corinthiano

The Final Chapter - Ghana Ghana is a country in West Africa that borders Ivory Coast to the West, Burkina Faso to the North and Togo to the East. It is the second most populous country in West Africa after Nigeria with 32 million inhabitants. Accra is the capital and largest city, with its Metropolitan area having over 5 million inhabitants. As with most West African countries, there are several ethnicities in Ghana, but Aka represents almost half of the population. The official language of the country is English. Before European colonization the Kindgom of Ashanti ruled the southern part of what is now Ghana from its capital Kumasi and was rich due to the presence of gold in the region. Gold was also what first attracted Europeans to Ghana, with the Portuguese the first to settle there and build trading castles. Due to the presence of Gold the region was named Gold Coast. Portuguese were followed by Dutch, German and eventually the British who were the ones who ultimately took control after defeating the Ashanti Empire in 1900. Ghana gained independence, proclaimed by Kwameh Krumah, who was its first prime minister until 1966. He was overthrown due to this authoritarian regime that repressed opposition and did not hold free and fair elections. He was overthrown by the Ghana Armed Forces and a period of military rule under Jerry John Rawlings followed until he restored a multi-party system in 1992, winning the first two elections. Since then Ghana has been an example of democracy in the region, with power changing between political parties with little turmoil and no infighting. Ghana is rich in natural resources such as gold, minerals and some oil, but it has focused on developing its economy, aiming to become industrialized and be a technology hub for the region. Other than rich minerals Ghana is also the second largest exporter of Cocoa. Due to political and economic stability there is decent tourism in Ghana, with decent infrastructure to visit old Ashanti Empire locations, as well as historical forts from the colonization period. It has some World Heritage sites such as Ashanti buildings and coastal forts. Football in Ghana Football was introduced to Ghana at the close of the 19th century by merchants from Europe and it spread like wildfire, with the first club, Excelsior, being formed in 1903. Since independence the sport has been administered by the Ghana Football Association. The Black Stars are one of the most successful sides in Africa, having conquered the African Cup of Nations 4 times pre-game, as well as reaching the Quarter Finals once. They have only claimed one more AFCON since then and reached the Last 16 of the World Cup once. The Ghana Premier League was formed in 1956 and has been dominated by Asante Kotoko from Kumasi and Hearts of Oak from Accra, two teams with African pedigree pre-game, which has been significantly extended in-game. Pre-Game Asante Kotoko has 24 titles versus 21 of Hearts of Oak, with Ashanti Gold from Obuasi the next successful team with 4 titles. This dominance has continued as both won all titles other than 7, with Accra Lions and Berekum Chelsea claiming a single trophy and WAFA SC winning 5. In terms of clubs to pick there are a few decent ones, with Medeama SC, who Kojo just beat in the Confederation Cup Final, and Tema Youth the two 2.5 star teams. Karela FC, Bechem Utd and Real Tamale are the other decent teams. Taking over Real Tamale would be nice as Kojo is from the Northern Region, not too far from Tamale.

2078/79 Season Review What a season, the core of the team remained and we added a few faces that made a huge difference to the team. Our NPFL title is mostly down to the excellent start to the season, we dropped our first points almost at the halfway stage and despite wobbling in the second half of the season and equally inconsistent Adamawa Utd could not catch us. Part of the inconsistency was tired legs as we yet again went all the way to the final in the Confederation Cup, but this time as a much stronger side and we didnt really face any competition to get a first continental trophy for Ifeanyi Ubah. Squad by Appearances We used a ton of players this season again, probably more than last season - but the difference is that they were all OK with their role in the squad so there was little complaining being done. Best Eleven This year it was the turn of Lorenzo to be introduced to the all time Best XI. Awards NPFL Confederation Cup Awards galore this season as we won Best Player in both NPFL and Confederation Cup and had 7/8 out of the 11 players in the Best Team. Top Performers What a signing he was, contributed so much from the AP and Mezzala roles. Initially I brought him in to replace Lorenzo, but the Lorenzo stayed and I thought he would be a back up, but Abiola got injured in the beginning of the season and Bassole scored so much I just couldnt take him out of the team! Played largely as AP this season so didnt score as much, but was key in our build up play. Finances One of my last acts was to get Training and Youth Facilities improved, which leaves the club short on cash but well set up in their infrastructure. Progress After 4 great seasons the job in Nigeria is done and Kojo can return home!

Thanks! Just one more country to go!

