All set for the Premier League
After their emphatic victory over Medeama SC to win the Super Cup last Sunday, Kumasi Asante Kotoko not only confirmed their status as the strongest force in Ghana football but also sent a warning to their Premier League rivals that they remained the team to beat in the forthcoming competition which commences on Sunday.
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Kotoko’s title defence starts with a home clash with Aduana Stars, with the Porcupine Warriors poised to begin the season on a good note as Coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani looks certain to assemble his best players possible to get off to a winning start against the former premiership champions.
With four days to the start of the 2013/14 league, the Premier League Board (PLB) and last season’s runners up, Berekum Chelsea, are yet to agree on a new name proposed by the Berekum club for the season.
The club’s CEO, Nana Kwame Nketia, is insisting a new name, FC Berekum, is what should be recognised but the PLB says nothing official has been presented to it to effect the name change.
But the PLB’s claim has been rebutted by Nana Kwame, who alleges that the competition’s regulatory body had been sufficiently notified at least two weeks to the start of the league, saying “it is good enough time for any process to have been completed.”
He told the Graphic Sports yesterday that the club notified the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and had expected that its allied body, the PLB, should have been appropriately informed for the necessary documentation to be completed.
PLB boss, Welbeck Abra-Appiah, said the body only recognised Chelsea for now because it had not been officially informed of any change in name.
Subsequently, the 2012 league champions team would face off with King Faisal on Sunday under its old name, Chelsea at the Golden City Park.
Meanwhile, the three newly promoted sides will be welcomed into the elite football with some crunch clashes against traditional forces which could make or unmake the clubs. At the Tema Stadium, Inter Allies face a baptism of fire at the hands of visiting Ebusua Dwarfs, Medeama SC have an advantage over returnees, Sekondi Hasaacas, while Bechem United face off with Amidaus Professionals at Bechem.
Liberty Professionals welcome Wa All Stars to the Carl Reindorf Park at Dansoman, Kpando Heart of Lions are at home to Ashantigold, while Accra Hearts of Oak face a difficult trip to Bekwai where they face New Edubiase United at the Gyamfi Park.
Preview: Daniel Kenu/Graphic Sports/Ghana