Ghana Sports news

The draw for the 2017 WAFU tournament was held on Thursday at the Labadi beach hotel in Accra.

The owner of Como FC and wife of Micheal Essien Akosua Puni is facing a tough time after her team was demoted to the Italian Serie D after the Club entered administration.

An Accra Magistrate Court has fined boxer Braimah ‘Bukom Banku’ Kamoko GHC 180 for threatening to assault a lady. The boxer has also been warned to be of good behaviour.

The ruling of the court came on Thursday, after a lady (name withheld) filed a case against the boxer, stating that the former WBO Africa light heavyweight champion threatened to beat her.

Coach of Bukom Banku, Wadada who confirmed the court ruling in an interview with Ghanacrusader.com said:

“We went to court last week Thursday (July 20th) after a bench warrant was issued for the arrest of Bukom Banku, a lady lodged a complaint at the Police Station that Bukom Banku has threatened to beat her. So when the case was called Bukom Banku apologized for his action.”

“The judge then fined Bukom Banku GHC 180. The lady then said she has no interest in the case again, so the judge referred the matter to the ADR and asked us to come today. When we went to the court, the judge studied the ADR report and told Bukom Banku to be of good behaviour. The judge even advised him to use his strength to win laurels for Ghana.”

Bukom Banku will mount the ring on September 30th in a fist battle against compatriot Bastie Samir.

Source: ghanacrusader.com

Franck Ribery had the first chance of the game but his shot from inside the box was saved by Samir Handanovic.

Eder then opened the scoring for Inter, heading in Antonio Candreva's cross from close range after eight minutes. The Inter striker made it 2-0 with another free header after being set up by Manchester United target Ivan Perisic in the 30th minute.

A few minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Bayern when Ribery had to be carried off the pitch.

The Bundesliga champions dominated most of the play, while Inter were happy to sit back and counter, taking their two-goal lead into the half-time break.

Inter almost made 3-0 after 50 minutes but Joao Mario's cheeky free-kick from a tight angle could only hit the side netting.

The second half was once again disrupted by many changes from both teams, with Bayern's next chance coming from Renato Sanches, but his long-range shot sailed just wide.

Bayern threatened Inter's goal for the rest of the game, but without really creating any feasible chances.

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The President of the Ghana Football Association and 1st Vice President of CAF Kwesi Nyantakyi says the Confederation carried out a thorough probe before increasing the number of AFCON teams from 16 to 24.

The annual Atta Mills Hockey tournament has been scheduled for the 29th of July at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey pitch in Accra.

Suspended Spanish Football Federation president Angel Maria Villar has resigned from his roles as vice-president of Uefa and Fifa.

He and his son Gorka were arrested earlier this month as part of a corruption investigation.

Villar, who denied all the allegations, has been suspended for one year by the Spanish football federation.

"Villar will no longer have any official functions at our organisation," Uefa said on Thursday.

"In view of the ongoing court proceedings in Spain, we have no further comments to make on this matter."

Uefa said its president, Aleksander Ceferin, had accepted Villar's resignation and had thanked him for his years of service to European football.

Villar, a former Athletic Bilbao and Spain midfielder, had headed the Spanish football federation for 29 years. Juan Luis Larrea has been named as interim president.

Manchester United ended their pre-season tour of the United States with defeat by Barcelona - a game that manager Jose Mourinho said "was important to lose".

Neymar, who has been linked heavily with a move to Paris St-Germain, scored the only goal of the International Champions Cup contest in Washington to consign United to their first pre-season defeat.

The French club have reportedly met the Brazilian's 222m euro (£199m) release clause but the 25-year-old played 45 minutes, capitalising on a mistake by Antonio Valencia to score in the 31st minute.

Barcelona would have been out of sight in the first half but for a string of fine saves from United goalkeeper David de Gea.

"I think it would be very bad for us to leave the US without a defeat," said Mourinho. "Playing against teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City - it would be very bad to go home with just victories."

Manchester United now face Norwegian side Valerenga on Sunday before playing Italians Sampdoria in their final pre-season match in Dublin on Wednesday.

They meet Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup on 8 August.

