How a genuine act of support by coach 'Ablade' in favor of Wa Suntaa SC landed him in trouble

After a Wa-based club, Wa Suntaa Sporting Club, was relegated from the 2023/24 Access Division One League, reports have been circulating within the soccer fraternity of the Upper West Region accusing Adnan Saeed, coach of Wa Sore Nante FC, of expressing joy over the fate of his former club, Wa Suntaa SC.

Against this backdrop, coach Ablade, as he is also known, during an exclusive interview with Suleman Huud of Wa-based Tungsung Radio on Thursday, June 27, 2024, reacted to a wide range of issues regarding his coaching career as well as the feat he achieved leading Wa Sore Nante FC to secure a spot in Division One League football and has refuted those accusations against him.

According to him, on the last match day of the league involving Wa Suntaa SC versus Wa Power SC, all he wanted was for Wa Suntaa to win the match to avoid relegation, knowing that Wa Power SC would have survived even if they had lost the match.

He indicated that as a result, while the game was ongoing and Wa Power SC scored the equalizer to level the scores, he became saddened about the situation and therefore decided to stop watching the match altogether even before it ended, prompting a question from someone among the spectating public asking why the premature departure by the Wa Sore Nante coach.

Speaking in the local dialect, he said: "During the last match between Power SC and Suntaa SC, I was watching the match, and when Power equalized the goal, I just took my prayer gown and left the stadium. So one spectator nearby asked why I was leaving so soon after the equalizer, and I told him that I had to leave since I didn't understand what Power SC wanted the goal for; after all, they had nothing to lose."

The young, enterprising manager and former Wa All Stars defender lamented that he was, however, shocked to his core to hear that some football fans had decided to maliciously twist and put a spin on the issue, misconstruing it to mean he was rather jubilant when Suntaa SC conceded their lead to Power FC during the match, just to tarnish his image and create disaffection for him in the eyes of Suntaa SC's owners and fans.

"Shockingly, after the match, I later heard that some people were going around creating a story that I was elated and jubilant when Power SC equalized the goal. How? How on earth would I do that? What would I gain from that? I understand that's what some people are going around saying about me when that wasn't the case. These are what many of us do in this region, and they still want us to progress.

"And in all of these, it was only one person—a player of Suntaa SC—who was able to confront me with this false accusation. If someone comes to accuse somebody of you, the appropriate thing to do is to confront and ask the person to know whether what is being accused of him is indeed true or not. When people lie against you in such a manner, definitely any fan of the team hearing this will hate me straight away when that was not what happened," coach Adnan lamented.

The former Wa Tietaa FC, Wa Suntaa SC, Wa Power SC coach, and Ghana U-20 star, who has led the Wa Sore Nante club to taste Division One League football next season barely two years after its formation, called on soccer fans across the region to eschew using foul language against opposing opponents for the growth of the sport to benefit the youth.

According to him, until soccer fans stop insulting and maligning others, it will be difficult for the soccer fraternity to unite with everyone coming on board to be able to achieve laurels for the region.

The Dondoli club, which did not start well during the Middle League, picked up the pieces when it mattered most to win their remaining three matches and emerge champions, joining Wa Power SC to represent the region for the 2024/25 Access Division One League.

The last Access Division One League campaign saw two Division One teams from the region—Wa Suntaa SC and Maana FC—relegated from the second tier back to the third tier of Ghana football, with only Power SC managing to weather the storm.

Suntaa SC could only manage 33 points, while Maana also ended up with only 22 points, albeit losing points through protest, from the 2023/24 Zone 1 to exit the league.

Prior to their last match with Power SC, Suntaa SC seriously needed the maximum points from the match to bring their tally to 35 points to dodge relegation, while Power SC, who were on 36 points, was already safe even if they had lost the match.

Nonetheless, Power SC put up a competitive performance to ensure the match ended in a stalemate, giving them 37 points, much to the chagrin of supporters of Suntaa SC and some spectating fans in the region.

Suntaa SC and Maana FC both shared the 7th and 8th positions on the team log of 8 clubs, respectively, from Zone 1.

Regarding the preparation of the team for the upcoming task, coach Adnan indicated the club would be looking to sign a couple of players to bolster the squad to be able to compete effectively and make a mark in the league.