5th MTN Football Academy will be exceptional - Fattal

Accra , Nov 21, GNA - The Chief

Executive Officer of Metropolitan Television, (Metro TV) Mr Talal Fatal has

said the 5th Edition of the MTN Football Academy soccer fiesta will

be exceptional due to the vigorous selection process adopted by the organizers.

Speaking at the induction ceremony

of 14 housemates who were selected for the football reality show, Fattal said

the event will be an improvement over the previous ones because they have

selected the best crop of players for the exercise and was confident the

quality will be an addition to the show.

Mr Fatal added that the organizers,

Optimum Media Prime (OMP) have also outlined attractive prizes for the winners

and was convinced it will motivate the players to give off their best during

the battle for the ultimate prize.

Mr Thomas Sowah of OMP Marketing

Department noted that, “Football can be a catalyst for the transformation

of a whole community and it is for this reason that OMP has taken upon itself

the initiative to provide the platform for the total grooming and

development of such budding talents.

“What we are witnessing today is

ample testimony of the commitment of OMP and our partners such as MTN, Auto

Plaza, the sole agents of Hyundai vehicles in Ghana, and other

stakeholders, towards the development of our youth through the power of sports,

particularly football,” he added.

Nii Nortey Dua, Deputy Minister of

Youth and Sports commended the organizers of the 'Soccer Realty Show', Optimum

Media Prime(OMP), Metro TV and the title sponsor MTN for the concept and

charged the contestants to use the opportunity to showcase their potentials and

talents.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy

Minister for Information also commended the organizers of the only football

reality show in the country, saying “We know what football means to us as

a country, government will therefore ensure that it supports such brilliant

initiatives to produce more talents.”

Each of the team mates were guided

by newly recruited technical brains of David Duncan and Augustine Arhinful to

append their signatures to documents and picked their respective jersey

numbers.

Gabriel Darko from the Central

Region who arrived first was followed by Ephraim K Lumor, Greater Accra,

Abubakar Saddiq and Joseph Adams from Central Region, Joseph Adams, Central

Region, Dennis Ofori from Greater Accra, Abdul Karim and Manfred Smith

Osei from the Eastern Region completed the first batch of entrants.

The rest of the house mates were

Samuel Somuah and Godwin Gakpo from the Volta Region, Kwaku Frimpong Boafo from

Greater Accra, Kenneth Ackah -Ashanti Region, Kobinah Essien -Central Region,

Hoffman Maselino and Bernard Gyimah also from Greater Accra Region to complete

the second batch of players for the show.

At stake will be a 4x4 and Hyundai

i10 cars, 10,000 Cedis as well as a 14-day Summer Camp with English giants

Liverpool and Chelsea.