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Kumasi Asante Kotoko Coach Steve Pollack has visited his team for the first time in training since their accident on the 12th of July.

The accident claimed the life of their deputy equipment officer and left several others injured. The English Coach had to undergo a Surgery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and is currently on road to recovery.

Coach Steve Pollack

Team manager Godwin Ablodey was also at the Adako Adako Jachie training grounds in a similar fashion to Pollack . Kotoko have been out of action for two weeks running and are expected to recover in time and play Hearts of Oak on August 6th.

Team manager Godwin Ablordey

Twelve-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic has decided not to play again during the 2017 season due to a long standing elbow injury.

Monaco are in talks with 18-year-old France striker Kylian Mbappe over a contract extension, says vice-president Vadim Vasilyev.

Mbappe, one of the most sought-after talents in football, has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Manchester City have also been linked, but BBC Sport understands they are reluctant to pay the reported 180m euro (£160m) asking price.

Vasilyev said the Ligue 1 club Monaco have had several "serious" enquiries.

But he added: "We are in discussions over a contract extension with Kylian and we hope to reach an agreement."

Mbappe, who has won four caps for France, scored 26 goals in all competitions for Monaco last season. His current contract runs until June 2019.

Earlier in July, Monaco said "important European clubs" had made contact with the player without their permission.

Monaco may ask world governing body Fifa and the French league to consider disciplinary action, but Fifa said it has not received a complaint.

BBC Sport understands Manchester City are the only English club accused.

"We haven't reached an agreement with any club for Mbappe," Vasilyev said.

"We are negotiating to extend his contract but you mustn't push the player too hard. We must allow him to take his time, not rush things.

"There is too much media pressure. I remind you he's only 18."

Vasilyev also described Thomas Lemar, a key target for Arsenal, and Fabinho, who has been linked with Manchester United, as "essential" players who are "staying with us".

Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah has joined Turkish side Kasimpasa on a season long loan from Spanish Club Atletico Madrid.

The much anticipated 2nd leg of the Super Clash between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak is scheduled to be played on the 6th of August.

The clash, initially slated for the 16th of July was called off after the porcupine warriors were involved in a motor traffic accident that claimed the life of the teams assistant kit manager. Many players and officials also sustained various degrees of injury

Kotoko have missed two games ever since they had the accident but will be ready to battle Hearts at the Baba Yara Stadium on August 6.

Both teams have met three times this year with Hearts winning two and Kotoko winning the last encounter on penalties in the President Cup game.

The PLB yesterday announced the suspension of the Ghana Premier League for a month to pave way for the MTN FA Cup quarter finals and also enable the Local Black Stars to prepare for their CHAN qualifiers with Burkina Faso.

Ghana defender Isaac Vorsah joined Ohod SC teammates in Cairo on Tuesday for pre-season training.

The 29-year-old defender signed a contract with the Saudi side two weeks ago but could not travel with them to Egypt.

Vorsah was received at the Cairo International Airport by the club's General Supervisor Mohammed al-Alawi.

He has become the sixth foreign player in the squad of Ohod SC who got promoted this season.

Vorsah challenging Burkina Faso Striker Aristide Bance in the 2013 AFCON Semi Final game

Vorsah is keen on getting his career back on track after battling injuries the last three years. He has represented Ghana at the U23 level and was a key member of the Black Stars squad at the  World Cup in South Africa.

He formed a formidable partnership with John Mensah and will aim to get back into the Black Stars now that he has made a full recovery.

Lesser-known sports in the country will receive financial support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the sector Minister has announced.

Black Stars and Columbus Crew defender Jonathan Mensah has described the decision by CAF to move the AFCON from January to June as great news for African players who ply their trade outside the Continent.

The Premier League Board has confirmed the Ghana Premier league will be halted for a Month.

This move is mainly to pave way for the MTN FA Cup quarter final matches as well as enable the Local Black Stars to prepare for the upcoming CHAN qualifiers with Burkina Faso.

Below is the full statement.

PREMIER LEAGUE GOES ON A-ONE-MONTH BREAK

The Ghana Premier League is to go on a month break to allow the quarter finals of the MTN FA Cup to be honored, as well as pave way for handlers of the Black Stars Team B to prepare adequately for the 2018 CAF CHAN qualifiers with Burkina Faso.

