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World Cup 2018: Iran join Brazil in qualifying for next year's tournament

Iran became the second team to qualify for the 2018 World Cup as they beat Uzbekistan 2-0 in Tehran.

Goals from Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi ensured Iran, coached by Carlos Queiroz, will appear at successive World Cups for the first time.

Victory meant they opened an eight-point advantage over their opponents, who are third in the table.

Five-time winners Brazil were the first team to join hosts Russia at next year's tournament.

The top two teams in each of Asia's two qualifying groups progress to the World Cup, while the teams in third place go into a series of play-offs.

 

Mayweather confirms he will be in Ghana in September

Former American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr has confirmed on twitter that his visit to Ghana and Nigeria will come off in the fall (September).

The undefeated world boxing champion was expected to visit Nigeria and then Ghana on the 15th of June but postponed the trip for reasons best known to him.

Mayweather announced he would arrive in Africa in September on Twitter.

“Motherland Africa, Nigeria & Ghana, my Undefeated Africa Tour has been pushed to the fall @RnBAllStarsEnt @ONEbrentTMT 4 more event info.”

The exact date for the arrival and activities lined up were, however, not disclosed and boxing lovers will be counting on the Organizers Upscale Entertainment to brief Ghanaians later on the new development.

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo facing tax lawsuit from Spanish Prosecutor's Office

Spain's Prosecutor's Office in Madrid has filed a tax fraud lawsuit against Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is alleged to have defrauded Spanish authorities of 14.7m euros between 2011 and 2014.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said Ronaldo had knowingly used a "business structure" created in 2010 to hide his income in Spain from his image rights.

The lawsuit is based on a report sent to the prosecutor's office from Spain's tax agency AEAT, it said.

Credit:Skysports

Mayweather's absence won't affect our bout-Lions Promotions

The postponement of Floyd Mayweather’s visit to Ghana will not affect the WBO Middleweight World Title Eliminator between Ghanaian Obodia Sai and undefeated Walter Kautondokwa scheduled for June 16 at the Bukom Boxing Arena.

Golden State defeat Cleveland Cavaliers to claim NBA crown

The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win their second NBA championship in three seasons with a 4-1 finals series victory.

The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 Finals only to lose to them last year after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 15-1 in the playoffs, their only loss coming in Game Four of the best-of-seven championship.

Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 39 points, with Stephen Curry contributing 34.

But it took a team effort for the Warriors to overcome a determined Cavaliers' squad, including contributions from 33-year-old veteran Andre Iguodala and 21-year-old Patrick McCaw.

Though the Cavaliers led 37-33 at the end of the first quarter, Golden State soon reasserted their dominance by winning the second 38-23 to lead 71-60 at half-time.

The Cavs narrowed the gap slightly in the third, with LeBron James hitting a game-high 41 points, but defensive breakdowns by Cleveland led to easy baskets late in the game for the Warriors as they sealed victory at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

Durant was named finals MVP after scoring over 30 points in each of the five games as he averaged 35.2 per game across the series.

Credit:Skysports

Black Stars bonus fixed at $5,000 due to bad economy-Deputy Sports minister

The deputy minister of youth and sports Pious Enam Hadzide says the bonus of players in the senior national team has been fixed at $5,000 because of the current economic situation in the country.

This he attributed to the dept accumulated by the previous NDC government and claiming the ministry of youth sports has a dept total of over GHC 50,000000.

"We have decided that for every qualifying or tounament game whether AFCON or World Cup the players will receive is $5,000".

The Deputy Minister added that, the government is making plans to adress the bonus issues of all the other sporting disciplines and will soon let Ghanaians know what every team, be it boxing, taekwado and athletics will earn as bonus.

Black Stars were previously taking $10,000 winning bonus and that figure was later slahed to $ 8,000 under the NDC administration.

They later agreed a new bonus structure ahead of the 2017 AFCON in Gabon which saw the team earn $5,000 per win in the group stage, $6,000 in the quarterfinal and $7,500 for the semi-final.

The Black Star bonus issue became the talk of town when the team demanded $100,000 as appearance fee during the 2014 World Cup.

I wanted to score my 50th goal at Gabon-Gyan

Captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan has said, his 50th goal for the country came rather late as he was hoping to achieve that feat in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

Aduana Stars and Kotoko draw 0-0 in an intense GPL clash

Aduana Stars and Kumasi Asante Kotoko drew 1:1 in a week 18 game of the Ghana Premier league.

