Alhaji Aliu Mahama Cup...Will the North tame the South?
Sensational Kumasi Asante Kotoko striker, Sadick Adams, is expected to lead a host of selected stars to battle in a game in honour of the late Vice- President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the Tamale Sports Stadium on Sunday.
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Adams will be joined by an array of other stars, including teammates Awal Mohammed, Felix Annan and Joseph Addo, as well as Noah Martey and Hans Kwofie, to constitute a select team of the Northern sector.
Similarly, nimble-footed Hearts of Oak midfielder, Winful Cobbinah, together with Thomas Abbey, Kwame Kizito, Vincent Atinga among other stars will form a core of the Southern side that will battle in a game that is expected to attract heavy attendance.
The game put together by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), is to climax the fifth anniversary of the death of the late Vice-President Mahama.
As expected, the background of these players, coming from Kumasi Asante Kotoko and arch rivals, Accra Hearts of Oak, has reduced this encounter into another Hearts and Kotoko rivalry instead of a mere friendly encounter.
And with a GH¢50,000 prize money at stake for the winner, this game would even be more exciting and produce the best in these players ahead of their Ghana @ 60 return leg scheduled for December 24.
The Tamale Sports Stadium is playing host to this game 10 years after it was inaugurated ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which Ghana hosted and placed third.
Due to the instrumental role the late Vice-President played during the construction of the edifice, the government has decided to honour the late Mahama by naming the 21,000 capacity stadium after him.
According to the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Pius Enam Hadzide, the stadium will be renamed after the late Vice-President not only because of the crucial role he played during its construction but also for his dedicated service to the country over the years, as well as sports development in Northern Ghana.
The Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Football Association (GARFA), Nii Komiete Doku, and ex-Black Stars skipper, Charles Kwabla Akonnor, will act as Chairman and Coach, respectively of the Southern 11, while GFA Executive Committee member, Kweku Eyiah, is expected to chair the Northern 11, with Aduana Stars coach, Yussif Abubakar, handling them.