Something had to give in this most crucial of fixtures in the English Premier League.
Arsenal came into this fixture knowing that the mental advantage stood overwhelmingly in the Blues corner. Everyone kept trumpeting the Drogba stat: 13 goals in 11 games vs Arsenal in all competitions. And when the game started, the Ivorian looked decidedly intent on inflicting more damage.
Alex Song started imposing himself onto the game early on, and his efforts were rewarded just before halftime, after Fabregas looked to have been fouled by Ferreira in the build up.
The second half saw Marouane Chamakh (Morocco) thrown into the fray but not before Arsenal had gone 3-0 up. Drogba had to have his way though, as Chelsea scored a consolation through Branislav Ivanovic's header from the Ivorian's freekick.
a3-1c
Simão | Myspace Video
Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Mikel Obi did not do much, as per their standards, and the result leaves Ancelloti wondering what his fate would be.
Update #1:
Here's proof of how Song was instrumental fared in the game. Thanks to Guardian Chalkboards.
by Guardian Chalkboards
Update #2:
Thanks to @Orbinho for this: the pass completion rate for Chamakh was 100%, Drogba - 63%, Mikel - 87% and Essien - 87%.
Showing posts with label michael essien. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michael essien. Show all posts
Monday, December 27, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Milovan Rajevac: inside story of how Ghana coach quit Black Stars.
This piece was first published online on Thursday, September 9, 2010 on the following page ( http://ghana.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/milovan-rajevac-inside-story-of-how-ghana-coach-quit-black-stars.html ).
As you can see it has been pulled down from that page because a party mentioned in this piece felt hard done by and issued legal threats against me and the owners of the page where it was first published.
However, this is my personal page. And I doubt if I will pull it down, or receive any legalese...
As far as I am concerned there is nothing malicious about this piece. It states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.
The following is a re-publication of the article.
Cheers,
Gary Al-Smith
***
Christopher Opoku sews together a colourful tapestry of the story of Ghana’s relationship with Milovan Rajevac, who has now left the team after guiding it to the last eight in South Africa.
So another era is gone with the exit of Ghana’s head coach, Milovan Rajevac. Contractual disagreements, procrastination plus a break down in trust were factors that ultimately led to his exit and now, for the first time in over two years, another battle royale for the position has already begun.
This piece will attempt to give a clear picture into the events that resulted in the Serbian coach’s decision to leave Ghana for a lucrative job with one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs, Al-Ahli Jeddah.
As you will no doubt be aware, Milovan Rajevac was one of the coaches managed by football management agency, Virtus International, who brokered the deal to get him the Ghana job in August 2008. I use the word ‘was’ because what you are about to read will probably explain why he might no longer be on their books.
The football agency is managed by football agent Goran Milovanovic, who clearly saw the potential in Ghanaian talents and had indeed signed a number of them on the books of Virtus before the Rajevac deal was sealed.
As you may well know, a football agent’s role is to manage either players or managers/coaches, see to their welfare as per employment and obviously take a cut out of the client’s earnings and that is why these days, it is the agents who broker deals on behalf of their clients. Milo’s deal with the Ghana Football Association [GFA] clearly was a boost to Virtus because, through the national team, the Black Stars, some of the players signed up could get opportunities at national level and by so doing, increase their sell-on value.
Also Milo would have been given a brief: to study some national players and recommend them for recruitment by the agency. That is why, after the likes of Samuel Inkoom and Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu signed on for the agency, the widely held perception was that Virtus was influencing Milo’s squad selections, a perception strongly denied by the agency on the grounds that famed French football agent, Fabien Piveteau [profile is in French] had more players in the Black Stars squad than Virtus, including the likes of Michael Essien and John Mensah.
It was clear however that the marriage between Virtus International and Milo Rajevac was a happy one over the two year period. His achievements with the Black Stars over this period served to, at certain points, make the arguments about the football agency’s influence on the team irrelevant because, getting the Black Stars to two continental finals and a World Cup quarterfinal clearly showed that he was doing a good job.
His preference for younger players ultimately proved inspired and if there is one thing Milo did for Ghana, he shattered the aura of untouchability surrounding certain Ghana players and in so doing, brought a lot of competition for places in the team. Gradually, in spite of the fact that Daniel Agyei, Lee Addy, Stephen Ahorlu, Prince Tagoe, Yaw Antwi and recently John Boye and Jonathan Mensah are all on the books of Virtus International, results showed that it did not matter too much.
Also, Virtus International invested in the creation of one of Ghana’s most popular and creible football sites, ghanasoccernet.com which delighted fans and pundits from far and wide with up-to-the minute details about national players, some of which were players on the books of Virtus. The Chief Executive of ghanasoccernet.com and afrikansoccernet.com, another website for African football news, is Benedict Papa Yaw Sarpong, who is the Ghana representative for Virtus International.