The match which was touted as the game of the week ended in a disappointing goalless draw as chances were few in the entire 90 minutes.

The epic clash was not shown on TV because Aduana fans denied StarTimes and GBC from telecasting the game.

The game came to life when Kotoko midfielder Jackson Owusu was shown his 2nd yellow card of the day in the 72nd minute and Kotoko ended the game with ten me.

This draw means Aduana Stars remain 2nd on the league table with 34 points, 2 points behind leaders WAFA who are on 36.

Kotoko on the other hand are 5th on the league table with 26 points.

Asamoah Gyan denies any rift between himself and Andre Ayew

Black Stars Captain Asmoah Gyan has again denied there is a rift between himself and deputy Captain Andre Ayew.

There have been several speculation in the media claiming that the pair do not get on well in the National camp.

"Sometimes people see things and conclude, I was in the National team before Andre came, his father likes me so much but from what i know there is no problem between us."

These claims were however intensified yesterday when Gyan walked off the pitch when he was being substituted and did not hand over the captains arm band.

Gyan together with Coach Kwesi Appiah have since explained the issue as an intentional act because the arm band was specially customized for Gyan by kit sponsor Puma in anticipation of his 50th goal for the team.

Gyan begun the demolition of Ethiopia by getting the first goal for the Black Stars in a game that ended 5-0.

 

Aduana fans deny StarTimes access to telecast their clash with Kotoko today

Fans of Aduana Stars have denied official broadcast sponsors of the Ghana Premier League, StarTimes, and their partners GBC, access to the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park in Dormaa to telecast their game with Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

The game is scheduled to start at 3pm today, but may not be shown on TV as angry fans in Dormaa have threatened to destroy properties of StarTimes and GBC.

This has forced the television crew to move away from the venue and are currently at the Dormaa Ahenkro divisional Police headquarters where they are about to lodge a complaint.

According to the fans, GTV failed to telecast their clash with Berekum Chelsea last week at the Golden City Park, a game they lost by 3-2 and thus will not allow them telecast their game against Kotoko in an epic clash.

The Dormaa fans who were tagged as rowdy years back have been calm and receptive for sometime now, but this new development might have a negative effect on their reputation.

Rafael Nadal coy on French Open-Wimbledon double after claiming record 10th Roland Garros title

Rafael Nadal says winning a French Open-Wimbledon double for the third time in his career will be 'complicated' but is highly motivated to have a go as he prepares for the grasscourt season.

The 31-year-old captured an unprecedented 10th Roland Garros title in sensational style on Sunday, thrashing Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka in the final after a faultless fortnight in Paris.

It maintained a return to form and fitness for the Spaniard who also reached the Australian Open final at the start of the year and who climbed to No 2 in the rankings on Monday, his highest mark since 2014, since when he has often been battling injuries.

Inevitably thoughts are already turning to Wimbledon and the prospect of Nadal repeating his 2008 and 2010 victories â both of which followed hot on the heels of winning French titles without dropping a set as he did this year.

Nadal, never one to fuel the hype, warned against installing him as a favourite on the Wimbledon lawns where he has also lost three finals; especially as his recent record there is dismal.
'Since I have had problems with my knee, since 2012, playing on grass has been very complicated for me,' Nadal, who lost only 35 games at Roland Garros to become the first player to win the same grand slam title 10 times in the professional era, said.

'We'll see how my knee behaves. Playing on grass is very special. You need to play at a lower level. The body posture is down. You have less stability.

'But keep in mind I played five finals in Wimbledon. I like playing on grass. On grass, anything can happen. I'm motivated.'
After steamrolling through the European claycourt season, compiling a win-loss record of 24-1 with titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid before regaining his French Open crown, Nadal will spend a few days relaxing at home in Mallorca before playing in the Wimbledon warm-up at Queen's Club.

After weeks spent on the bouncy red clay, it is a tough transition and Nadal is well aware of the dangers having suffered early defeats at Wimbledon to the likes of outsiders such as Steve Darcis, Lukas Rosol and Dustin Brown.


Since losing in the 2011 final to Novak Djokovic he has not gone beyond round four while last year he could not play because of the left wrist injury that curtailed his French Open. He also pulled out in 2009 when his creaking knee prevented him from trying to defend his title.

