Congratulatory messages keep pouring in as Real Tamale United (RTU) ends their about nine-year hiatus from the Ghana Premier League (GPL).
The pride of the north beat Unity FC 2-0 at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium on Sunday on the final day of the season but had to rely on a huge favour from Berekum Arsenals who held fellow contenders Bofoakwa Tano to a goalless draw at the Berekum Golden City Park.
RTU does pick the sole slot from Zone One to play in the Ghana Premier League (RTU) for the first time since the 2012/2013 season.
RTU began the final day match in second place on 62points just two behind Bofoakwa Tano who were first with 64points. But at the end of the day, RTU emerged victorious (2-0) over Unity FC to ensure they level up the points with Bofoakwa at 65points apiece albeit RTU with a better goal difference and a better head-to-head record against Bofoakwa Tano. RTU drew 2-2 with Bofoakwa in Sunyani before winning the return leg in Tamale by 1-0 during the second round. RTU also boasts of being the highest scoring team in the zone this season.
Hours after the end of the final games, a number of stakeholders of the game have started sending their messages of congratulations to RTU on the qualification back to the premier league.
National President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Mr. Kwabena Yeboah wrote on the association’s Northern Regional Branch page on WhatSapp that, ” I’m so happy today. One of my happiest days.. RTU are back! Praise God.” It will be recalled that when the Northern Regional Branch of SWAG was to be inaugurated back in October, 2020, the SWAG national president Kwabena Yeboah expressed his unhappiness at the lack of a premier league team in the whole of the northern sector. He urged all stakeholders to put all hands on deck to ensure this is achieved. And today that dream has become a reality.
SWAG General Secretary Mr Charles Osei Assibey also joined the president in congratulating RTU and together they expressed their zeal to meet in Tamale for GPL matches next season.
RTU’s fellow Zone One contenders and rivals Tamale City FC were also quick to release a congratulatory message portions of which read, “It is with the greatest pleasure that we at Tamale City FC wish to congratulate the entire RTU family, spanning the Board of Directors, Management, playing body and Supporters of the ‘Pride of the North’ on the monumental feat chalked with the qualification back to the Ghana Premier League, and in such a dramatic and exhilarating fashion on the final day of a long, difficult and trauma-filled league.”
Tamale City ended their statement by adding that, “We wish you a very successful tenure in the premiership.”
Clubs in the lower divisions of football in the Northern Region were not also left out as Diamond Sports chanced on one such message jointly written by Tiyumba FC, FC Young Queens, Tiyumba Stars, Visionary FC and Tiyumba Ladies. The entire message reads, “The management, technical team, the playing body and the supporters of Tiyumba FC, FC Young Queens, Tiyumba Stars, Visionary FC and Tiyumba Ladies would like to use this as an opportunity to congratulate Real Tamale United for their promotion to the Ghana Premier League. RTU, yi gbaagba. Once again congratulations.”
The Northern Regional Football Association (NRFA) took to their facebook handle to write a congratulatory message to RTU for their qualification. The message was, ” Welcome Back to the Ghana Premier league. Congrats Real Tamale United 
.”
SWAG Northern Region also wrote a note of congratulations to RTU portions of which read, ” The executives, members and the entire SWAG-NR and the sports media congratulate RTU for a well deserved qualification back to the GPL after almost nine years. This is the result of hard work, dedication and commitment to the job at hand from the board, management, technical team, players, supporters and all stakeholders who made it possible.”
The message goes to further add that it will take another hard work and dedication for them to go through the GPL campaign successfully.
