Ghanaian youngster Jordi Osei-Tutu scored again for VfL Bochum in their 2-1 win over Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga II on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old lasted for 90 minutes as he helped Bochum extend their unbeaten run in the German second-tier league to five after recording a slim win at the Vonovia Ruhr Stadion.
After a goalless first-half, Osei-Tutu opened the scoring for the home side with a fine strike in the 49th minute.
Former Aston Villa and Coventry City attacker Nii Odartey Lamptey has revealed the physicality of the Premier League contributed to his largely unsuccessful spell in England in the 90s.
After a fine stint on loan at Dutch side PSV Eindhoven from Belgian giants Anderlecht, the Ghanaian joined Villa in 1994, a transfer that produced three goals and less than a dozen appearances in all competitions.
He was on the move the following season to City but another disappointing campaign meant he would promptly quit English football for good, making a switch to Italian side Venezia.
“It was really too much for me, to me it was a wrong decision to move to England at that time,” Lamptey, who has advised in-demand Ghana midfielder Thomas Teye Partey to snub English clubs Arsenal and Manchester United in the wake of transfer reports, told the Daily Graphic newspaper.
“I went there because Anderlecht did not want to approve of my stay in Holland, which would have helped me much and I was also not willing to return to Belgium.
“It was not easy to fit into the [Premier League] in those days. Their style of play was too robust for my liking and besides, I met very tall players, so I struggled to cope.
“Their style of play never suited me at all. The players were not only tall but also they liked playing long balls and running for them.
“I was short and skilful at that time so it affected my performance so much.â€
Lamptey again spent only one season at Venezia, foretelling a journeyman’s career in waiting.
He transferred to Argentine side Union Santa Fe where he spent less than a year before moving to Turkish outfit Ancaragucu and later to Portuguese fold Union Leiria.
“I was also playing many matches for the various national teams in Ghana so at a tender age of 19 years in 1994, it was not easy for me. You can imagine the load on my shoulders at that time,” the 45-year-old, who won gold with Ghana at the 1991 U17 World Cup, bronze at the 1992 Olympic Games and Silver at the 1993 U20 World Cup, added. His outstanding performance at the U17 World Cup, where he was adjudged Player of the Tournament, caught the eye of Brazil and world football icon Pele.
“My work permit [in England] was not renewed because a foreign player needed to play 75 percent of matches for his club but because I was almost always playing for the national teams, I did not meet their criteria for a work permit renewal.
“Eventually, I left for Italy to continue my career in Venezia but I stayed for a short time and left for Argentina to play for Boca Juniors.â€
Lamptey later played for German side Greuther Furth, Shandong Luneng in China and Al-Nasr Dubai in the United Arab Emirates before briefly returning to Ghana to feature for Asante Kotoko.
He last played for South African side Jomo Cosmos before calling time on his career.
President for Division One club, Phar Rangers FC, Nana Yaw Amponsah, has proposed to the Ghana Football Association to consider restarting the league in September to sync with the European calender.
According to Nana Yaw Amponsah, with most countries across Europe targeting a restart of their leagues in September, Ghana should also try to emulate that to synchronize the Ghana Football season with that of the European calender.
“If we want to synchronize our league with that of Europe, then we must wait and start in September. At the moment the Accra Sports Stadium pitch will not be ready for football for the next one month†he said.
“Lets give ourselves up to September to start a new league so clubs can start to prepare and meet the club licensing requirementsâ€, he added.
He also mentioned that starting the league in September will also help Ghanaian clubs in the transfer market.
The Ghana Football Association is set to announce to the clubs on June 30 on the future of the season whether to truncate the season or continue.
Former Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko forward Emmanuel Osei Kuffour aka The General says he would have forged a career in carpentry had his footballing career not been a success.
The General as he was affectionately called in his prime played for Accra Hearts of Oak for most part of his professional career between 1998- 2005, where he helped the team win numerous league titles, the CAF Champions League, CAF Confederations Cup and the Super Cup.
After winning the CAF Confederations Cup with Hearts in 2005 he left the phobians for Tractor Sazi in Iran before joining Ashantigold and moving to Kotoko among other clubs.
“When I started playing football I was also learning a trade in carpentry alongside.
“It was with the intention that If I’m not successful with football then I can get something to do and not be useless in society.” he told Ashh Fm.
Despite playing the bulk of his football on the local scene Emmanuel Osei Kuffour made 31 appearances for the Black Stars scoring twice and was also part of the Ghana squad for both AFCON 2000 in Ghana/Nigeria and 2002 in Mali.
A former Ghana Premier League Board chairman, Ashford Tetteh-Oku has advised clubs to make sure they have a document to back any decision they make with players in relation to a pay cut.
Some top-flight clubs in the country are in talks with their players to take some percentage of their monthly salary to help the club to survive the financial challenges they are facing.
According to Ashford Tetteh-Oku, clubs must not force the pay cut on players but should reach an amicable agreement.
While he elaborates on how the imposition can have a blowback, he is advising the clubs to ensure that they do a paperwork should a decision be taken.