April/May/June 2079 The games just kept piling up in the Confederation Cup and Fed Cup to the point the NPFL almost became an afterthought. We had a great run in the Confederation Cup and actually managed to win the title quite easily, which included a nice semi-final win against former club Cosmos. The Fed Cup was never kind to Kojo during his stay in Nigeria and that continued as we were knocked out in the Last 16 by Kano Pillars. We were leading 3-2 with 5 minutes to go but lost focus and let them turn it around. In the NFPL the big game against Adamawa came up and after we won that comfortably I thought that was the title wrapped up seeing as we just needed 1 point from 3 games. But we again made it harder for ourselves by losing the next two and leaving everything for the final game. That final game was luckily straightforward enough a d we clinched a first NPFL for Ifeanyi Ubah! Milestones

Almost there but certainly no guarantees yet! I think we are lucky both Enyimba Aba and Kano Pillars were off the pace this year.

March 2079 We are doing our best to try and bottle the title, but luckily so are Adamawa Utd. We were poor in the NPFL this month, winning two and losing two. We even struggled to get past an already relegated Warri Wolves and only started scoring midway through the second half. We are leading by 8 points and need 8 more from the last 4 games to mathematically secure the title. In the Confederation Cup it has been plain sailing and we have already secured first place in the group. Next Fixtures We have cup distractions before the final stretch in the NPFL with a potential title decider against Adamawa Utd included.

February 2079 We wobbled in the NPFL with a couple of poor performances against sides in the lower half of the table. Luckily Adamawa Utd wobbled more and we are 11 points ahead with an extra game and only 8 games to go. In the Confederation Cup a solid start has put us in a good position to get out of the group. Next Fixtures Some tricky games in the NPFL and we need to keep performing in the final stretch. Hoping we can have qualification to the Quarters of the Confederation Cup secured by the end of the month.

January 2079 Not a perfect month as we drop points at home to Kwara Utd, but Adamawa dropped more points and we now have a 12 point lead with two extra games. Transfers Out Making some money on a couple of fringe players. Next Fixtures We start our Confederation Cup group campaign and need to ensure it doesnt impact our league performance.

December 2078 The first couple of losses and Adamawa Utd are now 6 point behind and have a game in hand to make it a two horse race. Losing at their place was tough but understandable, but the loss against Abia Comets was unexpected, especially as we really picked up some good form and even thrashed Enyimba Aba. CAF Confederation Cup That is not a terrible draw, I think we make can it through here. Next Fixtures Would be great to go 100% this month and put some pressure on Adamawa Utd. We have 7 players going to the AFCON so expect some absentees for the Abeokuta Stormers game.

November 2078 Unbelievably we keep winning games and are now sitting at the top with 3 points ahead and two games in hand. Even better, by beating both Kano Pillars and Enyimba Aba at their place we have made it really difficult for them to get back into this race as they continue to be inconsistent. In the Confederation Cup we get a nice 2 goal advantage to take with us to the second leg. Transfers In Out The transfer business has been mostly about replacing squad depth and giving us more options as I dont want to disrupt the balance of the first team. The two loanees will provide cover at the back, whilst Ngunyi at DLP and Kadri at right back replace Sibabi-Guile and Sithole as back-ups respectively. The only player who will fight for a first team place is young defender Etari who could feature for us often at centre back. Next Fixtures We'll try to finish the job in South Africa to get into the Confederation Cup Group Stages before we play our two closest rivals in two games that could give us an even bigger edge in the title race.

October 2078 Amazingly we keep producing results and are still 100% in the NPFL and 2nd with 2 points and 3 games in hand to Adamawa Utd. Enyimba Aba and Kano Pillars continue their poor start to the season which is also great. Transfers Out Peguy lost his starting spot to Ipoua and it made sense to let him go once he started complaining, especially as we still have good cover at AP. Napo has been unhappy for a while as back-up DLP so $500k was great for him. He does leave us short at back-up though so I will try and address it before the end of the transfer window. Next Fixtures This will be an interesting month as we go to the two struggling big clubs, which will be tough regardless of how they are doing so far this season. In the Confederation Cup we have the first leg of a tricky tie against South Africa's Amazulu to get into the Group Stage.

August/September 2078 I knew the initial fixtures were winnable but I am really happy with the performances and a great 100% start in the NPFL. The only draw in the month was as the second string went to DRC Congo with a 3 goal lead in the tie. This all without Abiola who has been injured for almost two months... Transfers Out Louis wasnt happy I brought in Bonsu so off he went before he unsettled the squad. Next Fixtures We have a couple of tougher fixtures this month in the NPFL but hopefully we can keep a good start going. In the Confederation Cup we should be able to see it through against AS-FAN from Niger.

