Essien, Others To Thrill Fans At Dansoman

The Carl Reindorf Park at the Dansoman Sports Complex will witness an invasion of top footballers for what promises to be a thrilling challenge match between the nation's elite stars based at Dansoman and their counterparts at East Legon on Saturday afternoon.

It has been a traditional practice whereby the nation's footballers engage in challenge matches among communities, but Saturday's event promises to be perhaps the biggest assembly of foreign-based footballers and a number of home-based players, including prominent names like Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari, Mohammed Gargo, Nii Odartey Lamptey, Samuel Osei Kuffour, and Moses Sekyi.

A rare celebrity gathering involving footballers and musicians, Saturday's challenge match, which is a return encounter, will be played in a fun-filled atmosphere of sports and music, with a performance by hiplife stars Samini, Castro, Kokoveli and others who are all residents of Dansoman.

Last week Monday the Dansoman lads secured a 3-2 victory over the star-studded East Legon side, with Gargo and Sekyi scoring two goals apiece. Both players will feature prominently in Saturday's game, but Portugal-based Sekyi told the Daily Graphic that his side was determined to maintain their superiority over their opponents on home grounds.

Chelsea midfielder Essien, who is expected to feature for Dansoman, returns to a familiar ground where his talent was honed at Liberty Professionals and will team up with Black Stars colleague Muntari, Christian Saba, Razak Ibrahim and former Liberty striker David Boateng, alias Reggae.

The Legon side will be formed around many ex-Black Stars players namely, Lamptey, Augustine Ahinful, Andre and Rahim Ayew, Emmanuel Duah, Yaw Preko, Gargo, Kuffour and other home-based stars like Paa Joe Kumah, Ayitey Dorman and goalkeeper Fatau Dauda of Ashgold.