Ashford Tetteh-Oku told Kumasi FM, “It is up to both parties to reach a compromise but even with that there should be a document to back itâ€.
He further shared that because the players are not the cause of the Coronavirus, they are not obliged to necessarily accept the pay cut.
“It is for the management and administrators of our clubs to learn. When contracts are signed, you must look at force majeure situations. If you do not and something happens why should the player suffer?â€, he added as he rhetorically asked.
The Ghana Football Association is completely broke with the outfit struggling to pay salary of staff, it has emerged.
The association is on its knees with huge financial burden crippling the new Executive council.
This was revealed during a Zoom Cloud Meeting with owners of Division One League Zone 1 on Wednesday.
The Kurt Okraku administration inherited a depleted account from the Normalisation committee, putting the finances of the FA in a massive distress.
FA president Kurt Okraku has been holding a high-powered meeting with football club owners in the country amid the coronavirus crisis which has wrecked havoc globally.
The association has been in a disbursement stand-off with clubs over a $500,000 stimulus package from world governing body, FIFA to the Ghana Football Association.
While the FA want to use the cash operational cost, some clubs want the money to be shared for its members – a situation which has sparked tension between the two parties.
But it has now emerged that the Ghana FA is broke as it struggles to pay salary of its staff.
The Normalisation Committee has been unable to account for over 5 million Ghana cedis since being replaced by the substantive body, it has emerged.
Football in Ghana has remained suspended since March 16, 2020, with clubs struggling to pay staff and players due to the outbreak of the virus.
The situation has forced the clubs to call on the FA to come to their aid with financial support.
However, the FA for the past month has been trying to get a stimulus package from the Covid-19 Trust Fund set up by government.
The videos are key components for the Ethics Committee in its work on this governance issue.
Officials of Tiger Eye PI have also assured the GFA of their preparedness to assist the Ethics Committee in its work.
Receiving the footage, General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo thanked officials of Cromwell Gray LLP (lawyers of Tiger Eye PI) on behalf of the Ghana Football Association assuring all that work will commence immediately on the matter to bring closure to all stakeholders including FIFA.
The Minister of Labour in Austria is considering a mask requirement for football to return in the country.
This is expected to guarantee the safety of the players amid coronavirus pandemic.
Red Bull Salzburg returned to training this week with Ghana youth international Majeed Ashimeru spotted wearing a face mask.
Samuel Tetteh also returned to training with his Austrian Bundesliga side LASK Linz.
In Germany, the Bundesliga has been warned that playing games behind closed doors could pose a public health risk because fans will gather in front of stadiums.
The authorities are looking for a way to resume the 2019-20 campaign despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
A six-year-old boy in Italy is celebrating after his football shirt design was adopted by the professional team Pescara.
Luigi D’Agostino beat other children in a competition, run by the club for young fans, aimed at easing the boredom of being stuck indoors during the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
The competition’s motto was “give a kick to Covid-19”.
The boy’s dolphin design will be worn by the Serie B team next season.
The Pescara club – its full name is Pescara Calcio 1936 – played in the top Italian league, Serie A, for seven seasons in its history.
Its mascot is a dolphin – the club plays in an Adriatic resort town famous for its beaches. The club features Luigi’s triumph on its website.
Italian sports kit supplier Erreà will make the shirts and has invited Luigi to spend a special day at its Parma headquarters, to see the new team strip coming off the production line.
The competition was launched simply as a children’s game, using Erreà graphics, but its popularity on social media turned it into a business project, Italian media report.
Millions of people in Italy have been unable to leave their homes – except for essential reasons – since lockdown measures came into force on 9 March.
The Ghana Football Association has announced that its offices will remain closed despite government’s decision to lift the partial lockdown in the Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa environs.
This is because the government’s directive on public gathering of 25 or more persons is still in force.
Members of the GFA, including clubs, Regional Football Associations and all stakeholders are being reminded to continue with the use of the online systems of the GFA (email, Registration System – FIFA Connect etc) to communicate with the Secretariat.
The Association says football clubs are advised to strictly comply with the ban on gathering and sporting activities and are therefore reminded that group training is still not allowed until the ban on social gathering is lifted by the state.
The Ghana Premier League is currently suspended due to the widespread nature of the global pandemic
Ghanaian winger Joseph Painstil insists he is missing football following the suspension of the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium due to the Coronavirus.
Painstil was enjoying a decent campaign this season before the league was postponed indefinitely.
“I miss about everything in the game, on the pitch, off the pitch. This competition, enjoying yourself on the field and at least having the supporters behind you,” he told TV3 sports. “It’s crazy you know, I miss those kind of things and the relationship with the team, coming together to make fun,” he added.
The ex-Tema Youth Winger has made 18 appearances so far this season and has a goal and an assist to his credit.
Genk are one of the few Belgium clubs to return to training in groups as a measure of getting the players back in shape for a likely return of football.
Painstil is looking forward to returning to action and hopes the fight against coronavirus will be successful.