2078/79 Season Preview Our odds have been cut from 33-1 to 20-1, but we are only predicted to finish a place higher. Not a lot of additions to the squad but plenty of young players improving and plenty to be excited about. We have moved into the 6,870 capacity Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium, almost tripling our previous capacity and we have another African campaign to look forward to. The board still just expects us to finish in the Top Half but I want to be a lot closer to the top this season. Transfers In Out Little movement this season as we bring in a few free transfers and invest big on a young left back from Ghana. On the outgoing front we offload a few unhappy squad players and youngsters that didnt make it. Comes in on a free from South Africa and will compete for a starting spot. The big investment, exciting youngster with bags of potential. Assistant XI Fair assessment, it feels like we have a well rounded squad now. Initial Fixtures A decent few fixtures in the NFPL so I hope we can hit the ground running. We also start our Confederation Cup campaign and I am confident we can get post DRC Congo opposition.

2077/78 West African Review CAF Champions League What a performance from West Africa this season with a whopping 10 out 16 teams at this stage, and 6 of them making it into the Quarter-Final. The West African dominance continued with all-regional final and a bit of a surprise as CNEPS Excellence claim their 4th title. CAF Confederation Cup Naturally a lot less teams here with 5 only, but all of them make it into the next stage. It was Nigeria vs Morocco in the Semi Finals, with Nigeria prevailing. In the Final Kojo could not continue the upset and Enyimba Aba win their 3rd title. West African League Rankings Benin is the league making big moves as they go up 8 places and overtake Togo and Guinea along the way. Nigeria edge up to 3rd to make the top 3 leagues in Africa all from West Africa. League Champions One new champion in Guinea and not as many dominating teams winning the title this season. Former Champions MC Breweries: Were in an unplayable league this season but will be back in the second tier next season. Kamboi Eagles: Another decent season as they finish 8th. Nô Pintcha da Brava: Poor in the Liga Brava again as they finish 4th and are knocked out in the Semi Final of the Taça Brava. AFC Nhacra: Drop a bit this season and finish 5th in the league, still going out early in the Cup. Ayéma FC: Fall back into the Relegation Group, but dominate it and finish it in 1st. CNEPS Excellence: Underwhelming in Ligue 1 as they finish 4th, but do win the League Cup and most importantly a 4th Champions League title! Banjul Utd: Almost two relegations in two years as they finish 15th in the second tier and only 5 points off the drop. ASN NIGELEC: Couldnt retain the title but finished a good 3rd and got to the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Niger. In the Champions League they are knocked out in the Preliminary Round by ES Sahel from Tunisia. Unisport: Whipping boys of the Championship Group again with 6 points from 10 games. CFFEB: Finish 5th and are runners-up in the Coupe du Faso. Flamme Olympique: Couldnt make it three in a row and finish 2nd in Ligue 1. Get a tough draw in the Champions League and are knocked out by Kano Pillars in the Preliminary Round. Avenir AC: Slightly better as they finish 4th and get to the Quarter Final of the Coupe du Mali. Cosmos: Second to ASEC Mimosas again. In African football they lose to eventual Champions League champions CNEPS Excellence in the First Round and then to the eventual Confederation Cup champions Enyimba Aba in the Quarter Final.

2077/78 Season Review A combination of too many singings unsettling the squad and fixture congestion due to African competition meant we were not as consistent as last season and hovered around the top part of mid-table most of the season. A decent run towards the end of the season meant we pipped Kano Pillars to 4th place and with Ebedei winning the Fed Cup we secured African football for next season too. In the cups we did brilliantly to get to the Confederation Cup final but were not good enough to beat Enyimba Aba on the day. The money we made from the run was re-invested in both training and youth facility upgrades. In the Fed Cup yet another disappointing performance as we get knocked out way too early by second tier opposition. Squad by Appearances Way too many players used this season. Most unhappy players have or will move on for the next season and I will try to go easy on the signings next season (but cant promise anything ) Best Eleven Charles Bideas was also introduced as back-up keeper in the All-Time Best Xi of the club. Awards Some more recognition this year, Kojo wins manager of the year for the second year in a row, but we have a first time Best Team inclusion for Donald Agbo, whilst Abiola is the third best scorer in the league at just 17. Top Performers Abiola has scored a lot but so has Lorenzo! Amazingly Enyimba Aba have let us have him for another year without paying his wages! Great season again and is developing nicely into an excellent striker. No interest on him yet, lets pray it keeps like this. Donald Agbo may have gotten into the Team of the Season but Mohamed Sou has actually performed better out of the 2 and at 20 is still improving. Finances Decent profit and that is with the facilities investment. The board have given us decent budgets for next season so we can improve the squad if we want. Progress We went backwards a bit, so hoping that we can be more consistent in the NPFL next season.

