Top Four: Kicks off with a bang on Sunday

Accra, Jan 7, GNA - The third edition of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA) Top Four Competition is now set for a big kick off on Sunday at the Accra and Kumasi Sports Stadiums after intensive pre tournament preparations.

There is no doubt that this year's tournament would be an improved one considering the 1.2 billion cedis sponsorship attached to it, with additional sponsorship linings from Scancom Ghana Limited and First Atlantic Merchant Bank.

The tournament has also been the major target of all the premier clubs during the league and the participation of the first two clubs in a tournament in South Africa is an added incentive to the tourney this year.

However the withdrawal of Kumasi Asante Kotoko would no doubt take some steam out of the tournament, as their vociferous supporters would be missing in action and fans in Ghana would be denied the opportunity to witness tough encounters between the newly crowned champions and Hearts of Oak.

It is a fact that the presence of Kotoko would have increased revenue for the tournament, brought more excitement and added more glamour to the tourney, but their demand of 400 million participation fee, 50 and 40 per cent of the gate proceeds form home and away matches respectively could not be met by the organizers.

In spite of this, fans will still be served with good quality football because all the four clubs including Berekum Arsenals who are the last minute replacement for Kotoko are capable of living up to expectations of soccer fans.

The level of performance by the Berekum Club during the 2003 premier league gives enough credence to the fact they are no mincemeat, having placed fifth in the league. The Berekum gunners are surely capable of giving a stiff opposition to any of the clubs in the tournament.

Already they have sounded a note of warning to all that they are going to be the Denmark of 1992 who came in as last minute replacement for Yugoslavia in the European Cup and emerged as the winners.

Arsenals for the past three years that they have been in the premiership have seen a constant progress in their performance placing 11th in their first year, 8th in the second year and fifth in the third year. It is an indication that they are a force to reckon with. In one of their matches against Hearts last season, the Phobians struggled to beat them by a lone goal in Accra they held the defending champions to a pulsating goalless drawn game at Berekum in the second round.

Their matches against clubs like Liberty and Faisal have been of the highest quality and there is no doubt that the same of brand of soccer would be on display on Sunday when they meet Hearts in the opening match.

Not much has been said about Hearts this year due to the fact that they have lost the league title to Kotoko and the level of fear clubs have for them has eroded by their placement in the league. The new Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the club has expressed its desire to use the tourney as a launch pad for the coming season.

Hearts still have in their midst experienced chaps like Dan Quaye, Lawrence Adjei, Sammy Adjei, Amankwah Mireku, Dan Oppong together with youthful lads like Frank Kornu, Nasiru Ghani, Eric Nyarko, Adnan Ali and Louis Agyeman.

The young players in the team proved last season that this year would certainly be theirs, therefore the phobians cannot be ruled out even though they are not the hot favourites.

According to Alhaji Grunsah, he is still maintaining his German coach together with other players who made the club tick last season. He however agreed that there would be few changes in the starting line up.

The scientific soccer lads Liberty Professions, on paper might not be the best side. This is because the club is on the verge of losing some its regular players like William Tierro, Issifu Ansah, Samuel Addo Alfred Nii Larbi, George Yamoah and Asamoah Gyan to other clubs. A GNA Sports inquiry reveals that these players are on the lists of both Hearts and Kotoko. While Gyan, Tierro, Ansah, Addo and Yamoah are being pursued by Kotoko, Nii Larbi is said to be heading to Hearts. The owner and bank roller of the team, Alhaji Sly Tetteh might use the same strategy he used last year by convincing them to stay till the tourney is over before giving them out.

If he succeeds, then the Dansoman lads would be at their usual best in the tourney, because looking at the materials at their disposal, they can match any club boot for boot.

However should Alhaji Tetteh fail to convince the players, trust him to turn up a bunch of young and dedicated players from the nursery side to fill their places and they can be trusted to display good football in the tourney.

From all indications, it looks like all the teams have equal chances and none of them seems to have any greater advantage over the other, therefore a highly competitive tournament is anticipated.