By Michael Okuley
Participants of this year’s MTN Ashantifest Soccer Tournament are poised for a glittery show following the revelation of GHC20,000 (Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis) by organizers as the prize money during the official launch of the competition in Kumasi.
The annual tournament has seen expansion from 12 to 16 communities within the Ashanti region vying for laurels for the two-month championship after its introduction in 2021 with only 8 teams.
Tafo which humbled Asokwa 4-1 in last year’s decider which was also a curtain raiser to the 2022 MTN FA Cup final, is back in contention as the tournament gets tougher by the year.
Aside from eventual winners walking away with a whopping GHC20,000 (Twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis), GHC10,000 Ghana Cedis for runners up, and 5,000 Ghana Cedis 3rd placed finish, all the 16 participating teams have already received an appearance fee of GHC3,000 (Three thousand Ghana Cedis) to help intensify their preparations.
Allocated into four zones, A, B, C and D, each of which will take their turn each weekend in an all-play-all battle beginning this Saturday, June 17 to the next day, Sunday, June 18 at the Asem Boys School Park when Amakom, Asafo, Fanta New Town and Ejisu face-off in Zone A in the race to determine the first two sides to grab their ticket to a mouthwatering quarter-final stage.
Zone B features Aboabo, Dichemso, Ashtown and Krofrom who will fight for Zone B’s decisive slots come match weekend 2, June 23 and 24 at the Dichemso Otumfuor Park.
The preliminary stage rounds off on the weekend of 7 and 8 July at the Atonsu Astro Turf Park. In the event, Adum, Santasi, Kwadaso, and Atonso are scheduled to fight it out for the final two slots in the next round.
“The community football gala was introduced in 2021 with only 8 communities in Kumasi. I am excited to inform you that it has now been extended to 16 communities and beyond Kumasi to Ejisu this year. The competition is getting bigger and better,” said Charles Osei Akoto, MTN Regional Sales & Distribution, Northern Ghana in a speech on behalf of MTN General Manager.
“You are not just playing for yourselves. You are playing for the communities you represent, an embodiment of the hopes and aspirations of your fans, and as such, I encourage you all to give it your best shot. It is also important to remember that winning and losing are only part of the game. Enjoy the game and play well. May the best team win in 2023,” Mr. Akoto added.
“Ashantifest is back. Ashantifest, as you all know, is our annual regional festival created by MTN, aimed at bringing the brand closer to Asanteman and showing appreciation to you, our cherished customers. At MTN, we believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern
connected life. As we celebrate the comeback of Ashantifest, we will continue to make the lives of our customers a whole lot brighter,” continued the General Manager’s speech.
Meanwhile, Amakom will face Fante New Town in the opening match of the 2023 MTN Ashantifest Community Soccer tournament when Zone A kicks off the action this Saturday, June 17 at 9am at the Asem Boys School Park in Kumasi, the fixtures have been revealed.
The other two sides in their zone, Asafo and Ejisu will then battle it out in the second game of match day one of the group stages of a competition that has now expanded to an unprecedented 16-team event following the successes of 2021 and 2022 which had just 8 and 12 competing sides respectively.
All four sides are expected to play each other on a points-awarded system with the top two in each zone advancing to the quarter-finals of the competition which will now cover two months featuring a total of 6 matches spanning two days per zone at this preliminary stage.
With the championship attracting local and international football scouts seeking to scout talents, each zone will take its turn to determine their two-quarter finalists for the next four weekends in pursuit of the ultimate trophy and attached twenty thousand Ghana Cedis cash prize.