After making history by winning the MTN FA Cup without
conceding a single goal all season long, New Edubiase FC chiefs are plotting to
take their record breaking feats a notch higher to continental level.
Edubiase, who have been playing in Ghana’s top flight league
barely four years, pipped the much experienced Ashantigold to claim the Ghana
Cup and with it a ticket to next season’s Africa Confederations’ Cup.
Yakubu Abdul Salam, Founder and President of the Bekwai club
says motivation is at its apex at FC New Edubiase and they have already started
laying the foundations for a good run in CAF’s second tier club tournament of
2013.
“We are delighted and proud of the players for the record of
not conceding any goal and we are rewarding them with record pay,” Mr. Abdul
Salam told 90 MINUTES in an exclusive interview.
He explained: “No club in Ghana has ever paid even GH?2,000 winning bonus before but
we gave the technical team GH?3,000 and the players, GH?2,000 for beating Wassaman
in the
semifinals. On top of that, they are getting GH?5,000 for winning the FA Cup. We are
trying to raise a good team so that we will make Ghana proud in Africa.”
Abdul Salam continued: “In our first year in the Premier
League, we held a press conference that we are here to stay and that within 5
years, we’ll qualify for Africa. Now that we have done that, we are going to
Africa and bring the cup to Ghana because we have all the quality and Sidalco
our sponsors also are backing us and the club also have many other options.”
The New Edubiase capo added: “Even if we lost 5 key players,
we have an all-round team and we have more options. Basit Adams is a young
upcoming player who won the best player award on the day (FA Cup final).
“We have Samad Oppong, twins Fuseini and Alhassan Nuhu and
other two players we are banking on. When they are ready, I’ll let you know. We
don’t need too many players, just about five and we’ll take Africa by storm.”