“This is a thing that we all fighting against. When it is over, football will still be football and when will continue what we like doing. Maybe it will be scheddule that is going to change and perhaps some small clubs will suffer because we have been in lockdown for so long and it will affect their investment but the love of football will remain the same,” added the 22-year old.
Caf Medical Officer, Dr Prince Pamboe has called on Ghana Football Association (GFA) to consider restarting the football season between October and November due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
Pambo who is also CAF medical officer says he Covid-19 will have a lot of impact on football when it returns immediately thus rescheduling the season to October and November will be safer for all stakeholders.
Speaking to Happy FM on the issue, the former Black Stars medical officer stated attendance at the various stadiums will also come down due to the effects of the Covid-19 because it will take a while for people to come to terms with reality when the disease is controlled.
“Football plays a key role in the mode of transmitting the Covid-19. If football starts there a lot of things that must be put in place, such as mass testing for supportersâ€, he told Happy FM.
He added, “The current season must be put in hold and may be we can restart our games in October and November if its safer by then. Even the FIFA President Gianni Infantino has quoted that no football match is important than human lifeâ€.
The 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season has been suspended indefinitely since March 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Fiorentina midfielder Alfred Duncan admits football will be ‘strange’ and not ‘completely normal’ when it restarts.
Football has been halted across the world because of the spread of the deadly coronavirus and in Italy no game has been played since March 9.
However, there is the likelihood football will resume in June with the Italian football federation revealing players will be tested before the league restarts.
Duncan who wants to return to what he loves doing the most believes football will have a different feel after the coronavirus.
“It will be beautiful and strange, because the conditions will not be completely normal,” he told calciomercato. “We should learn to live with continuous controls and monitoring, but at least we will be able to go back to doing what we like best, and this would already be a conquest,” he added.
The 26-year old Ghana international joined La Viola in the winter transfer window from Sassuolo before the suspension of the league.
The Italian Football Federation hopes that players can be tested for coronavirus at the start of May in preparation for the season to restart.
Serie A has been suspended since 9 March because of the global pandemic.
There is no set date for when the campaign can resume in Italy, with 12 full rounds and four outstanding fixtures still to play.
“As soon as the conditions are right, we’ll finish the championship,” said federation president Gabriele Gravina.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, he added: “Soon, there will be a meeting. We will establish the procedure which we will then communicate.
“We will start, I hope, at the beginning of May with tests to ensure that players are negative and training can follow.
“Will we play through the summer? We don’t have a deadline but the idea is to finish the championships.”
Italy has been one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, and players at a number of clubs have been infected.
Juventus lead the Italian top flight, one point ahead of Lazio and nine clear of third-placed Inter Milan.
Brescia president Massimo Cellino, whose side are bottom of the table, has said he is ready to forfeit the club’s remaining games if the season resumes.
Last week, German teams became the first from Europe’s top leagues to return to training, with precautions in place.
Member of Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, Alex Agyekum has reiterated that government will not come to the aid of football clubs and players despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Following the suspension of football activities in the country as part of the measures to slow the spread of the virus, several calls have been made for government to come to help the clubs and players.
The Communications Director for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Henry Asante Twum confirmed to the media last week that the FA will meet the Ministry of Youth and Sports to deliberate on the government coming to the aid of the clubs and players.
But according to Hon. Agyekum, government is only determined to fight to save lives adding that the football fraternity should forget about the government coming to their aid.
“The hundred million dollars that the government is using to fight coronavirus is to fight for human life so football people should forget that they will get a share from it to compensate their players,†he told Nimde3 FM.
“Rather they should all pray for the government to be able to combat the virus aftermath the government will know how to do to help them but for now they should relax a little bit,†he added.
However, calls have also been made for player salary slash should football remain in doubt.
Coronavirus has virtually taken away the joy, livelihood and even threatens our very existence as human race the world over.
Football like any economic,social and almost every activity has suffered a major jolt as a result of the lethal COVID-19 pandemic.
Stating that he dreams of returning to normal days, the Ghanaian footballer K.P Boateng said, “It is hard to be home every day. I missed being on the field and scoring a goal. â€
Besiktas Ghanaian star Kevin-Prince Boateng talked about his days at home due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Speaking to the German press, the experienced football player said he dreamed of returning to normal days.
Expressing that he spends time with his family at home, Kevin-Prince Boateng said, “We do various activities at home. We relax psychologically with social media posts, but it makes the longing effect more normal. I missed the match days, being in front of thousands of fans on the pitch and scoring goals. â€
He is happy in Turkey as he currently plays for Besiktas on loan from Fiorentina but says it only time that can determine his destination next season.
“What is currently very difficult to say anything. We will wait and see â€. Saying that the saddest breakup in his career was to leave Sassuolo and go to Barcelona, ??Ghanaian star said, “I cannot say a positive or negative transfer. But you can’t say no to a club like Barcelona. When I quit football, I will say, “I played in Barcelona.” This is also something. †he added.
French-born Ghanaian international, Dennis Appiah has shared that he has structured his stay in isolation in such a way that sees him engaging in several activities to pass time.