The quarter finals of the MTN FA Cup will be honored this weekend, and the Black Stars B Team, which is made up of players from the domestic league, will commence a one-week residential camping ahead of their two-leg qualifiers with Burkina Faso, which will be played over a two-week period in August.

The Premier League returns with Match Day 25 and Match Day 26 on August 27 and August 30 respectively, before it goes on another three-week break in September to allow the Black Stars B to prepare and participate in the Ghana 2017 WAFU Tournament.

Meanwhile, all outstanding matches, including matches involving Asante Kotoko, will be cleared within the one month break.

A second medical review from Asante Kotoko to the GFA/PLB on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, has indicated that Kotoko will be medically ready to play by August 6, 2017.

Below are the dates for the outstanding matches:

Sunday, July 30, 2017 - Ashantigold vrs WAFA in Obuasi.

Sunday August 6, 2017 - Kumasi Asante Kotoko vrs Accra Hearts of Oak in Kumasi

Wednesday August 23, 2017 - WAFA vrs Kumasi Asante Kotoko in Sogakope.

Diego Maradona has backed the use of video assistant referees (VARs) despite accepting that his infamous 'Hand of God' goal would not have stood if the technology had existed in 1986.

Maradona used his hand to score against England in Argentina's 2-1 win in the World Cup quarter-finals 31 years ago.

Maradona leaps above Peter Shilton and into infamy during the 1986 World Cup quarter-final at the Azteca Stadium

"Obviously I think about it whenever I show my support for the use of technology," Maradona told Fifa.com.

"I thought about it and, sure, that goal wouldn't have stood."

He admitted that he benefited from the lack of technology at a World Cup not once, but twice.

"I'll tell you something else - at the 1990 World Cup I used my hand to clear the ball off the line [in a group game] against the Soviet Union," he said.

"We were lucky because the referee didn't see it. You couldn't use technology back then, but it's a different story today."

The 56-year-old added that Geoff Hurst's controversial goal in 1966 World Cup final would also have ruled out had VARs been available.
"England won the World Cup in '66 with a shot that didn't go over the line," he said.

"There have been lots of incidents where World Cup history would have been different if technology had been used. It's time to change all that."

Bayern Munich have beaten Chelsea 3-2 in a friendly game in Singapore. Bayern started the brighter of the two sides with Rafinha and Muller putting them two up as early as the 12th minute of the game.

Muller added his second of the day to make it 3-0 to Bayern before Marcos Alonso pulled one back for Chelsea before the break.

The second half of the game saw both teams make several changes with Antonio Conte handing 70 million pound striker Alvaro Morata his Chelsea debut.

Michy Batshuayi scored in the 85th minute of the game for Chelsea but Bayern held on and the game eventually ended 3-2 in favour of the German giants.

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Monaco have denied agreeing a world-record £161m (€180m) transfer fee with Real Madrid for Kylian Mbappe.

Marca are reporting that Real will pay an initial £134m (€150m) for Mbappe with a further £27m (€30m) in incentives, a claim Monaco have denied to Sky Sports News.

The reported fee would eclipse the £93.25m fee (€110m at the time) that Manchester United paid to Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer.

The 18-year-old forward scored 26 goals and added eight assists last season as Monaco were crowned Ligue 1 champions and advanced to the last four of the Champions League.

Mbappe became the second youngest player to play for France (behind Maryan Wisnieski) when he made his debut against Luxembourg in March, aged 18 years, three months and five days old.

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane gave a glowing assessment of his young compatriot when asked about him last week.

"He is very good," Zidane said to ESPN. "He is a talent, he is 18 years old, he has personality.

"He is very good, very good as a player and has shown it all year."

Real have money to spend after selling Alvaro Morata to Chelsea last week for a fee that could rise to £70m.

Former U17 striker and player for Police Ladies football Club Jane Ayiayem has graduated from the Pwalugu training School and is now a police officer.

Chelsea have sent Kenedy home from their pre-season tour following the Brazilian's social media comments before a match in China.

The club had "solemnly and sincerely" apologised after fans accused the 21-year-old of xenophobia and racism over comments made in Instagram posts before a 3-0 pre-season win over Arsenal.