Soon, as I have already mentioned, the website became hugely popular and was almost always ahead of the rest, giving exclusive news about Ghana football, with specific reference to the Black Stars. So after the World Cup in South Africa, when there was news about the possibility of Milo Rajevac signing a contract renewal with the GFA, ghanasoccernet.com became the place to go to for any news on the deal. Eventually, on 30th August, 2010, the website published a story headlined, ‘Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac finally signs new deal’.
To tell you the truth, I was delighted because I think Milo has been good for the team and his staying on, would only have benefitted the team. The story went on to reveal that in spite of some other offers, including one from Al –Ahli Jeddah, the Serbian coach had decided to stay with Ghana and had indeed signed the contract. My joy was eventually smashed when the Ghana Football Association came out to deny the story. So, the first question you might be asking yourself, is, what actually happened?
Well, after some investigations were conducted, the findings are as follows:
■ A 4-year contract was discussed, negotiated and agreed by the GFA, Milo and crucially Goran Milovanovic
■ A memorandum of understanding was either signed, or close to being signed by Milovan Rajevac.
■ The contract was sent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for ratification, but because certain government elements objected to Milo staying on, the ratification dragged.
■ In that time frame, Al –Ahli Jeddah doubled their offer for Milovan Rajevac and when his contract expired on 17th August, he decided to examine his options
■ Apparently, Milo began to feel that Goran, and by extension, Virtus International were going to get a a huge financial slice of the new contract since they were his managers.
■ Milo apparently told top GFA Officials that he felt that ‘he was being fleeced’ by Virtus International in the deal
Add all the above-mentioned issues up, and as ex-international Mohammed Polo put it, Ghana was sitting on a time bomb, which eventually began to detonate when news broke that Milo had been to Saudi Arabia to sign a deal. What we know now was that communication lines were open between Milo and Al Ahli Jeddah before the Ghana game against Swaziland and indeed, some form of agreement was arrived at.
That explains why the Serbian coach was able to describe the rumours of his trip to Saudi Arabia as nonsense, but he clearly stunned the GFA officials later that night, after Ghana’s 3-0 win over Swaziland, by telling them that due to problems with Goran, he needed a week to take a decision. So to some extent, the news that the GFA had given him a week’s ultimatum to decide was not a clear representation of events, because that was when Milo told them that ‘he was being fleeced’.
Milo thus went behind the back of Virtus and left for Saudi Arabia to finish negotiations over the deal. A clearly frustrated and angry Goran began to speak to the Ghana media, blasting Milo for taking a decision that did not have his say-so, and also accusing him of betraying Ghanaians. But in business terms, because Virtus are not entitled to anything substantial from the Al–Ahli Jeddah deal, financially, Goran had lost out because apart from the healthy financial slice he would have enjoyed had Milo signed the Ghana deal, it was a major blow to the master plan of recruiting more Ghanaian players on the books of Virtus because the influence on the national team, if any, is now totally out of the window.
As I said earlier, I am unhappy at the turn of events and I believe the GFA are in a tight corner now. They now have to meet to decide whether Kwasi Appiah [assistant under Rajevac] will handle the team in a caretaker capacity and when I enquired, I was reliably informed that that decision had not been taken. For now, Milo has signed a deal worth a minimum of $110,000 a month with other perks and we have to say well done to him, but it is now time to move on.
The future
Already, an Arab football agent called Mohammed Habashy is talking to one of my colleagues in a bid to get one of his clients, Heron Ricardo Ferreira, to coach the Black Stars and indeed I have had the privilege of sighting Perreira’s CV. Unfortunately, despite being offered a cut in the deal to bring Ferreira to Ghana, my colleague is not interested because he supports the principle of a local coach.
Milo’s departure will no doubt sadden the players but this could mean a return to the national team for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, as well as Eric Bekoe [plays for Petrojet in Egypt] when he recovers fully from his injury.
One thing that I am wondering is that if you recall I was told by Virtus a few months back that when Bekoe broke his deal with them, he was liable to pay 1 million Euros for breach of contract, but they decided to let him off, so the question is whether the same courtesies will be extended to Milo, whose relationship with Goran at this stage looks irretrievably damaged.
Of course, others might speculate that perhaps Goran’s public show of frustration in the Ghana media could end up being a cover up for being fully aware of the Saudi deal but for now, I am dealing with the facts available.
Already, Ratomir Djukovic [who handled Ghana at Germany 2006] has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Milo, but as to whether he is now prepared to deal with the media, which was one of the reasons he cited for not renewing his contract after the 2006 World Cup remains to be seen. Also others seem to think that this is the right time for former France captain, Marcel Desailly to take over the team.
Personally, I think we can do no worse than a coaching duo of David Duncan and Maxwell Konadu to take over the team and crucially given all the support given to Milo Rajevac, but my biggest fear is that it could turn out to be nothing but a pipe dream because of preconceived notions about local coaches.
About the author
Christopher Opoku – get him on Facebook – is the Head of Sports at Metro TV in Ghana. This piece was published in yesterday’s edition [September 10, 2010] of the 'Graphic Sports' newspaper - the country's biggest selling sports paper.