The Nantes defender is one of many French Ligue 1 players who have been forced to stay at home in isolation due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
While at home, Dennis Appiah has found a way to do things in order not to be bored-sick. In a video posted by FC Nantes, the right-back has revealed that he combines personal training with watching movies and also playing video games while at home.
Obviously missing football, the full-back is hoping the Covid-19 storm will pass very soon for football to return.
Appiah, 27, has made 19 appearances in the French Ligue 1 this season and has 1 assist to his name.
Hearts of Oak Chief Executive Officer Frederick Moore has argued that football should be top of Government’s list when distributing the COVID-19 Trust Fund.
The set up by government fund will be used, among other things, to support the vulnerable and needy who have been affected by the pandemic.
It will also be used to support persons including frontline medical personnel and volunteers engaged in the combat of COVID-19.
However, Mr Moore, who is also an accounting expert, argues that football should be the top priority because it brings economic growth as well as bring happiness into the lives of Ghanaians.
“I think football should be the first beneficiaries of the COVID-19 Fund because football is one of the few activities when it is going on well really projects both happiness and economic growth. Secondly, out of every company struggling now would need some support but we have got a double one so if anybody should need support we should be number one,” Frederick Moore said on Asempa FM.
“One of the key roles of any government is to provide security, health and education for its citizenry. This is a medical emergency that is happening to the whole world, it is beholdeth on the government to provide that security for us. My argument is that football is one of the few things that cut across the whole nation.
“Can you imagine if football in Ghana is strong and we win the African Cup again or we go to the World Cup and get the final what economic development, the buzz and the happiness that will come to Ghana? That is what we have to be looking for when we are investing.”
Football just like other sectors have been greatly affected by deadly virus as the current 2019/20 season has been suspended until further notice.
The Ghana football season is facing a second cancellation for the second year running amid the coronavirus pandemic wrecking havoc across the world.
The 2019/20 season is facing an imminent termination as the world struggle to find a vaccine to cure the deadly virus.
The Ghana Premier League has been suspended indefinitely amid the global pandemic and with no end in sight, it appears this season could be well over.
The Ghana FA will race against time to finish the calendar on time if the situation is not resolved latest by April.
The Premier League and lower tier leagues have been put on ice as the shutdown begins to bite.
If the league is cancelled, it will be the second time running that the season failed to complete.
The 2018/2019 league season was terminated over a a documentary by controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas which revealed alleged widespread corruption in the game.
In-form Ghana forward Samuel Tetteh is delighted to provide the match winning assist in LASK Linz 1-0 win in the Austrian Bundesliga on Saturday.
The 23-year old, who has been a constant supplier this season, created the only goal of the game after lacing on a beautiful pass to Joao Klaus de Mello in the first half.
Tetteh created several opportunities which LASK failed to capitalize on but manager Valerien Ismael had to replace the Ghanaian in the 77th minute to keep him fresh for the big game against Manchester United on Thursday.
The former WAFA star could be handed a late call up to the senior national team for the game against Sudan following the injury to Red Star Belgrade striker Richmond Boakye Yiadom.
Tetteh has scored five and created three assist in 19 games in the Austrian topflight this season.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed that it has received the full payment from disqualified presidential aspirant Wilfred Osei Kwaku (Palmer) to force his election case against Ghana FA (GFA) to go ahead.
Osei, popularly known as Palmer, paid 22,000 Swiss Francs to CAS this week on behalf of the GFA for his disqualification from federation’s presidential elections appeal case to be heard.
The Swiss-based organisation will now form the panel of judges on the case titled: CAS 2019/A/6517 Wilfred Kweku Osei v Ghana Football Association to hear the case.
The case has the got potential of ordering for a fresh Ghana FA election six months after Kurt Okraku won the polls.
The GFA refused to pay 22,000 Euros so per the rules, Palmer decided to pay both so that the hearing can go ahead which means he has now paid 44, 000 Euros which is $48,000.
Some media outfits believed to have received leaks from the GFA that Palmer might not be able to pay the amount which would have ended the litigation that challenges the legitimacy current leader of the federation Okraku.
However, CAS confirmed on Friday that it has received the full payment to allow it to form a panel to hear the case against the GFA over the decision to stop Palmer from contesting the election.
“I can confirm that the CAS Court Office has received payment by the Appellant of the Respondent’s share of advance of costs. The Parties will receive further information regarding the present proceedings in due course,” Carolin Fisher, Counsel to the CAS wrote on Friday.
This means the world’s sports court body is set to begin processes to put paid to the long-winding legal tussle that hangs around the Ghana FA presidency.
Palmer dragged the Ghana FA to CAS over his ‘unfair’ disqualification from the presidential race in October last year.
The situation has put the presidency of Kurt Okraku on the line with wide reaching implication if Palmer becomes successful.
There are two things likely to happen – CAS to throw out the case and allow the status quo to remain or order for a re-run of the election if it was deemed the plaintiff was unfairly disqualified from the race.
The ruling from CAS will put to rest months of intense anxiety involving all the principal actors.
The feuding parties – the Ghana Football Association and aspirant Wilfred Osei Kwaku have named their respective arbitrators to set the tone for the adjudication of the matter.
