SENEGAL, TUNISIA STICK WITH OFFICIAL HOTEL ...(G/S PAGE 7)

Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale

THE Teranga Lions of Senegal and the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia are the only teams that have pitched their camps at the designated tournament hotel at the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) 2008 Hostel at the University for Development Medical School campus in Tamale.
The two other teams, the Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the Palancas Negras of Angola, have decided not to join their counterparts at the hotel but are rather putting up at the Miriam and Bigiza hotels respectively.
No immediate reasons have been given for the action of the South African and Angolan teams.
However, sources from Tamale Venue Organising Committee (TVOC) indicate that their decision was informed by the fear that work on the UDS hostel which was started last year might not be completed before the commencement of the tournament.
The Graphic Sports further learnt that the teams wanted to have their privacy by staying away from the privy eyes of their colleagues in order to have full concentration to make an impact on the tournament.
The construction of the three-star status UDS hotel was facilitated by the GetFund to afford comfortable accommodation for the teams that woudld be based in Tamale. The facility, would, however, be taken over by the UDS after the tournament in February this year.
The 126-room three-star hotel facility includes 32 suites, offices for CAF officials who would be based there and specially designed rooms for the physically challenged.
Other facilities at the hotel are a gym fitted with up-to-date equipment, laundry, security features such as Closed Circuit Television (CCT) cameras and an automatic switchover standby generator.
The hotel is being managed by officials of Crystal Rose Hotel Limited in Kumasi, and according to the manager, Mr Akwasi Kumah, “ we also have an ambulance and sick bay includes a doctor’s room and a 200-seater capacity cafeteria and conference hall, all attached.”
He gave the assurance that with the recruitment of a disciplined and professional staff, they were well prepared to offer the best of services to the teams and officials during their stay there.
Another significant development at the hotel is the tarring of the road leading to the facility.