Stars of Lake Side emerged champions at the Kozie Cares Champions League after beating Mambass FC 1-0 in the final at the Agiringanor Astro Turf on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
The competition which was aimed at unearthing talents and promoting peace and unity ahead of the 2024 general election was organised by the parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Asaa Manu.
“First, I thank you all for showing up and supporting this event. I am grateful for your support. This event was to help unearth talents and it will become an annual thing if I am elected into office as your MP,” said the aspiring parliamentarian.
“As you can see there are former players here to scout some of the best players. I also indulge you to ensure peace prevails during the elections,” she added.
The three-month-long event, which ended over the weekend, was hugely patronised by the people of Adenta and its environs.
The fans were treated to a special performance from Ghanaian dancehall superstar Shatta Wale at the end of the competition.
Also gracing the tournament was former Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who was left impressed by the talents on showcase.
After intense battle from 16 teams on Saturday and Sunday, it was the Stars of Lake Side, who went home with the trophy and cash prize. Asiedu Emmanuel’s first-half strike was enough to deliver victory for Lake Side.
Mambass FC were runners-up with Kozie XI, the parliament candidate’s team, finishing third.
Tournament’s objective
This initiative aims to unearth soccer talents and create employment opportunities for the youth in Adentan. Kozie plans to make this initiative a long-term policy, creating a conveyor belt of producing talents from among the youth in Adentan.
This vision is expected to have a positive impact on the community, promoting social cohesion and economic development.
The football competition is a commendable effort by Kozie to engage with the youth and address pressing social issues in Adentan. By investing in the youth, she hopes to build a brighter future for the constituency.
For Kozie, football represents a vastly untapped industry with huge potential for creating direct and indirect jobs for the youth with varying fields of professional disciplines standing to benefit. It is with this in mind that, this football gala has been formulated as a foundational policy that will grow into an industry-wide policy.