While the association has gone for Swiss lawyer Hendrik Willem Kesler, Osei Kwaku has hired highly-rated Australian John Didulica.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Investment Promotion Center (GIPC) Mr Yofi Grant has urged Ghanaian football clubs to put the right structures in place to able to attract corporate investors.
The multifaceted administrator schooled the Ghanaian clubs to streamline their administrations to entice corporate institutions.
He said, “Our football administrators probably need to pick up the pace a bit, because like I said infrastructure is important, the micro economy is important, the infrastructure is not just the stadia, the infrastructure relates to the legal regime affecting footballers, the protection they get, the insurance, the financials, the sponsorship, there is merchandise all those put together form the infrastructure of the sports”.
Adding to the organizational framework, Grant called for a thorough rebuilding process at the club level.
“Clubs have to market their brands. There is no shop in Accra I can walk to buy Kotoko or Hearts T-shirt. But I bet you I can buy Arsenal, Manchester United, Man City Chelsea, etc in Ghana. So these are all the opportunities Merchandise. Sports are big, our corporates will rather go and put money in Miss Ghana because they see that a lot of people will watch it. But more people will watch sports in this country than any other thing. So sports itself is a commodity that can be a good package, well marketed and it is an investment opportunity. I think that the structure gives some tax relief to sports investment and the cooperations, but the marketing hasn’t been done well”.
He concluded by lamenting the no sponsor syndrome in the GPL despite the recent change in the Ghanaian terrain.
“I am very sad we couldn’t get a headline sponsor for the League. And I guess the headline sponsors never saw the returns”.
Kayserispor midfielder Bernard Mensah says the club is looking to avoid relegation after beating Denizlispor in the Turkish Super League over the weekend.
Kayserispor currently lies bottom on the league log with 15 points and have won just three games out of the 22 matches played this season.
The 25-year old has been impressive for the team this season and helped with an assist against Denizlispor over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters after the game, the Ghanaian International is hoping his side can skip relegation by winning their next matches in the league.
“We couldn’t start the game very well, but we adapted to the game”.
“We will have 2 matches in front of us.
“We will win those matches and continue our exit in the league. We will manage to stay in the league. “, he ended.
Kayserispor will play against Konyaspor on match day 23
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has been highly impressed with the performances of Thomas Partey and seeks to bring him to his star studded side according to reports.
The Ghanaian midfielder has been one of the best midfielders in La Liga this season and Zidane sees him as the perfect replacement for Casemiro, who is regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world currently.
Atletico Madrid do not want to let their prized asset go however but if Real Madrid want to make the move, they would have to cough up €60 million.
Thomas Partey can play as a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder. He has even been fielded as a right back on occasion by Diego Simeone.
Partey has been a key player for Atletico Madrid this season, playing 22 times for them in the league and scoring two goals.
Dutch born Ghanaian defender Jeremie Frimpong made his injury return to the Celtic squad after being out injured for some weeks now.
The 19 year old was stretchered off in Celtic’s game against Kilmarnock after a nasty tackle and for the first time since his injury started training with his team mates on Thursday.
Frimpong was included in the squad that beat Aberdeen 2-1 at Pittodrie although he was an unused substitute for the away side.
Goals from Callum McGregor and Kristoffer Ajer’s late winner settled it late for Celtic after an equalizer from Ash Taylor after McGregor’s opener.
It stretched Celtic’s winning run to nine games in the Scottish league which they sit comfortably atop.
Frimpong was delighted with his recovery and tweeted with the caption back in the squad.
Ghana coach Charles Kwablan Akonnor is set to hand call-ups to five local based players following their mouthwatering performances in the on-going 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan.
The players have impressed the technical handlers of the Black Stars and are expected to be handed call-ups for the next month’s AFCON qualifier.
Coach CK Akonnor is currently in Europe monitoring Ghanaian players.
The 45-year-old has already visited Ghana skipper and his brother Andre Ayew and Jordan Ayew, Newcastle United’s winger Christian Atsu as well as Brentford forward Tarriq Fosu as part of his European tour of visiting.
Coach CK Akonnor is expected to name his 23-man squad for the 2021 AFCON qualifiers next month and is expected to include locally based players like Justice Blay, Joseph Esso, Felix Annan and Richard Atta.
Ghana will face Sudan in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers on March 23.
Thomas Partey registered his second La Liga goal of the season as Atletico Madrid were held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia.
Los Rojiblancos were 1-0 victors over Granada in their last outing and coming up against Los Che was going to be difficult.
Marcos Llorente gave the away team the lead in the 15th minute until Gabriel Paulista equalised five minutes to the break.
One more goal was going to come before the half-time whistle and it came via Partey who made a run from midfield, skipping past a couple of challenges before firing in a fierce shot from the edge of the 18-yard area which left Valencia goalie Jaume Domenech with no chance.
Central African Republic midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia made it 2-2 in the 59th minute.
Partey put in a solid performance for Atleti, with five shots, 70 touches (the most in the Atletico squad) and 36 accurate passes (80%).
