Soccer News of Sunday, 20 October 2002

Source: Accra Mail

BA United Not Happy With Treatment to Goalkeeper

Brong Ahafo United Football Club has expressed disgust at the manner its budding goalkeeper, Isaac Amoako the number one goalkeeper for the National Under 23 team, Black Satellites and number two for the National team Black Stars was dropped from both teams.

In an interview with GNA Sports, Mr Kwame Ntow-Faiko, Greater Accra representative of the club on Thursday said the club was alarmed by the treatment, which seems to be an orchestrated plan by some local coaches against players of the club.

Mr Ntow-Faiko said Amoako joined their club from colts at the beginning of this season and kept the post during this year's Guinness gala, which BA won, and after that he was invited into the Satellites camp under Coach Isaac Paha.

He said when Paha was promoted as the coach to the senior national team, Black Stars to assist Millan Zivadinovic, Amoako was also invited into the Stars camp to under study goalkeeper Sammy Adjei while he remained the number one goalkeeper for the Satellites.

Mr Ntow-Faiko said after the departure of Zivadinovic, Amoako remained in the Stars camp under coach E..K.Afranie until last Wednesday, three days before the Ghana Rwanda African Cup qualifier when he was recalled to the Satellites camp to prepare for their friendly against Scotland.

He said after training with the Satellites, Amoako was dropped on the eve of their departure to Scotland for no apparent reason.

"After the Stars match last Sunday, Amoako was again invited to join the local Stars team preparing for a friendly international against Sierra Leone next Sunday but to the surprise of the club, Coach Afranie told Amoako that his services were not needed because his position has been taken over by goalkeeper Louis Quianoo of Kumasi Asante Kotoko".

Mr Ntow-Faiko said the action by Coach Afranie was a repetition of what happened in 1995 when Awudu Adama a former player of the club and currently playing for Accra Hearts of Oak was the leading goal scorer for the Starlets with seven goals to his credit during the qualification series of the FIFA under-17 tournament held in Ecuador was also dropped from the team.

"After helping the Starlets, to qualify for the tournament, the powers within the football administration in Ghana dropped him without any reason that nearly destroyed Adama's football career and the same issue is repeating itself in the case of Amoako"

Mr Ntow-Faiko questioned the basis for goalkeeper Quianoo who had not been in the post for his club since the beginning of the season could be selected into the national team. "It now seems to the club that its players are only good as training horses for national teams to be used for local matches and not for tournaments outside the country," he said.

"This development is unfortunate since it can ruin the career of young budding players who cannot easily recover from such treatment."

He said the club has sent a compliant to the FA and if such treatments continue would advise itself when their players are called to join any of the national teams.