May/June 2078 Injuries meant that we were just putting out whatever team was fit enough until the second leg of the Confederation Cup against Wydad Casablanca. We managed to do OK until then other than the freak exit in the Federation Cup to Abeokuta Stormers from the second tier. The final of the Confederation Cup was against the strong Enyimba Aba side and we were no match for them. We did bounce back from that defeat however and snyuck into 4th place, which could get us to the Confederation Cup if Ebedei, who are in the Semi Final, win the Federation Cup. Transfers In Out With the transfer window opening before the season ended we sealed some pre-arranged signings. Fabricio Galvis was a mistake as I was excited to get someone from South America in, but he wont be more than a back-up striker. The other two youngsters though will challenge for the first team. On the outgoing front two youngsters that didnt make it are heading out.

April 2078 There was some heavy rotation of the squad as we navigated a packed month. It almost cost us a place in the Confederation Cup Semi-FInals but the second string just about held on to the second leg after the first team won 3-0 in Ghana. In the NPFL mostly good results other than at the end of the month when we ran out of legs with 3 games in 6 days. Next Fixtures We go into May still in 3 competitions and we'll likely prioritize the cups as more than a 5th place in the NPFL will be tough.

This is a great experiment! Love how the Caribbean is dominating CONCACAF!

March 2078 Inconsistent result in the NPFL keep us some distance from the top places, but we put in a great away performance at Raja Casablanca before a mad 7-3 against Gor Mahia sees us qualify in first in our group with a game to go in the Confederation Cup. Next Fixtures The fixtures in the NPFL are a little kinder so hopefully we can be more consistent, but I expect the month to be busy with the Confederation Cup Quarter Finals and Fed Cup coming up.

February 2078 Not a bad month at all, maybe should have gone a bit more aggressive against Raja Casablanca and Enyimba Aba, but avoiding defeat against them is a good result. We are still some way off the Top 3 in the NFPL, but we have put ourselves in a good position in the Confederation Cup. Next Fixtures No easy month again, would like us to get closer to the Quarters in the Confederation Cup and the top 3 in the NFPL.

January 2078 I knew it was a tough month but we should have done better and slide into mid-table yet again... Transfers Out Just another squad player leaving. Next Fixtures We start out Confederation Cup group campaign, which is not going to make it easier to climb up the table again.

December 2077 An outstanding December means we are now right in the middle of the chasing pack behind Enyimba Aba. Players have started to gel and Abiola picked up some form after a poor start to the season and we seem to be getting to the level we were last season now. CAF Confederation Cup I like this draw and chances of finishing second behind Raja Casablanca. Transfers Out Clearing out some of the unhappy squad players. Musa-Bichi is the only one we'll miss a bit, but we still have decent cover up front. Milestones Next Fixtures Some tough away games before the mid-season break.

November 2077 We had a shocker this month and I have to take the blame for it. Too many signings were made in the off season and we have quite a disgruntled squad. Some players are leaving in the next few months and hopefully that helps. On the plus side it looks like Group Stage football is all but guaranteed as we go to Egypt and dismantle Ismaily. Transfers In Out Puleng Ngwenya comes from South Africa as a lot of defenders/right backs will leave in the next couple of months. Mukudy Antony also got a good bid from our former club and as he slipped down the pecking order it was a good deal, especially with him coming back on loan. Next Fixtures Its a packed December and we need to get back on track so we can fight for African football next season.

October 2077 Two outstanding results in the NPFL as we comfortably beat both Enyimba Aba and Kano Pillars at their place! Drawing at home to Heartland F.C. was a downer as we should have won that comfortably but we are in a good spot right now. In the Champions League Sundowns were by far the superior team and deserved to go through. Transfers In Out Left-back was a weak spot in the team and I moved early in the mid-season transfer window to get a good young player in Diallo and a first team option in Priso. I'll only look to make more signings if someone really good pops up in our radar as we have a few unsettled players already in the team and I dont want to disrupt it even further, I may actually look to offload some of those unhappy players. Next Fixtures In the NPFL the game against Katsina Utd will be tough, but I would like to win the rest to keep momentum. And we get another tough draw in Africa as Egyptians Ismaily stand between us and a Confederation Cup Group Stage appearance.

August/September 2077 This was an excellent month considering the fixtures were tricky and we still havent really found our best XI. The points dropped against PLateau Utd were disappointing but at least our rivals are dropping points too. In the Champions League we had a very tight affair against Simba, who deservedly beat us at their place, but were lucky to only concede one in the return leg. In the end we squeeze through on penalties. Next Fixtures A huge and difficult month as we travel to Enyimba Aba and Kano Pillars in the NPFL this month and will do well to get two points from those games. In the Champions League we have a very tough draw against Sundowns, so lets see if we can get into the Group Stage.