The 26-year old Ghana international also successfully attempted all four dribbles, won eight of 10 ground duels and made two tackles and three interceptions.
Diego Simeone’s men remains in fourth place, but are under threat from Sevilla and Real Sociedad who could leapfrog them should they see off Espanyol and Eibar respectively on Sunday.
Aleti next turn their attention to the Champions League Round of 16 where they tackle reigning champions Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano next Tuesday.
Ghana Premier League side Accra Great Olympics is set to announce Paa Kwesi Fabin as their new head coach, information reaching footballghana.com can report.
The club is currently under the care of coach Seth Hoffman who stepped in for coach George Kwoffie after he resigned after the team’s match week 7 encounter against West Africa Football Academy (WAFA).
Earlier today, it was reported that the Ghana Premier League club has been given a 30-days period by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to appoint a new head coach or face sanctions.
This evening, we have picked information from a credible source which has indicated that Great Olympics is in advanced talks to making Paa Kwasi Fabin the new head coach for the club.
UEFA handed down the punishment, which includes a €30 million fine (£25m/$33m), to the Premier League giants for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.
A statement read: “The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has also found that in breach of the regulations the Club failed to cooperate in the investigation of this case by the CFCB.
“The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of € 30 million.
“The decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber is subject to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). If Manchester City Football Club exercises that right the full reasoned decision of the Adjudicatory Chamber will not be published prior to publication of the final award by the CAS.â€
“As noted by the Adjudicatory Chamber, the club has the right to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Therefore, UEFA will not be commenting further on this decision at this stage.”
Ghanaian goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen has extended his contract with his club Belgium side KAS Eupen till 2022.
KAS Eupen has extended the contract with its Ghanaian goalkeeper Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, which expires in June, by 2 more years until June 30, 2022.
The 21-year-old professional came to KAS cfrom the Aspire Academy Senegal in summer 2017.
Since then, Abdul Manaf Nurudeen has been part of the KAS Eupen professional squad and last year played three games for the African Cup for the Ghana U20 national team.
At KAS Eupen, Abdul Manaf Nurudeen is regularly used as the goalkeeper of the U21 team.
KAS Director General Christoph Henkel is pleased to extend thecollaboration with Abdul Manaf Nurudeen: “Abdul Manaf is a very talented and reliable goalkeeper. Even if it has not yet been used in our first team, it is an integral part of our professional squad. With his talent and commitment, he will continue to develop with us in the next two years. We are happy that Abdul Manaf will continue to be part of our team in the future. â€
The Referees Committee has released appointment of officials for match week 10 of the Ghana Premier League.
Below are the officials:
Match: ACCRA HEARTS OF OAK Vs BECHEM UNITED Refeee: Bernard Dumfeh Asst 1: Tijani Mohammed Asst2: Alex Osam 4th Ref: Gabriel Opoku Arhin M/C: Abaidoo Mensah
Match: BREKUM CHELSEA Vs INTER ALLIES Refeee: Frederick Samena Asst 1: Thomas Ngimindieye Asst2: Francis Bonzie Arthur 4th Ref: Abdul Latif Qadir M/C: Mark Koudua
Match: ASANTE KOTOKO Vs ASHANTIGOLD Refeee: Daniel Laryea Asst 1: Paul Atimaka Asst2: Emmanuel Allou Tebson 4th Ref: Maxwell Hanson M/C: A.S Seidu
Match: EBUSUA DWARFS Vs KARELA UNITED Refeee: Ali Musah Asst 1: Courage Kuedufa Asst2: Augustine Suglo Dakurah 4th Ref: Alphonso Atiapa M/C: Frank Denakpor
Match: ELEVEN WONDERS Vs KING FAISAL Refeee: Eric Sefah Antwi Asst 1: Ali Timuah Baah Asst2: Halilu Alhassan 4th Ref: Jones Akubiem M/C: Awudu Djan
Match: MEDEAMA Vs ELMINA SHARKS Refeee:Eric Owusu Prempeh Asst 1: Isaac Nyamekye Asst2: Roland Addy 4th Ref: Christopher Asante M/C: Nana Opare Akufu
Match: LIBERTY PROFESSIONALS Vs ADUANA STARS Refeee: Martin Akudzi Asst 1: Gilbert Adom Mensah Asst2: Stephen Balanguena 4th Ref: Joshua Samadji M/C: Joseph Yebour Acheampong
Match: LEGON CITIES Vs GREAT OLYMPICS Refeee: Rustum Senorgbe Asst 1: Paul Dosu Asst2: Richard Appiah 4th Ref: Bismark Appiah M/C: Agyiri Bannor
Match: WAFA Vs DREAMS FC Refeee: Patrick Okyere Asst 1: Kwasi Acheampong Brobbey Asst2: Emmanuel Dolagbanu 4th Ref: Benjamin K. Sefa M/C: Collins Adu Yebour
The Black Maidens technical team has trimmed down the squad size in camp after releasing eight players for being over-aged and lacking quality.