As you can see it has been pulled down from that page because a party mentioned in this piece felt hard done by and issued legal threats against me and the owners of the page where it was first published.
However, this is my personal page. And I doubt if I will pull it down, or receive any legalese...
As far as I am concerned there is nothing malicious about this piece. It states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.
The following is a re-publication of the article.
Cheers,
Gary Al-Smith
***
Christopher Opoku sews together a colourful tapestry of the story of Ghana’s relationship with Milovan Rajevac, who has now left the team after guiding it to the last eight in South Africa.
So another era is gone with the exit of Ghana’s head coach, Milovan Rajevac. Contractual disagreements, procrastination plus a break down in trust were factors that ultimately led to his exit and now, for the first time in over two years, another battle royale for the position has already begun.
This piece will attempt to give a clear picture into the events that resulted in the Serbian coach’s decision to leave Ghana for a lucrative job with one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest clubs, Al-Ahli Jeddah.
As you will no doubt be aware, Milovan Rajevac was one of the coaches managed by football management agency, Virtus International, who brokered the deal to get him the Ghana job in August 2008. I use the word ‘was’ because what you are about to read will probably explain why he might no longer be on their books.
The football agency is managed by football agent Goran Milovanovic, who clearly saw the potential in Ghanaian talents and had indeed signed a number of them on the books of Virtus before the Rajevac deal was sealed.
As you may well know, a football agent’s role is to manage either players or managers/coaches, see to their welfare as per employment and obviously take a cut out of the client’s earnings and that is why these days, it is the agents who broker deals on behalf of their clients. Milo’s deal with the Ghana Football Association [GFA] clearly was a boost to Virtus because, through the national team, the Black Stars, some of the players signed up could get opportunities at national level and by so doing, increase their sell-on value.
Also Milo would have been given a brief: to study some national players and recommend them for recruitment by the agency. That is why, after the likes of Samuel Inkoom and Emmanuel Agyeman-Badu signed on for the agency, the widely held perception was that Virtus was influencing Milo’s squad selections, a perception strongly denied by the agency on the grounds that famed French football agent, Fabien Piveteau [profile is in French] had more players in the Black Stars squad than Virtus, including the likes of Michael Essien and John Mensah.
It was clear however that the marriage between Virtus International and Milo Rajevac was a happy one over the two year period. His achievements with the Black Stars over this period served to, at certain points, make the arguments about the football agency’s influence on the team irrelevant because, getting the Black Stars to two continental finals and a World Cup quarterfinal clearly showed that he was doing a good job.
His preference for younger players ultimately proved inspired and if there is one thing Milo did for Ghana, he shattered the aura of untouchability surrounding certain Ghana players and in so doing, brought a lot of competition for places in the team. Gradually, in spite of the fact that Daniel Agyei, Lee Addy, Stephen Ahorlu, Prince Tagoe, Yaw Antwi and recently John Boye and Jonathan Mensah are all on the books of Virtus International, results showed that it did not matter too much.
Also, Virtus International invested in the creation of one of Ghana’s most popular and creible football sites, ghanasoccernet.com which delighted fans and pundits from far and wide with up-to-the minute details about national players, some of which were players on the books of Virtus. The Chief Executive of ghanasoccernet.com and afrikansoccernet.com, another website for African football news, is Benedict Papa Yaw Sarpong, who is the Ghana representative for Virtus International.
Soon, as I have already mentioned, the website became hugely popular and was almost always ahead of the rest, giving exclusive news about Ghana football, with specific reference to the Black Stars. So after the World Cup in South Africa, when there was news about the possibility of Milo Rajevac signing a contract renewal with the GFA, ghanasoccernet.com became the place to go to for any news on the deal. Eventually, on 30th August, 2010, the website published a story headlined, ‘Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac finally signs new deal’.
To tell you the truth, I was delighted because I think Milo has been good for the team and his staying on, would only have benefitted the team. The story went on to reveal that in spite of some other offers, including one from Al –Ahli Jeddah, the Serbian coach had decided to stay with Ghana and had indeed signed the contract. My joy was eventually smashed when the Ghana Football Association came out to deny the story. So, the first question you might be asking yourself, is, what actually happened?
Well, after some investigations were conducted, the findings are as follows:
■ A 4-year contract was discussed, negotiated and agreed by the GFA, Milo and crucially Goran Milovanovic
■ A memorandum of understanding was either signed, or close to being signed by Milovan Rajevac.
■ The contract was sent to the Ministry of Youth and Sports for ratification, but because certain government elements objected to Milo staying on, the ratification dragged.
■ In that time frame, Al –Ahli Jeddah doubled their offer for Milovan Rajevac and when his contract expired on 17th August, he decided to examine his options
■ Apparently, Milo began to feel that Goran, and by extension, Virtus International were going to get a a huge financial slice of the new contract since they were his managers.