'I could win the first two matches and then things could change,' Nadal, whose first grand slam title for three years took his total to 15, said. 'The fact is that the two first matches could be very dangerous.

'I need to feel strong, low, and have powerful legs to play well in Wimbledon. If I have pain in the knees then I know from experience that it's almost impossible. If I am healthy and I am able to have the right preparation I'll have my chances.

Nadal's incredible form - he is 43-6 so far this season - means there is also the strong possibility of overhauling Andy Murray and ending the year as world number one for the first time since 2013.

'Winning these kind of titles, then you have chances to become any number on the ranking. I don't know. I am playing well. If I am able to keep playing well, why not?' he said.

'I am right now seeded No. 2. We will see what happens during the rest of the year. It really depends on me.'

Credit: Daily Mail

Cheick Tiote's body to be flown home this week

Cheick Tiote's body will be flown back to the Ivory Coast this week after current and former team-mates gather for a memorial service.


Press Association Sport understands a service will take place in Beijing on Tuesday at which international colleagues Papiss Cisse and Gervinho, who are currently playing their football in China, will be in attendance.

Tiote's body will then be taken back to his native country on Wednesday ahead of a private funeral service.

Members of the 30-year-old Beijing Enterprises player's family, as well as his agent Emanuele Palladino, flew out to China following the shock announcement of his death on Monday after he had collapsed while training.

However, it is understood they are still awaiting official confirmation of the cause of the former Anderlecht, FC Twente and Newcastle midfielder's death.

The news sent shock-waves around the football world and prompted a tide of tributes, most notably from former managers Steve McClaren and Alan Pardew.

Credit:Eurosports

GHC 250,000 gate proceeds realised from Black Stars game

Ghana made GHC250,000 from gate proceeds yesterday when the Black Stars played against Ethiopia at the Baba Yara Stadium in an AFCON 2019 qualifier.


The game attracted a lot of fans from all corners of the Country who came out in their numbers to witness a new era of the National team which had several debutants and 7 local players.

Even with a glance from afar, this was actually the highest attended game the Black Stars had played in the last two years, similar to the support the team had when Ghana played the Pharoahs of Egypt, prior to the 2104 World Cup.

Following the return of coach Kwesi Appiah, the Kumasi fans declared their intention to rally behind the team again after fans booed players at the Baba Yara stadium 2 years ago.

According to reports however, the National Sports Authority made a lot of money from the game once again after printing 35,000 tickets for the match at the 40,500 capacity stadium in Kumasi.

NWL match day 6 review-Police beat Hasaacas, Ampem Darkoa brush off Kumasi Sports Academy

Match day 6 of the National Women's league went down at various league centres over the weekend. despite the Men's league halting on Sunday to make way for the Black Stars qualifier against Ethiopia yesterday.

it was all rosy in the Northern Zone for current league champions Ampem Darkoa who continued their winning ways as they beat Kumasi Sports Academy 2-0. 

Two goals from striker Mavis Owusu was enough to get all 3 points, the win means Ampem Darkoa have won all 6 of their league matches so far.

At the Teshie MATS park, Police Ladies were in fine form as they made light meal of their bitter rivals Hasaacas Ladies by beating them 3-1 in a epic encounter.

Police ladies Mary Berko got a brace on the day with Mary Nunoofio Oyo adding to the tally before Lilly Lawrence getting a consolation for the Sekondi Club.

Results of Week 6 matches

Northern sector

Lepo Ladies 1: 1 Fabulous

Real Upper ladies 1 :2 Prisons ladies

Ashtown ladies 2 :0 Northern  Ladies 

Ampem Darkoa 2 :0 Kumasi sports Academy

Northern sector


Standings            P W L D GF GA Pts

  
Ampem Darkoa   6  6  0  0 20  5  18
Kumasi spt Aca   6 4 1 1 10  6    13    

Fabulous ladies   6 3 2  1 7 12    10

Prisons ladies     6  2  3  1  9  13  7
Ashtown ladies   6  2 3   1  8 10   7   

Lepo ladies        6 1  2  3   7  10  6   

Northern ladies  6  0 3  3 6   13  3 

Real Upper ladies 6  0 4  2 6 11 2  

 

Southern Sector

Sea Lions 3 :2 Samaria ladies

Immigration ladies 1 : 1 Ladystrikers
 

Police ladies 3 :1 Hasacaas ladies

Soccer Intellectuals 1: 0 Holy Royals  

 

