SPORTS WORLD

Paris 2024: Seven Ghanaian boxers fly to Italy for Olympic Qualifier

Ghana’s national boxing team, the Black Bombers will fly to Italy tonight for a Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier.

President of the Ghana Amateur Boxing Federation, Bernard Quartey and a representative from the Sports Ministry will lead a delegation of six boxers for the tournament.

Samuel Takyi, who won bronze in the featherweight division at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, is expected to lead the Black Bombers. Takyi will be fighting in the light welterweight division.

The other members of the Black Bombers are Theophilius Kpakpo Allotey (flyweight division), Alfred Kotei (light middleweight), Jonathan Tetteh (light heavyweight) and Leicester born Mark Kojovi Ahondao (heavyweight).

Black Hitters pair of, Janet Ackah and Warrant Officer Anatu Mohammed will be competing in the flyweight and lightweight divisions respectively.

The boxers will be led by Coach Ofori Asare and his assistant Vincent Ackah Nettey assistant are also on the trip.

Meanwhile, a bantamweight boxer Dauda Fuseini, will not be making the trip after the Italian Embassy rejected his VISA application.

Mohammed was due to compete in the featherweight division but will not travel with the team after failing to provide his birth certificate.

The designated doctor of the team, A.S.P Edward Asante, has also been denied the VISA.

Ghana is still waiting for its first boxing slot for the Paris Olympic after 12 boxers failed to secure any at the qualifying tournament in Senegal last year.

The tournament in Italy, the first of boxing’s Olympic Qualifiers in 2024, will run from March 3 to March 11, 2024, in Bursto Arsizio, northern Italy.

The Black Bombers will be competing for six of the 49 slots on offer during the event, including 28 for men and 21 for women.

The next qualifying tournament for boxing will take place in Thailand from 26 May to 2 June.

Legon Stadium in shape to host best African Games – Venue Manager

The University of Ghana stadium venue manager for the African Games, Dr Bella Bello Bitugu says about two or three per cent of work is required before the facility will be fully operational.

Speaking to GSN24 Live, Dr Bitugu, who is also the sports director for the University stated that the facility is one of the best and the school is proud to host the rest of the continent.

“Almost every part of this facility is ready. The VIP, the Rugby pitch, and the lanes have been marked and certification is ongoing, maybe some two-three per cent of the work here to be done.

“We are ready as far as the sporting infrastructure is concerned and we are sure we will have every fully completed by the time the games start,” he said.

Ghana adopted a hybrid approach to the organisation of the games, building sporting facilities in Borteyman and completing the University of Ghana stadium as well as settling on the halls in the school to serve as the games village.

Dr Bello described the decision to use the country’s premier university as a special one.

“As the venue manager for the Legon Stadium, I will call it my baby. It started around 2003, and I remember stating that I would complete the stadium before I leave, lo and behold, I am completing it.

“That makes it special, that makes it really great. Look at the warm-up track, look at the stadium itself, what do we want again?

“Again, we have seen the light of day. People thought it wouldn’t happen, we were sceptical, where is the money, but we bulldozed through to have this facility.

“We started bit by bit, but we are finally here. It is also special, too, because this is the first time Ghana is hosting the African Games and we are going to have it on the campus of a University, special because it doesn’t usually happen.

“Mega events don’t usually happen on University campuses and special again because it’s the premier university, and special because this is a very determining stage in Ghana so it is special on many counts and we look forward to a very fantastic games,” he stated.

The University of Ghana will host about seven of the 29 sporting disciplines that would be happening during the African Games.

Rigobert Song no longer Cameroon Head Coach – Fecafoot confirms

The Cameroonian football federation (Fecafoot) has confirmed that Rigobert Song has left his job as Head Coach.

The Indomitable Lions were knocked out in the round of 16 by eventual finalists, Nigeria, at the AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.

FECAFOOT President, Samuel Eto’o confirmed the development on Wednesday.

”We have not achieved our objectives, and our executive committee and I do not see ourselves renewing the contract with Song,” Eto’o said.

Song was appointed in February 2022, after the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon and qualified the team to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Cameroon narrowly missed out on the knockout stages at the World Cup, despite a ln impressive win over Brazil.

The Indomitable Lions won only six out of twenty-three games with Song at the helm.

Paris 2024Q: Barbra Banda’s late strike ends Black Queens Olympics dream

Ghana’s Black Queens suffered heartbreak in Ndola despite a draw on Wednesday, February 28, ending their hopes of Olympic Games qualification.

Barbra Banda scored a brace in the game to ensure Zambia sealed a 3-3 draw and ensured they qualified on aggregate against Ghana.