■ Milo apparently told top GFA Officials that he felt that ‘he was being fleeced’ by Virtus International in the deal
Add all the above-mentioned issues up, and as ex-international Mohammed Polo put it, Ghana was sitting on a time bomb, which eventually began to detonate when news broke that Milo had been to Saudi Arabia to sign a deal. What we know now was that communication lines were open between Milo and Al Ahli Jeddah before the Ghana game against Swaziland and indeed, some form of agreement was arrived at.
That explains why the Serbian coach was able to describe the rumours of his trip to Saudi Arabia as nonsense, but he clearly stunned the GFA officials later that night, after Ghana’s 3-0 win over Swaziland, by telling them that due to problems with Goran, he needed a week to take a decision. So to some extent, the news that the GFA had given him a week’s ultimatum to decide was not a clear representation of events, because that was when Milo told them that ‘he was being fleeced’.
Milo thus went behind the back of Virtus and left for Saudi Arabia to finish negotiations over the deal. A clearly frustrated and angry Goran began to speak to the Ghana media, blasting Milo for taking a decision that did not have his say-so, and also accusing him of betraying Ghanaians. But in business terms, because Virtus are not entitled to anything substantial from the Al–Ahli Jeddah deal, financially, Goran had lost out because apart from the healthy financial slice he would have enjoyed had Milo signed the Ghana deal, it was a major blow to the master plan of recruiting more Ghanaian players on the books of Virtus because the influence on the national team, if any, is now totally out of the window.
As I said earlier, I am unhappy at the turn of events and I believe the GFA are in a tight corner now. They now have to meet to decide whether Kwasi Appiah [assistant under Rajevac] will handle the team in a caretaker capacity and when I enquired, I was reliably informed that that decision had not been taken. For now, Milo has signed a deal worth a minimum of $110,000 a month with other perks and we have to say well done to him, but it is now time to move on.
The future
Already, an Arab football agent called Mohammed Habashy is talking to one of my colleagues in a bid to get one of his clients, Heron Ricardo Ferreira, to coach the Black Stars and indeed I have had the privilege of sighting Perreira’s CV. Unfortunately, despite being offered a cut in the deal to bring Ferreira to Ghana, my colleague is not interested because he supports the principle of a local coach.
Milo’s departure will no doubt sadden the players but this could mean a return to the national team for Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, as well as Eric Bekoe [plays for Petrojet in Egypt] when he recovers fully from his injury.
One thing that I am wondering is that if you recall I was told by Virtus a few months back that when Bekoe broke his deal with them, he was liable to pay 1 million Euros for breach of contract, but they decided to let him off, so the question is whether the same courtesies will be extended to Milo, whose relationship with Goran at this stage looks irretrievably damaged.
Of course, others might speculate that perhaps Goran’s public show of frustration in the Ghana media could end up being a cover up for being fully aware of the Saudi deal but for now, I am dealing with the facts available.
Already, Ratomir Djukovic [who handled Ghana at Germany 2006] has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed Milo, but as to whether he is now prepared to deal with the media, which was one of the reasons he cited for not renewing his contract after the 2006 World Cup remains to be seen. Also others seem to think that this is the right time for former France captain, Marcel Desailly to take over the team.
Personally, I think we can do no worse than a coaching duo of David Duncan and Maxwell Konadu to take over the team and crucially given all the support given to Milo Rajevac, but my biggest fear is that it could turn out to be nothing but a pipe dream because of preconceived notions about local coaches.
About the author
Christopher Opoku – get him on Facebook – is the Head of Sports at Metro TV in Ghana. This piece was published in yesterday’s edition [September 10, 2010] of the 'Graphic Sports' newspaper - the country's biggest selling sports paper.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Michael Essien's injury: is he irreplaceable?
That the news is a telling blow is a given. The question is this: how would it affect our play?
Saw it coming
Many comments in the info-sphere in the past few hours show that a great many people were mentally prepared of this, given Michael’s own recent comments. In April, he told the Chelsea website that:
“If I make it for the World Cup then great – if not I have my whole career ahead of me. The last thing I want is to rush back and cause more problems down the line.”
A sound argument, but when he said that, many started feeling that the guy knew he wasn’t in good shape. Essien, as we know him, is a combative guy who does not go down unless he really is hurt. This is such a case.
The debate has been mostly about how unfortunate the whole thing is and crucially, how this would affect Ghana. Would we look back and say Essien’s absence cost us dearly?
Before we go on, take this quick poll:
So who replaces him?
Who in the Ghanaian team can bring what Essien brings to the side? In my opinion, nobody. His box-to-box effectiveness and his careful, accurate, passing as well as his multi-positional play and penchant to move forward and be an auxiliary striker are…well….priceless. I’m sure you agree.
Now, let’s look at the options.
Kwadwo Asamoah
I think the 21-year old Udinese dynamo is Essien-lite, but that’s all he is, Essien-lite. Yes, his passing ability is arguably better than Michael’s but he remains a very attacking minded midfielder. I’m yet to see anyone play Kwadwo as a utility player. That said, I feel he is the nearest to an Essien replacement in the Ghana setup.