Southern sector

Standings                P W  L D GF GA Pts

Sea Lions               6  4 1  1 9    4    13

Immigration ladies  6 3 1  2  8    6    11

Ladystrikers           6  2 0  4 5   2    10 

Police ladies           6  2 2  2 6  3     8 

Intellectuals           6  2 2  2 6   6    8

Samaria ladies       6  2 3  1 9  11   7     

Hasaacas              6  1 2  3 7  8     6     

Holy Royals          6 0 5  1 1  11     1

Days of monopoly over:Competition intensifies in Black Stars

Judging from the exploits of debutants, Thomas Agyapong, Rapheal Dwamena, Lumor Agbenyenu and Ebenezer Ofori, in Ghana's thrashing of Ethiopia on Sunday,it seems the likes of Agyemang Badu, Mubarak Wakaso, Christian Atsu and to a large extend Jordan Ayew will have to compete feverishly for a place in Kwesi Appiah's current Black Stars team.

Mayweather's visit to Ghana postponed

Floyd Mayweather's historic visit to Ghana has been postponed until further notice, Upscale Entertainment,organizers of the visit has stated.

Gyan's refusal to hand over 'his' armband was legal-Kwesi Appiah

 

Black Stars coach, Kwesi Appiah has jumped to the defense of his captain, Asamoah Gyan following the skipper's refusal to give his customized armband to deputy captain Andre Ayew in Sunday's game against Ethiopia.


According to the coach, the captain did nothing wrong as the particular armband was customized in his name and he was not obliged to give it to Dede.

"We were all aware of the customized armband and knew he was not supposed to give it to anyone when substituted. Gyan is the captain of the side and could afford to get a customized armband especially when he was heading towards a historic feat,"he stated.

The coach added "The armband issue should not be taken too seriously, especially after the incredible performance by the Black Stars,"he added. 

Gyan scored his 50th goal for Ghana on Sunday to solidify his name in history books as the all-time top scorer for the country.

The Black Stars walloped Ethiopia 5-0 in Kwesi Appiah's first game in charge. The team and scheduled to play Mexico and USA in friendly matches.

www.primenewsghana.com

Ghana whips Ethiopia 5-0 in Kwesi Appiah's first game

The second coming of coach Kwesi Appiah has brought smiles to faces of Ghanaians as the Black Stars thrashed Ethiopia 5-0, in their first 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.

A rejuvenated team that played to a full capacity stadium for the first time in many years were ruthless as they dominated possession and outclassed their opponents.

Asamoah Gyan gave the Stars the lead in the 11th minute with a superb header to mark his historic 50th goal for the country.

Gyan benefited from an outstanding footwork from debutant, Thomas Agyapong and headed home at close range to open the floodgates.

John Boye doubled the lead in the 20th minute after receiving a pass from another debutant, Rapheal Dwamena.

The Stars continued to dictate the pace of the game and found another goal before recess. A ferocious strike from Ebenezer Ofori,who was making his first appearance for the national team, sent the crowd on their feet.

The Stuttgard player's superb strike gave the Stars a 3-0 win in the first half after a remarkable performance.

The onslaught continued immediately in the second half with a quick goal from Dwamena just two minutes into the game.

Dwamena climaxed his explosive debut with another goal in the 50th minute to finish off the Ethiopians.

It was a remarkable performance for the debutants regular faces in the likes of Gyan, Boye, Thomas Partey, Daniel Amartey and Harrison Afful also making their presence count.

The Black Stars would head into their next games with Mexico and USA(both friendlies) as coach Appiah is gradually ensuring that the Stars regain the love of Ghanaians.

www.primenewsghana.com

Asamoah Gyan attains legendary status

Captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan, is now Ghana's all time top scorer after netting his 50th in the Stars 5:0 win over Ethiopia, in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium on Sunday.

Black Stars vs Walias -A bait to win back the love of fans?

They were the heartbeat of many Ghanaians, from people with the keenest interest in the game of football, to the bedridden old lady who had no idea what an offside meant.


From the little boy on the street, donning a worn out replica jersey of Dede Ayew, to the market woman and office worker who would drape their shops, offices, cars and homes in national colours in support of the team.