According to a publication by NB Sports, they decision was taken ahead of Thursday’s friendly against an Accra Select side at the McDan La Town Park in Accra.
Two goalkeepers Safiatu Salifu and Elizabeth Ayitey (Immigrations Ladies) have been sent home.
Three defenders-Sarah Ohene Nyamekye (FC Savanah Ladies), Abigail Amoah (FC Savanah Ladies) and Esther Anane- failed to make the cut.
The rest are Eunice Pentey (Valued Girls) , Sophia Agyaakwa (Halifax Ladies), and Mary Awuah Boateng (Soccer Intellectuals).
Black Maidens are preparing for the 2020 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier.
Black Maidens squad:
Portia Asantewaa (Hasaacas Ladies), Rose Tawiah (Combined Forces), Lydia Atimka (Upper East), Farihana Zibrim (Bagabaga Ladies), Salma Jaibrai Sai (Samaria Ladies) Sarah Atinga (Kumasi S. Academy) Ruth Amoah (Ideal Ladies)
The Juvenile Football League in Ghana is returning in March, the Ghana Football Association has revealed after a meeting with Regional Football chairmen.
Colts football will bounce back across the ten regions, with league games expected to commence on the weekend of March 20-23.
Ghanaians will witness games from the U-13 to U-17 level from next month.
Meanwhile, all regional league football will also commence on the same weekend as colts football begin.
The Division 2 league and other lower tier competitions will all kick off next month after a 2-year absence.
The Women’s Division One League will also start next month.
Renovation works at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium is expected to commence next week as the state seeks to get the edifice in shape ahead of the international assignments next month.
The Baba Yara Sports Stadium, which has been home to Ghana Premier League giants Asante Kotoko, has been in poor state due to the over reliance on the facility.
Th Stadium was recently used for the Senior High inter schools competition and it has hosted several Ghana Premier League games this season.
The seats have been removed and the walls are in deplorable state.
It is understood that government wants work done in earnest to host Ghana’s next Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan.
Midfielder Princella Okyere sparkled on her debut for FC Gintra Universitetas by providing three assists in their 7-0 win over MFK Kauno Žagiris.
The Ghana international was playing in the Lithuanian Women’s Winter Tournament.
She posted on her Twitter account: “Happy to have assisted 3 goals on my debut for Fc Gintra Universitetas against MFK Kauno Žagiris. More coming your way in subsequent matches. God is the reason #KAKA14.”
Okyere has signed a one-year deal after leaving Spanish side Rayo Femenino
Sint Truiden midfielder Samuel Asamoah has touched on his sending off during their 5-2 win against KAS Eupen in the Belgian Jupilar Pro Elague over the weekend.
Asamoah scored a hat-trick in the game as the Canaries run-riot their opponents 5-2 in front of their supporters at the Stayen Stadium.
The Ghanaian did not complete the match as he was given his marching orders for two bookable offenses.
He was handed a caution by referee Christof Dierick in the 52nd minute before facing the rigorous of the law after partially removing his shirt in the wake of scoring his third goal of the night.
Asamoah wanted to show off the Jesus loves you’ inscription on his shirt after netting his first hat-trick in the season.
“Of course I knew that I was not allowed to do that,” Asamoah said after the game.
“It was from sheer emotion that I did it. I am especially happy for our team and staff that we are playing such a good game and getting the three points.”
“I can’t remember when I scored three more times. It must have been a long time ago. I like it. It is a shame that I will have to miss next week’s game, but I have every confidence in our team.”
Asamoah has scored 4 goals in 24 leagues games for Sint Truiden in the ongoing campaign.
It looks like Mubarak Wakaso performs a lot of fatherly duties away from the pitch as the Ghana International posted a lovely picture of his family on social media.
The former Deportivo Alaves midfielder in the photo has his five children wearing the jersey of his former side.
Wakaso recently completed a move to Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning, having spent the last two and half years at Alaves.
The Black Stars midfielder is currently on holidays due to the delay start of the Chinese Super League as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak.
FK Qaraba? captain Rashad Sadygov has tipped Kwabena Owusu to be one of the best signings for the club after his impressive cameo debut over the weekend.
Owusu signed for the Azerbaijani giants on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Spanish outfit CD Leganes during the January transfer window.
The striker was handed his debut in their goalless draw with arch-rivals Neftci Baku on Saturday.
Though the 22-year-old failed to get off the mark, showed glimpses of his quality which earned him rave of praises from club captain Sadygov.
“Owusu looks like a Brazilian player with his dribbles skill. He will be one of the best transfers in Qaraba?,†Sadygov told Azerbaijani football reporter Mehman Ashrafov.
Owusu netted 6 goals in 17 appearances on loan at Segunda B side Córdoba CF during the first half of the season
Kevin Prince Boateng has reiterated that he will like to stay at Besiktas for the next three years.
The Ghana international joined the Eagles on loan during the winter transfer from Fiorentina.
The 32-year-old made his debut for the club on Saturday and scored after climbing from the bench.
“After seeing this atmosphere, I would like to stay for 3 years, but I would like to ask my wife, Melissa,” he told reporters. “Hoca’s coming back to Be?ikta? and being here raised the club.