Derek Boateng
Talented? Yes. Versatile? Yes. Essien’s kind of versatile? Nope. Derek is a good player whose form this past season with Getafe has been blistering, but he is miles away from being Michael. Derek is a good distributor of the ball and like Essien, can hold on to play if need be. But when it comes to strength and bull-like play, you have the wrong guy.
Bernard Yao Kumordzi
Think Nwankwo Kanu of Nigeria of Patrick Vieira of France. Perfect clone. A midfielder based in Greece with Panionios. The 25-year-old has also represented Norrkoping in Sweden and Egaleo in Greece having started his career in Ghana.
His tall and languid (not tall and lazy as some say) nature endears him to some brand of coaches, but he cannot replace Essien. Simple as that. A littel more about him: Bernard made his international debut for the Black Stars against Brazil in March 2007 and scored his first goal against Iran soon afterwards.
So what do we do?
Essien’s exclusion is now known, but we do not know if he may be taken in a Beckham-esque capacity to motivate the team. That would be a waste of space, because Essien is a very shy man, in terms of telling colleagues what to do and dictating play. He is not the Appiah kinda leader, sorry.
If Essien is dropped altogether, then it means that an extra seat on the plane needs to be filled. The bottom line is this we have to move on. And the coach knows it.
“There are other young and hungry players who will be equally passionate to play.”
The next few days would be very interesting. Who would/should Milovan put in Essien’s stead and how would it affect the team? Or are we even overblowing the issue?
Let’s hear you, while you vote as well.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Visual proof: Adebayor is now a City boy.
Togolese striker Sheyi Adebayor is officially now an Arsenal a cash cow - and a big one at that - after joining the Eastlanders for 25 million quid.This also means that he is the highest ever paid-for African player, overtaking Ghana's Michael Essien.
He's scored some fine goals but his time was up. The downloadable pdf brochure at Arseblog showed how much he had lost favour with the red faithful.
Good luck to him. Let's recap some of his finer Gunner moments, eh?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Etospheric offer from City: the lad is rising to dizzy heights.
After what seemed like a marathon session, Kaka traipsed to Real - as only he can - for what the world thought was an absurd 56 million pounds.
Before the dust settled, the same Real Madrid shocked the world when, days later, Cristiano Ronaldo finally went to Real Madrid for what the world now believed was a mad amount of 80 million pounds.
And that was the beginning of this summer’s transfer madness.
Between then and now, many players have moved to and from many clubs. Yet, another of the silly season’s bombshells is about to drop. This time, it’s got a distinctly African flavor to it.
British tabloids (the pix at the top is from The Sun) report that Cameroun’s Samuel Eto’o is this close to moving to Manchester City for a monstrous fee. Or in the words of Barcelona’s president, Joan Laporta, a ‘stratospheric offer’.
“Eto’o has a stratospheric offer from City, which would convert him into the best-paid player in the world.
“It’s starting to become clear that he has this monster offer. He wants to stay but an offer like this is very difficult to refuse. If Eto’o accepts this stratospheric offer, we will have to bring in someone.
“If Eto’o accepts Manchester City’s mammoth offer, we will need another striker.”
As if that is a problem for a club like Barca. Eto’o is a terrific goalscorer but we must admit that his instinct is dimming just a wee little bit.
He is not the same Samuel Eto’o who blasted his way past that Brazilian defence in the 2002 Confederations’ Cup. And so with players like David Villa, David Silva and even Carlos Tevez hovering in transfer limbo, that should not be (too much of) a problem.
From the continental perspective, Samuel Eto’o is well on his way to established African football greatness.
At the moment there is the argument that the Indomitable Lions man is the most decorated African footballer ever – with five African Nations’ Cup appearances and two titles, all-time African Cup top scorer with sixteen and one Olympic gold medal, two World Cup appearances, two Uefa Champions’ League titles (scored in both) and several other awards, it’s difficult to challenge that fact.
Eto’o is a terrific goalscorer but we must admit that his instinct is dimming just a wee little bit.
Yes, he hasn’t won the World Player of the Year like George Weah did and for me it is testament to the quality of opposition that Eto’o has in this day and age.
And oh, as we speak, Michael Essien is the most expensive African player after his move from Lyon to Chelsea for 24.5 million pounds.
Should the Cameroonian go to City he would be the highest paid English Premier League 'baller – eclipsing the record set for Robinho by the same Manchester City.
The sheikhs, really, are shaking the City of Manchester.
_____
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Ghana - Mali WCQ: Mind games begin (1)
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien says the Black Stars are going all outfor maximum points when they take on Mali in a World Cup qualifier today.
The Chelsea ace joined his Black Stars colleagues on early on Friday morning after a court appearance in Accra over his ex-girlfriend.
Despite his court appearance for two days, the midfielder was spotted in East Legon, a suburb of Accra, jogging at night to keep him fit for the Mali tie.