The senior national football team, the Black Stars, enjoyed the support, love and adoration of Ghanaians, who believed in their willingness to sacrifice their energies to bring on our faces.

Tickets to matches were sold out in minutes, even training sessions attracted spectators some local clubs could not dream of in an entire season.

The height of reverence was during the 2010 FiFA world cup in South Africa when Ghana made it to the quarter finals for the first time. But for the wickedness of Uruguay’s Luis Suarez and Asamoah Gyan’s epic penalty miss, we would have been the first African side to make it the semi-finals in the history of the World cup tournament.  

But then, the bubble burst, the love crumpled and adoration turned to scorn and fury after the next world cup, Brazil 2014.

Ghana was rendered a laughing stock of the world, after we flew 3million dollars to Rio de Janeiro to pay player bonuses. They had threatened not to play the next match if outstanding bonuses were not paid.

In blatant disregard for the adoration by the nation, some players openly said they were not playing for charity. It emerged at the time that Ghanaian players received the highest bonuses at the tournament and were paid a hefty appearance fee.

The remarks coupled with their abysmal performance at the tournament resulted in deep seated resentment and anger towards the team, the love was lost and support has been dwindling so fast since.

The senior national team has struggled to win back the support with little success. Perhaps they came close to regaining a bit when they made it against all odds, to the finals of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Equatorial Guinea. Unfortunately a loss to Ivory Coast on penalties ensured the resentment persisted, even until now.

Another attempt at regaining the love of Ghanaians at the 2017 AFCON in Gabon, was unsuccessful. Tournament winners Cameroun knocked us out in the semi-finals.

 

The struggle for support by the Black Stars cast my mind back to the Baba Yara sports Stadium prior to the 2006 world cup, when Ghana defeated South Africa 3-0 in a qualifiers and reaffirmed my believe that the team had the biggest fan base in the world.

A charged atmosphere and an intimidating environment was a sign of great patriotism by Ghanaians, who never really cared about how much the players were earning as far as they were bringing victory and glory.

Again in 2014, the Black Stars enjoyed massive support in Kumasi and most of the players confessed it was the atmosphere in the stadium that spurred them on to beat the Pharaohs of Egypt 6-1, in the most memorable World Cup qualifier the Country has ever played.

In recent times games of the Black Stars hardly attract a full stadium and training sessions are deserted.

No football team can survive without support from it fans and for the reappointed Coach Kwesi Appiah, his task would not only be to qualify the Black Stars to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, but to win the hearts of a crowd that once loved him and his charges to the core.

The team lies 3rd in the World Cup qualifiers behind Egypt and Uganda and our chances are really slim. More than ever, the Stars would need the support of soccer fans to once again boost their morale in the next qualifier against the Egyptians.

Ghana on Sunday plays an AFCON 2019 qualifier against Ethiopia, a match most regard as a test of our preparedness to face the Pharaohs.

With a Ghanaian population no more impressed by wins after a 35 year trophy draught, the big question is “Will victory against Ethiopia, win back the fans?".

Roberto Carlos might have used performance enhancing drugs in 2002

Former Real Madrid legend Roberto Carlos has been dragged into a doping controversy after a German documentary alleged he was one of at least two Brazilian international footballers who took banned performance enhancing drugs around the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, a tournament Brazil won.

GPL Match day 18- Hearts spank Bolga All Stars,WA All Stars beat Chelsea

Six matches were played today in the Ghana Premier league as Hearts of Oak were able to put smiles back on the faces of their fans by beating bottom placed team Bolga All Stars 4-0.

A double from striker Kwame Kizito and defender Vincent Atinga ensured the Phobians recovered well from last weeks humiliation at WAFA.

Current league champions WA All Stars also made light meal of Berekum Chelsea as they beat them 3-0 at the WA Park.

C.K Akunnor's Ashanti Gold picked up their second win in quick succession after difying all odds to beat Medeama 0-1 at the Tarkwa T&A Park.

Great Olympics will play Tema Youth on Saturday and Aduana Stars will engage Kumasi Asante Kotoko on Monday at the Dormaa Park.

Full results

Ebusua1 - 0 Bechem United

Hearts of Oak 4 - 0 Bolga AllStars

Inter Allies 2 - 0 Elmina Sharks

Liberty 0 - 0 WAFA

Medeama 0 - 1 Ashanti Gold

Wa All Stars 3 - 0 Berekum Chelsea