Dortmund begins historic Ghana visit
German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund today started the first leg of a historic five-day tour of the country with a coaching clinic at the Achimota School Park in Accra.
The clinic which was the second event on Dortmund's schedule after their arrival on Wednesday, saw youth coaches and legends of the German club put the youngsters from Shooting Stars FC through their paces.
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The youngsters were taken through the basics of the sport including passing, shooting and dribbling drills by legends including Victor Ikpeba.
The Head of International & Commercial Partnerships of Dortmund, Benedikt Scholz and the CEO of Shooting Stars FC, Randolph Rodrigues addressing the briefing.
Other events scheduled for the tour include:
• A Youth Development Coaching Clinic, a visit to Chance for Children’s home and a Gala Dinner on Thursday, June 9
• A visit to the Omanhene in Akropong at the Okuapeman Palace for a Legends Durbar on Friday, the June 10
• A curtain raiser game between the talented Shooting Stars FC vs a Greater Accra Regional Football Association (GARFA) side to precede the game and;
• A golf tournament on Sunday, June 12, 2022
Historic
Addressing a press briefing before the coaching clinic, the Head of International & Commercial Partnerships of Dortmund, Benedikt Scholz said the visit - Dortmund's first to the African continent - was inspired by the sporting values it shares with its Ghanaian partners Shooting Stars FC.
He said he was hopeful that through the partnership, the tour would result in a long-term deal although Dortmund was looking to make the most of this visit.
"We are here to stay and deepen the partnership with Shooting Stars," Mr Scholz said.
"We haven't set up a five to 10-year plan but we said let's make the most of this event and regroup and see what the next event can be".
For his part, the CEO of Shooting Stars FC, Randolph Rodrigues said the clinic was meant to impart the knowledge and expertise of the Dortmund coaches and ex-players to Ghanaians youngsters.
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Dortmund Legends versus African Giants
The tour will be climaxed by a tie between the Dortmund Legends and the African Giants on Saturday at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Lacing up their boots for the Dortmund side will be Roman Weidenfeller, Evanilson, Dede, Oliver Kirch, David Odonkor, Patrick Owomoyela, Florian Kringe, Tinga, Jan Koller and Kevin Großkreutz.
The remaining players are Mohamed Zidan, Ibrahim Tanko, Victor Ikpeba, Jörg Heinrich (player-coach) and Norbert Dickel (coach).
Players billed to play for the African Giants team include Anthony Baffoe, Awudu Issaka, Yaw Preko, Stephen Appiah, Charles Asampong "Taylor", Sammy Kuffuor, Emmanuel Sheyi Adebayor and Asamoah Gyan.
The African Giants line-up also includes Augustine Arhinful, Kwame Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah and Jerry Akaminko.
Czech forward Koller speaking through an interpreter said he was looking forward to rekindling his match-up with former Bayern star Samuel Kuffuor after facing him at the international and club level.
His opposite number Yaw Preko said he was looking forward to an interesting match, adding that he was hopeful that the African Giants would carry the day.