Essien insists that he is mentally focused for the crucial clash and he is confident the Black Stars can rake all three points in the game in Bamako.
“I have put behind me everything as we are all firmly focused for this game,” Essien told Ghanasoccernet.
“We are all ready to die for our country and I know we will succeed.
“We are not going for draw as we want the maximum three points in Mali. We have been to the World Cup and we want to go there again.”
Ghana will maintain top spot in Group Four if they beat the Malians in their backyard.
____
The Chelsea ace joined his Black Stars colleagues on early on Friday morning after a court appearance in Accra over his ex-girlfriend.
Despite his court appearance for two days, the midfielder was spotted in East Legon, a suburb of Accra, jogging at night to keep him fit for the Mali tie.
Essien insists that he is mentally focused for the crucial clash and he is confident the Black Stars can rake all three points in the game in Bamako.
“I have put behind me everything as we are all firmly focused for this game,” Essien told Ghanasoccernet.
“We are all ready to die for our country and I know we will succeed.
“We are not going for draw as we want the maximum three points in Mali. We have been to the World Cup and we want to go there again.”
Ghana will maintain top spot in Group Four if they beat the Malians in their backyard.
____
Thursday, June 04, 2009
The Essien love files.
Last month I told you that Chelsea ace Michael Essien was to be dragged to court over some issues with his ex-girl.
The issued threatened to deprive him the chance to play for the Black Stars on Sunday against Mali.
They've finally made it to court. Here's a report of proceedings by the Daily Guide.
"Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien, yesterday gave evidence in camera at an Accra Fast-Track High Court in connection with the controversial issue of whether he indeed married his old-time lover, Veralie Dela Ackumey.
The evidence, which lasted over three hours, had lawyers from both sides entering the chambers of Justice A.K. Ofori Atta, the presiding judge, around 12:00 noon till about 3:30 pm when Essien finally left the courtroom accompanied by some sports fans and admirers.
Sources close to his former lover who spoke on condition of anonymity told DAILY GUIDE that Essien, in his evidence, maintained he never married Ackumey whom he described as initially humble but later showed her true character by having fits of jealousy and tantrums which nearly destroyed his football career.
He also reportedly stated that his mother walked out of the knocking ceremony after the family of Ackumey demanded a ring after being told by their daughter it was an engagement ceremony while his mum insisted that they never had instructions to present an engagement ring.
To avert further confusion, a ring in Dela’s possession was put on her finger by one of her pastors.
The footballer also admitted that he indeed made a mistake when he prepared documents for her, naming her as his wife at the time he wanted her to join him in London.
Essien said it was his former football club managers who helped her to visit him as she did not have anybody in London.
Ms. Ackumey, who has dragged the Chelsea midfielder to court claiming she is his wife, has told the court she has video evidence to prove she was indeed married to him.
She is reported to have lost the case in a London court and is hoping to get lucky in Ghana this time around.
Narrating how they met, Essien stated that he met Ackumey, the plaintiff, when he arrived from France where he was on contract with Lyon through a friend and he said he started dating Ackumey, now a law student. He said he liked her because she posed as a very religious person.
He stated that he initially felt like helping his ex-girlfriend financially when she told him she was staying with friends and later gave her an invitation to visit him in Lyon. She did visit him but had some difficulty with the French language and had to be taught the basics.
The footballer also reportedly told the court that a relationship developed between them when she visited him, adding that they were staying together before his deal with Chelsea got through and he moved to London with her where they stayed in a hotel for a couple of months.
He also noted that at a point when he built a house at Sakaman, he told her about it and gave her money to buy some items to decorate the house when she arrived back in Ghana; but after buying the items, his lover parked her belongings as well and moved into the house, even though he did not ask her to and did not even know who her parents were.
Essien added however that he did not ask her to move out.
He narrated that on one occasion, when he arrived from London, she told him she wanted him to see her parents and they subsequently went to Kumasi where he got to know her mother.
In addition, he said after his visit to the plaintiff’s mum, Dela advised that since they were living together, he should present some drinks to the family for them to be aware that their daughter was really living with him.
The Chelsea midfielder explained that after one of her visits to London, he gave her money to give to his mother to buy some items for the knocking ceremony and the items were bought for the ceremony.
He said, unknown to him, the plaintiff, who had her own agenda, told her people it was going to be an engagement ceremony and when his mother and brothers went to perform the ceremony, the parents of the plaintiff demanded a ring to which his mum and siblings protested by walking out of the ceremony till a pastor took a ring the law student had in her possession and placed on her finger.
Essien said the obsession of the plaintiff became too much for him to bear and that at a point, his Public Relations Officer was forced to abandon him and he lost a lot of interview contracts among others.
Essien, the respondent, stated that afterwards, she used to live at his residence at Sakaman and often visited him in London until she started having fits of jealousy anytime he received calls even from friends.
Essien said the obsession of the plaintiff became too much for him to bear and that at a point, his Public Relations Officer was forced to abandon him and he lost a lot of interview contracts among others.
