Liberty Academy crowned champions of Arthurlegacy invitational tournament

Liberty Academy emerged champions of the Arthurlegacy Invitational Tournament after defeating EurAfrica on penalties following a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final at the SMAC Centre in Accra on Thursday.

The week-long tournament, organised by Arthurlegacy Sports in partnership with CAA Base from May 18 to 22, brought together young talents, scouts, football executives, and international stakeholders as part of an initiative aimed at combining competition with education and player development.

The final delivered an entertaining contest as EurAfrica struck first to take the lead before Liberty Academy responded strongly to turn the game around and lead 2-1. EurAfrica, however, found a late equaliser from the penalty spot to force the match into a shootout. Liberty Academy held their composure in the decisive moments to secure victory and lift the title.

Speaking after the game, Liberty Academy coach Desmond Owosu Nyantakyi expressed delight with his side's achievement. "It's a big tournament. To come here and win this, we feel great. We'll come and try again; you can never predict how a match will end, but obviously we'll come and put up our best again. And I'm sure our best will be enough," he said.

Italian Ambassador to Ghana Laura Ranalli, who attended the final, praised the atmosphere and organisation of the competition. "I'm very happy to be here today, and every time there's a sports event, we see a celebration of joy and friendship. Today, it was a very nice example of this. So, I'm very much grateful to Arthur Legacy for organising this and inviting me," she said.

Arthurlegacy Sports CEO Oliver Arthur revealed plans to expand the competition following positive feedback from partners CAA Base, with ambitions to extend the tournament across Ghana and potentially include teams from neighbouring African countries in future editions.

"Finally, the most important thing is we've been able to impress our partners at CAA Base. The level of the players, their education level and also, finally, the organisation, so they're very happy about it. With them coming on board now, it means that the tournament is going to grow bigger and bigger all the time. Going forward, we want to do something across the nation and possibly bring other neighbouring African countries into the tournament," he said.

Before the final, a seminar was held at the Mensvic Grand Hotel in Accra to educate Ghanaian footballers, coaches, and administrators on the legal, technical, and business aspects of the game.