PLB Awards To Impress

Flamboyance and excellence aptly fit tomorrow’s grand parade which will bring the movers and shakers of Ghana football under one umbrella to celebrate the 4th PLB/Glo Awards at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra.

On the night, Glo’s trademark green will overshadow all else, while the splendour of the Vice President of the Republic, John Mahama, who is the Special Guest of Honour, will combine to make it the best in the series so far.

Right from 6:30 p.m. when Prof Joshua Alabi, Rector of Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), takes the chair, Glo Mobile Ghana, which is synonymous with excellence, will begin to roll out its surprise package for the memorable occasion in its first season as the Premier League’s sponsors.

“There will be a lot to cheer about,” was the teaser from the PLB Chairman, Mr Welbeck Abra-Appiah, in a chat with the Graphic Sports yesterday.

Though there will be no car accompanying the topmost award this time, the open secret is that Accra Hearts of Oak will be decorated with the Premier League Board’s flagship award for winning the 2008/9 league.

The Phobians will be chasing some individual honours as well in the Most Promising Player category where Obed Ansah and Tawriq Jibril are in the reckoning with Hasaacas’ Joseph Ato Bissah, while Philemon MacCarthy guns for the Best Goalkeeper Award alongside Kotoko’s Isaac Amoako and Stephen Ahorlu of Heart of Lions.

In serious contention for the Best Coach Award, which has generated some heated debate so far, are Kotoko’s Herbert Addo, Paa Kwesi Fabin of Lions and Stephen Pollack of King Faisal, unlike the Most Valuable Player (MVP) category where the player with the highest number of best player awards during the season receives the prize. Nominees for the MVP award are Liberty Professionals’ Latif Salifu, Hasaacas midfielder, Joseph Ato Bissah, and former Kessben defender Iddrisu Yahaya.

While the Top Scorer Award is the preserve of Kotoko striker, Alex Asamoah, the Discovery of the Year Award has Sporting Mirren’s Mahatma Otoo, RTU’s Kabiru Imoro and Wa All Stars’ Bright Addai as the nominees, with Chelsea, Liberty Professionals and All Stars vying for the Fair Play prize.

Lee Addy (Chelsea), Nafiu Awudu (King Faisal) and Bright Addai of Wa All Stars have been nominated for the Best Defender Award, while the Discovery of the Year Award has RTU's Kabiru Imoro, Mahatma Otoo (SP Mirren) and Wa All Stars' Bright Addai in contention.

The Best Referee category has Joseph Lamptey, Samuel Kofi Gyasi and Cecil Fletcher in a fierce fight, similar to what pertains in the Best Assistant Referee category where Haruna Ayuba, David Laryea and Avid Adjin are the nominees.

Samuel Oduro-Nyarko (Wa All Stars), Nii Ayi Bonte II (Thomas Okai) of Hearts of Oak and Faisal's Vincent Odotei will battle for the Best Chief Executive Officer Award, while Augustine Asante, Kwabena Adjei-Sarpong and J.K. Boateng seek the Most Outstanding Match Commissioner of the Year prize.

For the Best Behaved Club category, Liberty, Sporting Mirren and Chelsea have been nominated, while Samuel Kwasi Buckman, Stephen Asamoah and Praise Dora vie for the most outstanding PLB cameraman award.

Metro TV, TV Africa and TV3 have been shortlisted for the best football station award, while the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has the mandate to submit nominees for the best print journalist category.

Asempa FM's Christopher Opoku, Moses Antwi-Benefo (PJ) of Hot FM and Happy FM's Odiasempa Kwame Oware are the nominees for the Best Football Presenter Award, while Hot FM, Happy FM and Kessben FM have been shortlisted for the Best Football Radio Station Award.

The same platform will be appropriate for major sponsors like Glo and Optimum Media Prime (OMP), proprietors of Metro TV, to receive the Platinum and Gold awards respectively from PLB, while Wienco also picks a Special Award for their unique contribution to Real Tamale United (RTU) over the past decade.

Others on line for recognition for their contribution to the Premiership include Voltic, Accra Brewery, Coca-Cola, and Airport West Hotel, among others.

Story : Samuel Ebo Kwaitoo