The respondent stated that the straw which broke the camel’s back was when one day she lied that she had been attacked by some armed robbers in London.
The Chelsea star said contrary to her claims, a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) in his home later showed Dela injuring herself, whereupon she wept and apologized and even called his mum to tell her she was sorry for staging the suicide act.
He said he later asked her to return to Ghana, which she did, only for her to return to London and start court proceedings against him.
Essien added that he wanted the court to determine if the rites he performed constituted a customary marriage. "
______
The issued threatened to deprive him the chance to play for the Black Stars on Sunday against Mali.
They've finally made it to court. Here's a report of proceedings by the Daily Guide.
"Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien, yesterday gave evidence in camera at an Accra Fast-Track High Court in connection with the controversial issue of whether he indeed married his old-time lover, Veralie Dela Ackumey.
The evidence, which lasted over three hours, had lawyers from both sides entering the chambers of Justice A.K. Ofori Atta, the presiding judge, around 12:00 noon till about 3:30 pm when Essien finally left the courtroom accompanied by some sports fans and admirers.
Sources close to his former lover who spoke on condition of anonymity told DAILY GUIDE that Essien, in his evidence, maintained he never married Ackumey whom he described as initially humble but later showed her true character by having fits of jealousy and tantrums which nearly destroyed his football career.
He also reportedly stated that his mother walked out of the knocking ceremony after the family of Ackumey demanded a ring after being told by their daughter it was an engagement ceremony while his mum insisted that they never had instructions to present an engagement ring.
To avert further confusion, a ring in Dela’s possession was put on her finger by one of her pastors.
The footballer also admitted that he indeed made a mistake when he prepared documents for her, naming her as his wife at the time he wanted her to join him in London.
Essien said it was his former football club managers who helped her to visit him as she did not have anybody in London.
Ms. Ackumey, who has dragged the Chelsea midfielder to court claiming she is his wife, has told the court she has video evidence to prove she was indeed married to him.
She is reported to have lost the case in a London court and is hoping to get lucky in Ghana this time around.
Narrating how they met, Essien stated that he met Ackumey, the plaintiff, when he arrived from France where he was on contract with Lyon through a friend and he said he started dating Ackumey, now a law student. He said he liked her because she posed as a very religious person.
He stated that he initially felt like helping his ex-girlfriend financially when she told him she was staying with friends and later gave her an invitation to visit him in Lyon. She did visit him but had some difficulty with the French language and had to be taught the basics.
The footballer also reportedly told the court that a relationship developed between them when she visited him, adding that they were staying together before his deal with Chelsea got through and he moved to London with her where they stayed in a hotel for a couple of months.
He also noted that at a point when he built a house at Sakaman, he told her about it and gave her money to buy some items to decorate the house when she arrived back in Ghana; but after buying the items, his lover parked her belongings as well and moved into the house, even though he did not ask her to and did not even know who her parents were.
Essien added however that he did not ask her to move out.
He narrated that on one occasion, when he arrived from London, she told him she wanted him to see her parents and they subsequently went to Kumasi where he got to know her mother.
In addition, he said after his visit to the plaintiff’s mum, Dela advised that since they were living together, he should present some drinks to the family for them to be aware that their daughter was really living with him.
The Chelsea midfielder explained that after one of her visits to London, he gave her money to give to his mother to buy some items for the knocking ceremony and the items were bought for the ceremony.
He said, unknown to him, the plaintiff, who had her own agenda, told her people it was going to be an engagement ceremony and when his mother and brothers went to perform the ceremony, the parents of the plaintiff demanded a ring to which his mum and siblings protested by walking out of the ceremony till a pastor took a ring the law student had in her possession and placed on her finger.
Essien said the obsession of the plaintiff became too much for him to bear and that at a point, his Public Relations Officer was forced to abandon him and he lost a lot of interview contracts among others.
Essien, the respondent, stated that afterwards, she used to live at his residence at Sakaman and often visited him in London until she started having fits of jealousy anytime he received calls even from friends.
Essien said the obsession of the plaintiff became too much for him to bear and that at a point, his Public Relations Officer was forced to abandon him and he lost a lot of interview contracts among others.
The respondent stated that the straw which broke the camel’s back was when one day she lied that she had been attacked by some armed robbers in London.
The Chelsea star said contrary to her claims, a Close Circuit Television (CCTV) in his home later showed Dela injuring herself, whereupon she wept and apologized and even called his mum to tell her she was sorry for staging the suicide act.
He said he later asked her to return to Ghana, which she did, only for her to return to London and start court proceedings against him.
Essien added that he wanted the court to determine if the rites he performed constituted a customary marriage. "
______
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Essien & the 50-50
Essien & the 50-50....sounds like a rock band eh?
Nope, it's not a rock band. It is the state of the situation.
Michael Essien breezed into town last night and at the Kotoka Int'l Airport he was met by some media people. Among them was Citi FM's Erasmus Kwao who interviewed the Bison.