“My friends in Germany / Berlin sent me messages after this transfer saying, “You finally found your home.” said.
Aduana Stars coach W.O. Tandoh has blasted journalists for not attaching ‘defending champions’ to his outfit name when it is being pronounced.
Aduana Stars are the defending champions after winning the 2017/18 Ghana Premier League campaign.
According to Tandoh, despite being the current holders of the title the media is not giving the Dormaa based side the recognition they deserve.
Speaking to the media after Aduana Stars goalless stalemate against Hearts of Oak, Tandoh descended heavily on the media for being biased towards his outfit.
“The journalist in this country look bias towards Aduana Stars, why I am I saying so, Aduana is the league champions, we are the defending champions.”
When have you heard on any media platform that a team is going to play against the defending champions, but rather you will ridicule Aduana and think about Hearts and Kotoko and you are uplifting them. Are they better than Aduana? No, they are older than us.
“Aduana is the defending champions so I want to urge you the journalists to correct yourselves and note that we are on course, that’s why I always say that Aduana is defending champions, we want everybody to acknowledge that we are league champions.
Aduana Stars are two-time champions of the Ghana Premier League. They clinched their first in the 2009/10 and the second in 2017/20 season.
A total of three members of the National Weightlifting Team, Black Cranes, and a coach are currently in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualifier.
The squad, is made up of Ghanaian and African Games medallists, Forester Osei, Christian Amoah and David Akwei accompanied by their coach Nii Darku Dodoo.
Christian Amoah and Forrester Osei would compete in the 96kg bodyweight category while David Akwei would compete in the 65kg bodyweight category.
The Uzbekistan competition is the 6th Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) Weightlifting Championship sanctioned by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) as an Olympic qualifier.
Their trip with a budget of $12,000 was co-sponsored by the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the President of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF), Ben Nunoo Mensah.
GWF management believes that Christian who was at the last Olympics in Rio, together with Forester would be able to pick enough points to secure qualification to Tokyo for the Summer Games.
Ghanaian boxer Patrick Allotey has pleaded not guilty to charges of causing harm after beating a co-spectator following a brief misunderstanding during the Accra Hearts of Oak versus Asante Kotoko Premier League fixture at the Accra Sports Stadium in January.
Patrick Allotey was captured in a viral video beating up a fan during the Super Clash game which has since received widespread condemnation.
The video shows Allotey asking the fan to move away since he appeared to be blocking his view.
The fan who was later identified as Michael Siaw refused, at which point Allotey was seen removing a headset around his neck and begun to push the spectator.
Patrick was captured in the video giving three quick stiff jabs to the face of the fan. This plunged the Siaw to the ground where he struggled to get back up.
Also in the video, some women in the stands could be heard urging the pro-boxer to stop the attack on the spectator. The fan sustained a gash under his left eye and had to be stitched. During his first appearance in court, the defendant pleaded not guilty and has however been granted bail of GHC100,000 with three sureties.
The court has also seized his passport.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) has banned him for six months as a result of misconduct after facing the Disciplinary Committee last Wednesday.
The study, by Glasgow University and commissioned by the FA and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), found former professional footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of degenerative brain disease than people of the same age range in the general population.
The FA’s new guidelines, expected to be issued later this month, will only apply in training and not in matches.
In December, two months after the release of the study’s findings, the FA’s head of medicine Charlotte Cowie said: “The FA’s independently chaired research taskforce has instigated a review of possible changes to heading coaching and training at all levels to decrease overall exposure to heading without compromising technique.
“It is imperative that football now does everything it can to further understand what caused this increased risk and what can be done to ensure that future generations of footballers are protected.”
A ban on children heading the ball has been in place in the US since 2015.
Peter McCabe, chief executive of Headway – the brain injury association – said: “We are encouraged to hear the Football Association is set to restrict the amount of heading allowed by young players.
“In light of the recent study undertaken by the University of Glasgow, this is a positive, common sense approach to take. After all, it will not prohibit young people participating in the game or impact their enjoyment.
“Further research is urgently needed in order to remove any uncertainty about how often a player can head a ball and at what age – if any – it is safe to do so before damage is caused.
“What is clear, however, is that we cannot afford to wait for further evidence to be published before taking action on this.”
The inquest into the death of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to trauma to his brain
The study began after claims that former West Brom striker Jeff Astle died because of repeated head trauma.
Former England international Astle developed dementia and died in 2002 at the age of 59. The inquest into his death found heading heavy leather footballs repeatedly had contributed to trauma to his brain.
The long-awaited study was commissioned by the FA and PFA after delays in initial research had angered Astle’s family.
It began in January last year and was led by consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart, who said that “risk ranged from a five-fold increase in Alzheimer’s disease, through an approximately four-fold increase in motor neurone disease, to a two-fold Parkinson’s disease in former professional footballers compared to population controls”.
It compared the deaths of 7,676 former players to 23,000 from the general population.
The sample was taken from men who played professional football in Scotland, and were born between 1900 and 1976.
