Assifuah tipped for top honour

Former Black Satellites forward, Ebenezer Assifuah, is tipped to scoop the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year award at the fourth edition of the Stellar Logistics Western Region Sports Awards tonight at the Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi.

Assifuah, whose goals helped Ghana to finish third at the 2013 FIFA U-20 Championship, emerged as the leading scorer with six goals, but  he faces stiff competition from his Western regional compatriots; 15-year-old badminton prodigy, Abraham Ayittey, and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games 400 metres athlete, John O’brien.

Assifuah could grab his second award in the Male Footballer of the Year category where Samuel Afful of Sekondi  Hasaacas and Black Satellites fame and Medeama SC goalie, Muntari Tagoe, would be hoping to pull off a huge surprise.

In another category, sensational Black Queens duo of Janet Egyir and Samira Suleman will join their Hasaacas Ladies teammate, Ernestina Abambilla, to vie for the Female Footballer of the Year gong, while the Disabled Sports Player of the Year contest will be between Alex Moro and Abubakar Fisal from the regional team.

Overwhelming favourite for the Athlete of the Year category, O’brien, would rely on a personal best of 46.91sec recorded in the 400m in the maiden edition of the Sea and Shore National Athletics Championships to pip Emmanuel Bondzie of the Atuabo Presby JHS and Joycelyn Assafuah, formerly of Sekondi Methodist SHS. 

The titans of sports administration in the Western Region, Nana Banyin Eyison of Hasaacas Ladies and Sekondi Hasaacas, Moses Armah ‘Parker’ of Medeama SC and Albert Kwame Sarpong of Samin FC, will do battle for the CEO/Chairman of the Year prize.

The Coach of the Year award will be contested for by the regional taekwondo team trainer, Prince Martin Oppan, regional badminton team coach, J.E. Wilson, Black Queens/ Hasaacas coach, Yusif Basigi, and Evans Adotey, formerly of Medeama SC.

Veteran Hasaacas goalie, George Owu, will be honoured for his dedication and valour, while special corporate awards will be presented to Gold Fields Ghana Limited, Ghana Manganese Company Limited and Nzema Event Management.

The line-up of dignitaries for the event, which is on the theme, ‘Supporting the Education of Needy but Brilliant Sportsmen, Our Responsibility’, include Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, Western Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo and the Managing Director of TAQA Ghana, Nana Osafo Adjei.