Opoku wins top player prize

Midfielder Eric Opoku last Friday put the icing on Ashantigold’s dominance at the 10th PLB Awards by lifting the flagship

Footballer of the Season award, prompting a $1,000 offer from Mr Ernest Thompson who chaired the function.
Opoku, who led Ashantigold to their fourth league title this season, beat off strong opposition from Wa All Stars goalkeeper

Richard Ofori and Kofi Owusu who won the Best Goalkeeper and Goal King awards respectively.

As expected, Kudjoe Fianoo also emerged as the CEO of the Season, while Bashir Hayford turned on the style as the Coach of the Season to set the tone for the Best Behaved Supporting Group award which was their fourth on the night.

However, Inter Allies' Baba Mensah denied the champions yet anotherawardwhen he picked the best defender prize at the expense ofAshgold’s Lawrence Lartey and Kotoko’s Ahmed Adams.

In what turned out to be the last event for the outgoing PLB chairman, Mr Welbeck Abra-Appiah, Latif Anabila of New Edubiase also made sure to enter the historic books as the Most Promising Player, while Referee of the Season, Seidu Bomison, also benefited from Mr Thompson’s $1,000 bonus offer.

The other award winners were Dawoud Ouedrago (Assistant Referee of the season), Medeama (Fair Play team of the season), Ohene Adjei (PLB Cameraman of the season), Ashford Tettey Oku (Match Commissioner of the season), Emmanuel N. Dasoberi, James Odartey Lamptey (GFA Workers of the season).

Corporate awards also went to First Capital Plus Bank, headline sponsor of the Premier League, Supersport and Voltic Ghana Limited, while Mamah Mustapha and Basiga Issahaku were also honoured as the grounds men for the Accra and Kumasi stadia.

In a speech, the Guest of Honour for the impressive ceremony, Osagyefo Oseadeayo Agyeman-Badu II, Paramount Chief of the

Dormaa Traditional Area and owner of Aduana Stars, among other things, stressed on the urgent need for the sports ministry to address the issue of remuneration and bonus of national athletes by re-orienting them to appreciate the significance of wearing the national colours at international competitions.

He later made a special donation to the PLB as his widow’s mite to support the event.

Mr Thompson, the Director General of SSNIT and longest-serving Hearts of Oak Board Secretary, also decided to underwrite the cost of hiring the La Palm Beach Hotel as well as waiving 10 per cent of PLB’s bill on food and drinks.