Who grabs what? GFA/PLB Glo premier league awards

Players, officials and journalists who demonstrated brilliance in the just-ended Glo premier league will be rewarded by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Premier League Board (PLB) in a grand awards ceremony at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra this Saturday.

The chairman of the PLB, Mr. Welbeck Abra-Appiah, said at the launch of the forthcoming event last Friday that the PLB's quest to enhance the championship has expanded the awards category.

And beginning with this year's edition, journalists, match commissioners, assistant referees will be rewarded accordingly.

The nominees for this year's ceremony will see Kotoko's goalkeeper Isaac Amoako, Stephen Ahorlu (Heart of Lions) and Philemon McCarthy (Hearts of Oak) battling for the Best goalkeeper award.

In the Best defender category, Lee Addy, Bechem (Chelsea), Nafiu Awaydu (King Faisal) and Bright Addai of (Wa All Stars) have been nominated, while Hearts' Obed Ansah, Joseph Ato (Bissah of Hasaacas) and Tawrick Jibril (Hearts of Oak) will vie for the most promising star award.

For the discovery of the year award, RTU's Kabiru Imoro, Mahatma Otoo (SP Mirren) and Wa All Stars' Bright Addai have been short listed with Joseph Ato Bissah (Hasaacas), Latif Salifu (Liberty Professionals) and Idrissu Yahaya, (Kessben) vying for the most valuable player award.

Herbert Addo (Kotoko), Paa Kwesi Fabin (Lions) and Stephen Pollack (King Faisal) have been shortlisted for the Best Coach of the year award, while Joseph Lamptey, Samuel Kofi Gyasi and Cecil Fletcher will scramble for the best referee of the year award.

In the Best Assistant referee of the year award, Haruna Ayuba, David Laryea and Avid Adjin have been nominated while 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.

The other awards category will see Augustine Asante, Kwabena Adjei-Sarpong and J.K Boateng battling for the most outstanding match commissioner of the year award with Chelsea, Liberty and All Stars gunning for the Fair Play award.

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

Metro TV, TV Africa and TV3 have been short listed for the best football station. For print, the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has promised to submit names of the nominees before the ceremony.

Metro TV's Christopher Opoku, Moses Antwi-Bebefo (PJ) of Hot FM and Happy FM's Odiasempa Kwame Oware have been mentioned for the Best football presenter award, while Hot FM, Happy FM and Kessben FM have been shortlisted for the Best football radio station award.

Hearts will receive the champion club award, while Kotoko, Lions and Faisal who followed in that order will receive the first runner-up, second and third runner up awards respectively.

According to the organizers, the GFA PLB Special Award for dedication will go to the late J.ZXXXK Ackom (Posthumous).

K.Ampim Darko will receive GFA Best worker of the year and special Awards will go to sponsors, Wienco Ltd., Platinum Award, Glo Mobile Ghana and Gold Award Optimum Media Prime (OMP).

The president of the GFA, Mr Kwasi Nyantakyi, described the past season as the most competitive and expressed the wish that the situation where a club or two dominate the league title become a thing of the past.