Kenedy, who was booed by fans at the game, also later apologised.

But he will now return from Singapore, where Chelsea are at present.

In the wake of the incident, writing on social media, Kenedy said he was sorry if "someone was sad because I used an expression". He added it was "no racism, just an expression".

Chelsea said in a statement prior to him being sent home that the player, signed from Fluminense in 2015, had been "strongly reprimanded and disciplined".

"Kenedy's actions were a mistake that he will learn greatly from," they added. "His behaviour does not represent the entire team and does not align with our expectations and strict requirements of the young players."

On Sunday, Chelsea arrived in Singapore to prepare for the next match of their pre-season tour, against Bayern Munich at the National Stadium on Tuesday.

Manchester United defender Eric Bailly has been given a three-match ban for his red card against Celta Vigo in the Europa League.

The 23-year-old was sent off after a mass brawl in the semi-final on 11 May and missed the final against Ajax, which United won 2-0.

However, the suspension has now been extended to include two more games.

Bailly will miss the Super Cup against Real Madrid on 8 August and United's first Champions League group match.

The Ivory Coast international's case does not qualify for an appeal because European football's governing body Uefa only overturns decisions made by the referee in cases of mistaken identity.

Bailly was sent off for a swipe at Celta's former Manchester City striker John Guidetti, with Facundo Roncaglia dismissed for retaliating.

The Premier League club also received a warning from Uefa for a late kick-off to the semi-final.

Accra Hearts of Oak Captain Thomas Abbey says his rich goal scoring form this season is down to hard work and motivation.

Manchester City have announced the signing of left-back Benjamin Mendy for £49.2m on a five-year deal.

The 23-year-old France international flew to Los Angeles to undergo a medical and compete the deal on Sunday ahead of joining-up with City's pre-season tour of the United States.

Mendy had been City's first-choice target for a new left-back and joins fellow new full-backs Kyle Walker and Danilo through the door at the Etihad, as City take their summer spending past the £200m mark.

Mendy said: "I am very proud. This is what I wanted from the very beginning. As soon as the championship was over, I talked to my family and it was all clear in my head: I wanted to join Manchester City.

"I think I am the right person for the group. I am easily adaptable. There are some players with whom I exchanged a few emails, I knew them from some years ago.

"Regarding football, I can bring a lot of creativity in the game, I can offer different solutions, I like to take to play as full-back and provide assists for the strikers."

Director of football Txiki Begiristain said: "Benjamin has all the qualities we are looking for in a full-back. For such a young player, he has a wealth of top-level experience"

Mendy was an integral part of that Monaco side that won the Ligue 1 last season

Mendy has emerged as one of the best left-backs in Europe despite just a single season at Monaco following a £13m move from Marseille last summer, and was one of a number of Monaco players of interest to other clubs following their French Ligue 1 triumph.

City have already signed Bernardo Silva from Monaco and are also interested in their highly-coveted striker Kylian Mbappe.

Black Stars Head Coach Kwesi Appiah has hailed the decision of the Confederation of African football to move the African Cup of Nations from January to June.

Manchester United beat Real Madrid on penalties after their pre-season game finished 1-1 in Santa Clara.

Anthony Martial created Jesse Lingard's first-half opener for United with a brilliant piece of skill on the left.

Casemiro levelled for Real from the penalty spot after United's new £31m defender Victor Lindelof brought down Theo Hernandez with a rash challenge.

Seven out of 10 penalties were missed in the shootout, with Casemiro's wild effort ensuring United edged it 2-1.

It was not a great night for Lindelof, who compounded his error during the game with a miss from the spot.

Another negative for United was Ander Herrera lasting only six minutes before going off with a hip injury.

They have now won all four of their matches in the United States and meet Barcelona in their final tour game in Washington on Wednesday.

Wales forward Gareth Bale started for Real in their first pre-season game.

They play Manchester City in Los Angeles on Wednesday before meeting Barcelona in Miami on Saturday.
Martial the mystery

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Accra Hearts of Oak beat Tema Youth 3-1 at the Accra Sports Stadium to stretch their lead further from Kotoko who were not in action.