Soccer News of Tuesday, 6 December 2005

Source: cubagee(radio b.a.r-sunyani)

Otumfuo Cup Puts Enyimba in Dilema.

The recent invitation of former African champions Enyimba to an invitational friendly tagged Otumfuo cup in Ghana has left the club in a quandary as to how to honour the invitation .

The invitational friendly involving six clubs from the West African region was organised at the instance of Otumfuo Osei Tutu, King of Ghana's Ashanti ethnic group, the tournament will involve Nigeria's Enyimba, Asec Mimosas of the Ivory Coast and Asante Kotoko. Two other Ghanaian sides - King Faisal and Ashanti Gold, as well as Burkina Faso side ASFA Yennega, complete the teams at the event and it is to run from December 11-18.

But Enyimba are saying that the date of the invitational clashes with another tourney Enyimba has been invited to in Abuja and which features top teams like Corithians of Brazil who just won the Brazilian league, a team from England and would take place between December 16th and 17th.

Enyimba's media officer Tony Chukwu told reporters the dilemma the club has now found itself which according to him would necessitate their having to split their squad so as to honour both invitations.

''The club has made up its mind to honour the invitational friendly in Ghana, but we are in a bit of dilemma as to the team we would be using.

''We have another invitational friendly billed for Abuja between December 16th and 17th and it would involve teams like Corithians of Brazil and a team from England which we also intend to honour.

'' We have thus decided to hold a meeting after our final league game at home to Gabros on Sunday and then look at our team and decide which team would honour which friendly.

''That in essence means that we might have to split our squad so that we would be able to honour both invitationals in Ghana and Abuja which have a clash in dates'' Chukwu said on Monday.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Nigeria's Enyimba International Football Club gained automatic qualification to the semi-finals of the maiden Otumfuo Invitational Cup Tournament when both teams were seeded at a draw in Kumasi, Ghana on Friday.

Enyimba have already been issued a cheque of $15,000 as participating fees for the Ghanaian tourney, which has at stake a Cup and cash prize of 75,000 dollars to be shared among the first four teams. The winner will take home the Cup and cash prize of 30,000 dollars whilst the second, third and fourth placed teams receive cash prizes of 20,000, 15,000 and 10,000 dollars respectively.