The semi-finals of the MTN FA Cup saw the likes off King Faisal, Dreams FC, Nsoatreman and Skyy FC gunning for a spot in the finals at the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex, Abrankese.
For the first time in a long while, two of the most glamourous clubs, Hearts of Oak and Kotoko were not in the final four which spoke volumes about how the other teams( King Faisal, Dreams FC, Nsoatreman and Skyy FC put their best effort up to get to this stage of the competition.
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Two of the three Premier League teams, Nsoatreman, King Faisal are drooling in the relegation pool, 16th and 17th respectively but that didn’t stop them from producing a five-goals thriller for their fans and the neutrals, whiles Dawu based Dreams FC , a point above the relegation belt also produced a standout performance to beat Division One side,Skyy FC to progress to the finals.
I was impressed with the two semi-final games, the level of football displayed by teams was top notched, that’s when it dawned on me that, if we had good pitches across the country like the one at Abrankese, it will certainly give these boys a blissful opportunity to fully express themselves because many a time it was just dreadful watching them play on some of the sorry states of pitches across the country.
For the first time in a long while, I barely heard anyone casting slurs or insinuations about the referees and their assistants of their either games which spoke volumes about their levels of professionalism and expertise they showcased in the duo games. It goes to show that, there are still some few men in black that are able to fully discharge their duties to the latter with no fear or favour regardless of the game they been mandated to oversee. Kudos to them.
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Another thing was I wasn’t too particularly happy about was the level of spectatorship present at the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex for the two games, the numbers wasn’t at it’s all time high, one would make a case that it wasn’t the home for either of the four clubs therefore bussing spectators to come and support them comes with cost but I say what’s football without the fans.
I fully expect that the finals at the yet-to-be-announced venue will draw massive numbers of spectatorship, however, that responsibility falls on a number of persons, the two finalists, the MTN FA Cup Committee, GFA, the media fraternity, and other vested stakeholders to do their best in getting people to come cheer the two sides on to victory.
I’m sure the motivation of playing in Africa will clearly ginger the pair to give off their best in the finals at an undecided venue.
There’s a lot riding on this game for either sides, for coach Ignatius Osei-Fosu, one of the finest youngest coaches in the country, he will fancy his chances against his former employers, Dreams FC as well look to make history with King Faisal.
Experienced gaffer, Karim Zito will hope to crown a very troubling season at the club with a trophy knowing how it could sway the fortunes of the club moving forward.
The two Premier League teams, Dreams FC and King Faisal have surmounted a lot of hurdles to get to this stage and it will be interesting to see who wins the trophy for the first time in it’s club’s history.
