A goal from Ashanti Glittering Stars midfielder Nana Kojo Oduro was enough for the Kumasi based Deaf football team to beat Osu Ambassadors of Accra 1:0 in the final of the second edition of the Ghana Deaf Football Association (GDFA) gala held in Accra to select a formidable team for the National Deaf Football team, the Black Wonders.
The one day gala, which saw eight participating deaf teams from various parts of the country had Madina Hearts of Wolfs picking Bronze after beating Red Stars from Asamankese by 3:1 on penalties in a game that ended in a goalless draw in regulation time.
Coach for Black Wonders Mr Winfred Chartey Annan, who noted of the high spirited performance from the various teams, said the game was intentionally fixed for Saturday, May 25 to coincide with the birthday of the Director General of National Sports Authority Professor Peter Twumasi, who has been very supportive since being appointed into office.
“First of all I would like to thank the Staff of NSA, especially Professor Twumasi and his team for the unflinching support for making this second edition of the Deaf football gala a success.
“There was a very high and intense performances from all the teams, which is very good for the national team, we have some upcoming games and it was very important we held this gala to get a formidable team to augment what we have” he said.
According to coach Annan, the national team has been performing brilliantly at tournaments but lacked the funds or sponsorship, which has really affected the team.
“We have very good players with the team and we would add a lot from the skills exhibited here today, but the problem has always been funds or sponsorship.
“We don’t want these talents to go waste, so I would use this opportunity to call on individuals and corporate bodies to come to our aid and support our course as we prepare for the West Africa Deaf Football tournament in Sierra Leone in September this year”.
The second edition of the Deaf Football Gala, which had eight out of the 16 registered deaf teams participating in the one-day event had teams like Tema Deaf FC, Western Warrior DFC, (Takoradi), Kasoa DFC, Red Star DFC (Asamankese), Ambassador DFC, Heart of Wolf DFC, Shining Star DFC and Ashanti Glitters Stars DFC in a gala that was first organized in 2015 but went on break due to financial constraints.
By Emmanuel Asante Attakora