The Black Queens came into the game on the back of a 1-0 loss at the Accra Sports Stadium last Friday but were confident of turning the tie around.

Banda opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the game before Gifty Assifuah, who was brought into the starting lineup at the expense of Freda Ayisi, scored the equaliser for Nora Hauptle’s side.

Both teams headed into the break with nothing to separate them the home team leading 2-1 on aggregate.

However, Doris Boaduwaa put Ghana ahead in the 55th minute with a brilliant goal before Kabange Mupopo netted the leveller six minutes later.

Azumah Bugri’s goal looked all set to force the game into extra time after coming off the bench to score.

A foul late in the game by Jennifer Cudjoe saw her sent off for a second yellow card with Banda stepping up to beat Vivian Antwi Adjei in the Ghana goal from the resulting free kick.

Her second goal ensured a 3-3 result on the day with the Copper Queens claiming a 4-3 aggregate win.

The defeat ends Ghana’s chances of being at the 2024 Olympic Games after going past challenges from Guinea and Benin.

The team will now turn their attention to preparations for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Morocco

Hearts appoint Togbui Afede XIV and new MD as directors

Accra Hearts of Oak has announced the appointment of two new directors, less than 24 hours after dissolving the previous board.

In a statement of Wednesday, Hearts said its majority shareholders, Strategic African Securities Limited and Strategic Initiatives Limited, had nominated Togbui Afede XIV and Delali Anku-Adiamah, its Managing Director, as the board members.

Togbui Afede XIV, chaired the previous board that served from 2012 to 2014.

Delali Anku-Adiamah who was hired as Managing Director on February 10, holds a PhD in Computational Systems Biology from the University of Manchester, Bsc Computer Science from the University of Birmingham, UK.

He previously worked in the Finance Department of Manchester United, Accenture as the Technology Consultant Manager, and at Markit as VP.

On Tuesday, Hearts of Oak announced it had dissolved its board of directors, in a club statement.

Tuesday’s decision ended Alhaji Alhassan Andani, Thomas Kwesi Esso, Professor Kofi Kumado, Ivy Heward Mills, Alhaji Moro Adamu, Vincent Sowah-Odotei, Dr. Nyaho-Nyaho Tamakloe, and Frank Nelson Nwokolo’s run as board members.

Wednesday’s announcement however means Togbui Afede, the majority shareholder of the club, will continue steering the affairs of the club.

Hearts are scheduled to hold this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 27.

I’m not perturbed about criticism – Asamoah Gyan on joining Bawumia’s campaign team

Former Ghana Captain, Asamoah Gyan says he is not worried about what people have been saying about him, following his appointment to serve on Dr Mahamadu Bawumia’s 2024 campaign team.

Gyan, earlier this month, was named on the Manifesto Committee of the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer for the 2024 elections to serve as the lead for the “Youth and Sports” manifesto sub-committee.

The former Ghana international is expected to actively communicate the sports aspect of Dr Bawumia’s manifesto when completed.

His acceptance to serve on Bawumia’s team has been received with mixed reactions from Ghanaians with some criticising the former Sunderland man.
However, Gyan says he has no concerns with what has been said about his affiliation with the New Patriotic Party.

“They have their own opinions,” said Gyan at the inauguration of the NPP’s Campaign Team for the 2024 general elections, at Alisa Hotel, when quizzed about the thoughts of his critics. “I have been there [before]. I have been to stadia, been booed in front of 80,000 people, I am used to it.”

“At the end of the day, the work shows. Sometimes, you go to the enemy’s territory and you come out with applause. I have confidence in myself and I know what I can do to help. I am here to help because of my 20 years of experience. I can’t just sit at home and keep it. I have to share with the new generation to benefit from it.

“At the end of the day when everything is said and done, we see what we did or what we couldn’t do. The criticisms will come. It is also good for me personally and for my team to push harder…”

The committee has been tasked to carry out a thorough review of the party’s previous manifestos from the 2016 and 2020 elections.

‘He needs to be a bit more mature’ – Gary Neville on Mohammed Kudus decision-making

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has urged Mohammed Kudus to do better in his decision-making despite his enormous talent.

Kudus returned to being decisive for West Ham United on Monday night as he set up an assist in the Hammers 4-2 win over Brentford in the Premier League.

The Ghanaian was a constant threat in Brentford’s half anytime West Ham attacked and gave the Bees’ defence a run for their money.

Despite his goal involvement, Neville, who now works as a pundit with Sky Sports, assessing the performance of Kudus, said the 23-year-old needs to step up his decisions when he gets to the final third.

“Kudus has got something, but he just needs to be a bit more mature in his final choices,” Neville said on his podcast.

