - Head Coach, Dreams FC

2012-13 - Head Coach, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana Premier League

2011-12 - Deputy Coach, Ghana National U-20 Team, Black Satellite

2010-11 - Deputy Coach, Ghana National U-17 Team, Black Starlets

2010 - Head Coach, Right to Dream Academy U-17

2011 - Director of Sports, Sekondi 11 Wise

2009 - Head Coach, Sekondi 11 Wise

ACHIEVEMENT AS A COACH

- 2018/2019 Coach of the year, Ghana Football Awards

- 2018/2019 team of the year award, Asante Kotoko Sporting Club - Ghana Football Awards

- Guided Asante Kotoko to qualify for the 2019/20 CAF Champions League.

- Guided Asante Kotoko to win the 2019 Ghana Premier League (Normalization Cup, Tier 1)

- Guided Asante Kotoko to the Group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2019

- Became the first Asante Kotoko coach to win 3 out of 4 matches in CAF Interclub competitions in 27 years

(Kariobangi Sharks 0-0 Kotoko, Kotoko 2-1 Kariobangi Sharks, Cotton Sport Garoua 2-3, Kotoko 2-1 Coton Sport Garoua)

- Became the 4th Asante Kotoko Coach to reach the group stage of CAF Confederation Cup in 15 years

- Guided AshGold to 2nd position in the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League

- Guided AshGold to avoid relegation in the 2016/17 Ghana Premier League

- Guided Accra Hearts of Oak to 3rd Place in the 2011/12 Ghana Premier League

- Guided Dreams FC to Premier League Promotion (2015)

SPECIAL APPOINTMENTS

CK Akonnor has over the years built an excellent interpersonal relationship with the sporting world, very cooperative and easy to work with, fluent in the German, Dutch and English languages. He has served as a special appointee in various capacities;

- April 2015 - Special appointment by VFL Wolfsburg as a development Coach to help youth football in Mexico Jan. 2015

- 2015 - Scout for Black Stars for 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea

- 2014 - Scout for Ghana National Team (Black Stars) for FIFA World Cup in Brazil

- Ambassadorial role for Black Stars in 2014 World Cup in Brazil, June 2010

- Consultant Analyst, 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa for the African Union of Broadcasters (AUB).

Source: ghanafa.org

source: https://footballghana.com/

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