Soccer News of Thursday, 25 March 2004

Source: GNA

GLICO fires up Meteors to do damage on Sunday

Accra, March 25, GNA - Gemini Life Insurance Company (GLICO) has presented an insurance cover for Ghana's Olympic Soccer team, the Black meteors, plus some food items worth more than 250 million cedis as the team prepares to do damage against Zambia on Sunday at the Kumasi Sports Stadium.

The package is made of 250 million cedis insurance cover for accidental death, injury before and after the match, bags of rice, Milo, milk, crates of eggs, bottled water and energy drinks valued at six million cedis.

In addition, the Accra-based insurance company doled out quantities of GLICO branded T-shirts, cheque for five million cedis to the playing body and promised to buy each goal of the Meteors for five million cedis.

Mr Kwaku Forkuo Kyei, Executive Director, Corporate Planning of the company also announced that the firm would insure the best player of the Ghanaian team with a one-year insurance cover worth 100 million cedis. He said plans were afoot to present a different package to the team for its preparation and participation in the Athens Olympics slated for August this year.

Ghana and Young Chipolopolo of Zimbabwe share the summit of the four-nation standings on 10 points apiece but the visitors have a better goal advantage, which means Ghanaian will have to win on Sunday to qualify for Athens.

Ghana first qualified for the soccer Olympic in 1964 and became the first African country to win bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games, a record, which has been broken by Nigeria and Cameroon, both winning Gold in the 1996 and 2000 games respectively.

Ben Koufie, Chairman of the Ghana Football Association and Mr B. T. Baba, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee all predicted massive wins for the Meteors.

Mr Baba called on individuals and companies for financial support to put the Ghanaian contingent in shape for the Athens Games.