In the interview Essien dropped a bombshell when asked if he would feature in the Mali game especially with his court case impending:
"As it stands it is 50-50 but I'll do anything to ensure that I can to play.
"I have to get this thing sorted out. I want to have this thing sorted so that it would not have an effect on me on the pitch."
An Accra High Court is set to rule on whether Michael indeed was married to his ex-lover Dela Ackumey.
"A girl I dated years ago has taken me to court so I have to come and get it out of the way, concentrate on my football and try to qualify for the World Cup," Essien said.
She wants compensation for Essien allegedly ditching her.
____
Nope, it's not a rock band. It is the state of the situation.
Michael Essien breezed into town last night and at the Kotoka Int'l Airport he was met by some media people. Among them was Citi FM's Erasmus Kwao who interviewed the Bison.
In the interview Essien dropped a bombshell when asked if he would feature in the Mali game especially with his court case impending:
"As it stands it is 50-50 but I'll do anything to ensure that I can to play.
"I have to get this thing sorted out. I want to have this thing sorted so that it would not have an effect on me on the pitch."
An Accra High Court is set to rule on whether Michael indeed was married to his ex-lover Dela Ackumey.
"A girl I dated years ago has taken me to court so I have to come and get it out of the way, concentrate on my football and try to qualify for the World Cup," Essien said.
She wants compensation for Essien allegedly ditching her.
____
Wanted: Essien and Adebayor in Milan!
Brazilian Leonardo has only been the new coach of Milan for a day, but the Brazilian has already highlighted some of the stars he wants.
With Chelsea taking Carlo Ancelotti, it is rumoured that he will take some of his favourite Rossoneri players with him to London. And Leonardo has asked that any potential deal see Michael Essien moving in the opposite direction, according to the Corriere dello Sport.
The 26-year-old missed the first half of the season through injury, but was extremely influential upon his return, especially during Chelsea's Champions League run to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Leonardo is reportedly also interested in acquiring Arsenal hitman Emmanuel Adebayor, who has frequently been linked with the Rossoneri over the past couple of years. The Togolese striker scored 15 goals in all competitions for the Gunners this season and is viewed as the idea man to add some strength to the Milan attack.
The Serie A giants came in third place in Serie A this season and were knocked out in the early stages of the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia, thus enduring a trophyless campaign.
PS: I'm also hearing that Milan could swap with Andrea Pirlo.
____
With Chelsea taking Carlo Ancelotti, it is rumoured that he will take some of his favourite Rossoneri players with him to London. And Leonardo has asked that any potential deal see Michael Essien moving in the opposite direction, according to the Corriere dello Sport.
The 26-year-old missed the first half of the season through injury, but was extremely influential upon his return, especially during Chelsea's Champions League run to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Leonardo is reportedly also interested in acquiring Arsenal hitman Emmanuel Adebayor, who has frequently been linked with the Rossoneri over the past couple of years. The Togolese striker scored 15 goals in all competitions for the Gunners this season and is viewed as the idea man to add some strength to the Milan attack.
The Serie A giants came in third place in Serie A this season and were knocked out in the early stages of the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia, thus enduring a trophyless campaign.PS: I'm also hearing that Milan could swap with Andrea Pirlo.
____
Monday, June 01, 2009
Ancelloti was a red. Ancelloti is a blue. His first English interview
We've seen a lot of coaches come through Chelsea in these few years. And they have had varying degrees of success.
And they have all worked with the Africans in the team in different capacities. Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Big Phil Scolari and until last Saturday, Guus Hiddink.
Claudio Ranieri was sacked in 2004, Jose Mourinho went in September 2007 and Grant also followed in May 2008. Scolari was kicked out in February.
Now another man has come to manage the team that has Ghana's Michael Essien and Nigeria's John Mikel Obi. Carlo Ancelloti left his job at Milan after their win against Fiorentina and is now in England.
This is his first English interview.
The team also includes Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba. Good luck to him.
_____
And they have all worked with the Africans in the team in different capacities. Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Big Phil Scolari and until last Saturday, Guus Hiddink.
Claudio Ranieri was sacked in 2004, Jose Mourinho went in September 2007 and Grant also followed in May 2008. Scolari was kicked out in February.
Now another man has come to manage the team that has Ghana's Michael Essien and Nigeria's John Mikel Obi. Carlo Ancelloti left his job at Milan after their win against Fiorentina and is now in England.
This is his first English interview.
The team also includes Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba. Good luck to him.
_____
Chelsea are FA Champs. Drogba did his part.
As always, there was an African element in a trophy win.
This time, at Chelsea, beating Everton 2-1.
Didier Drogba, the African was!
Essien was subbed on the hour but still...Go Africa!
Check out their ratings by the Chelsea blog.
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This time, at Chelsea, beating Everton 2-1.
Didier Drogba, the African was!
Essien was subbed on the hour but still...Go Africa!
Check out their ratings by the Chelsea blog.
____
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