An award scheme instituted to recognize the efforts of current and former players who featured in the Italian league was held at plush Kempinski hotel on Sunday, June, 10, 2018.

The third edition Calcio Trade Ball Awards as it’s known, came off last Sunday with former Black Stars captain, Stephen Appiah walking away with the CTB Order of the Star Award, the topmost award at the event.

The Chief Executive Officer of Arthur Legacy, organizers of the program, Oliver Arthur in his opening remarks appealed to the current footballers to draw lessons from ex-footballers whose fortunes took a drastic nosedive following the retirement.

He admonished the players to take up investment opportunities and make prudent use of their monies in order to avoid going bankrupt and becoming victims of the proverbial “from hero to zero” tag when they hang their boots.

“With a lot of buzz around them, most of our players seldom pause to think of what they intend to do after their career or whether their current lifestyle will be sustainable many years down the line in the event of an injury”, he said.

He added that; suddenly, it’s game up!!! Final whistle!! Time to hang your boots!! What happens next largely depends on how you planned during your playing days There are two choices here; transition from zero to hero or from hero to hero. The choice is entirely in our hands.

A lot of us like myself have come from humble beginnings and surely, we do not want return to that place of lack and total reliance on other people, Oliver Arthur concluded.
He also expressed appreciation to the Italian Embassy, Kempinski Hotel and other sponsors for making the event a success.

“On behalf of ArthurLegacy Sports, I would like to thank Kempinsky Hotel for opening their doors and for hosting all of us, (a round of applause please), our heartfelt gratitude also goes to the Italian Embassy for their support and commitment to Calcio Trade Ball and finally to Imexco for quenching our thirst with their tasty wines”.