“Sometimes wingers can be unpredictable, but they need to be unpredictable not just to the opposition but also to their own teammates. In the first half, he took one or two wild shots instead of making a final pass.”

“And I did say in that first half that the one thing David Moyes could say at halftime was for him to be a little bit more precise in what he was doing and that third goal came from him being more direct and putting in that lovely cross for Jarrod Bowen which was a big moment in the game.”

The assist against Brentford was Kudus’ first goal involvement since returning from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

Story by sky Sports

It’s time to take a long-term approach to correct the wrongs in our football – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo says it’s high time Ghana deployed a long-term strategy to help solve the country’s football problems.

According to him, the recent performances of the Black Stars have raised questions about the future of the sport in Ghana as the search for success still continues.

Ghana suffered yet another group-stage exit at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire after picking just two points from a possible six. The Black Stars, then under the tutelage of Chris Hughton, failed to progress from Group B which also had Cape Verde, Egypt and Mozambique.

Akufo-Addo talked about the disappointment of the team’s performance in Abidjan which he believes was contrary to what the players expected.

“The recent AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire was probably the nadir of the performance of the Black Stars, and has left the nation saddened. However, I am quite certain that the young men and the technical handlers would, themselves, have wanted to make our nation proud, and I believe that the captain, Andre Dede Ayew, meant every word when he rendered heartfelt apologies on behalf of his team-mates to all Ghanaians for the team’s early exit,” he said in his penultimate State of the Nation Address delivered in Parliament on Tuesday, February 27.

In the wake of the retrogression of Ghana’s football, the President intends to unveil a ‘Presidential Policy on Football’ which will address the challenges of these problems.

“I believe it is time for us to take a long-term, far-sighted approach to correct what has gone wrong. It is time to return to scouting, grooming and developing talent at the district grassroots level under a Presidential Policy on Football that I intend to unveil,” he continued.

“The school sports department of the Ministry of Education will work hand in hand with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, in collaboration and synergy with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), to build district, regional and national juvenile teams for both boys and girls.

“The more than one hundred and fifty (150) astro turf pitches constructed throughout the country, under this administration, provide the foundational facilities to make a start, as we strive to provide more of them. We should see a steady progression of talent up the ladder from the junior juvenile teams to the senior sides based on merit, and nothing else.”

African Games 2023: Ghana Athletics to organise open championship at Legon Stadium on Wednesday

Ghana Athletics will organise a national open championship at the University of Ghana stadium on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

The championship, is a pre-competition trial of the facility ahead of the African Games 2023.

It will last two hours, starting from 5 PM and ending at 7 PM to make way for the continuation of preparations and rehearsals for the opening ceremony of the event.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC), on Friday, February 23, handed the facility the opening ceremony team to fix their equipment prepare the ceremony slated for March 8, forcing Ghana Athletics to reschedule its National Invitational Students Athletics Championship (NISAC), which was slated for February 24 to 28.

The LOC, however, had to compromise as standard requirements from World Athletics makes it mandatory for the facilities to be tested before competitions begin.

With the athletics governing only likely to have access to the facility on March 10, 2024, they might not be able to organise any major event to test the tracks and equipment before the athletics competitions start on March 18.

Hence, the pre-competition event will be held on Wednesday without field events, per JoySports sources.

Meanwhile, the certification of the main stadium tracks for the games is expected to complete today, while the lane markings the warm up track will start on Wednesday.

Black Stars miss out on inaugural FIFA Series

Ghana’s Black Stars have been excluded from the list of African teams chosen by FIFA for the inaugural FIFA Series international friendlies.

On Monday, FIFA announced its decision to trial the FIFA Series; a set of FIFA-backed international friendlies, in the next international window in March 2024.

In a statement on Monday, FIFA said four national teams selected from each confederation will converge in one country for the inaugural FIFA Series next month.

Although FIFA allocated six slots to African countries for the inaugural edition, Ghana’s Black Stars were somehow overlooked for the ‘‘tournament’’.

Algeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea and Central African Republic are the African countries selected for the inaugural edition.

Ghana were not the only big-name absentee for the inaugural event as Africa’s number one-ranked team, Senegal, AFCON 2023 winners, Cote d’Ivoire, and finalists Nigeria were all conspicuously missing.

FIFA says the initiative will ‘‘will provide member associations with a more regular opportunity to face national teams from other continents, which will serve to unlock technical development opportunities previously unavailable to many of them.’’

‘‘The FIFA Series will also provide the participating member associations with their own additional commercial opportunities and exposure.’’

The pilot Series will run from 18 to 26 March 2024.