Soccer News of Saturday, 22 June 2013
Source: Sammy Heywood Okine
Ghanaian international footballer Emmanuel Clottey who recently signed a three year contract with UAE side Al Dhafra has indicated his plans to come home for the glamorous Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Awards Gala at the State House in Accra. Speaking on line to yours truly, he said the SWAG Awards had been a programme that has motivated sportsmen and women and he is very glad to be nominated for the 2012 Best Player Award, against Andre Dede Ayew of Marseille and Kwadwo Asamoah of Juventus. He expressed that paring him against his colleague Black Stars team mates assures him of a place in the national team in the near future.
The top goals scorer for Berekum Chelsea in the 2012 African Champions League who was signed at a record $1.5million to Tunisian giants, Esperance congratulate the executives and members of SWAG for monitoring his exploits in Ghana and Tunisia and rewarding him for his achievements.
He noted that the 2013 African Cup of Nations was one of his terrible tournaments which he failed to shine and Ghana was not able to win the trophy after 31 years. According to Clottey, affectionately called “Bro Emma” who started his playing career wth colts clubs Brazil Academy and Mighty Victory before joing Accra Great Olympics, the world is a stage and every club or event in his life is a testimony and a miracle.
“I have passed through many things, bad and good, but I thank God Almighty for everything and I feel great to play in Tunisia for a wonderful club, Esperance and now they have sent me to the Emirates. It would be another adventure in that part of the world facing counterpart, the free scoring Asamoah Gyan and other Ghanaian stars” he said. In 2007, Clottey was top goalscorer of the Ghana Premier League and moved in January on a 6-month loan to Austrian Football Bundesliga club FC Wacker Innsbruck, his first club in Europe.[2] Clottey then joined OB on loan and made his debut as a substitute against FC Amager in the Ekstra bladet cup. He later returned to Great Olympics in January 2009 then again signed a contract on 9 April 2009 with ElevenWise.
In June 2010, Clottey joined Berekum Chelsea. On 12 September 2012, after impressing in the 2012 CAF Champions League, Tunisian club Espérance de Tunis reached a deal with BerekumChelsea to sign Clottey to a three-year contract, for an estimated transfer fee of $1.5 million.[5] On 18 June 2013, Clottey agreed a one-year loan move to the UAE Arabian Gulf League team Al Dhafra from Espérance.