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Scottish side Aberdeen tracking Ghanaian youngster Nurudeen Abdulai

Scottish powerhouse Aberdeen FC are keeping tabs on talented Ghana and Medeama defender Nurudeen Abdulai, GHANAsoccernet.com can report.

The 19-year-old, who is a subject intense interest from Clubs in Europe, has attracted the lenses of the Scottish giants.

A glowing scouting reports point to a promising footballer who will develop and thrive in Europe over time.

The Scottish side are believed to be prepared to discuss a complete package hinge on a developmental path for the highly-rated Ghanaian centre-back, who has a knack for scoring goals.

However, Aberdeen FC, will not have an easy route to the youngster’s signature with a lots of clubs in England, Denmark and Norway keeping tabs on his progress at 2023-24 CAF Champions League campaigners, Medeama SC.

Abdulai, 19, has captured the attention and imagination of Ghanaians since bursting onto the Premier League scene just two seasons ago- culminating into a call up into the senior national team, the Black Stars.

The fast rising defender, who has been included in Medeama’s pre-season squad, will likely depart the Ghana Premier League before it kicks off on September 6, 2024.

The 19-year-old has consistently been one of the best defensive players in the Ghana Premier League over the last two seasons. He played a pivotal role in Medeama SC winning the Ghana Premier League for the first time in the 2022/23 season.

Interest in the versatile youngster is growing and it is expected he will depart the Tarkwa based club this summer.

According to transfer experts FootballInsider247.com, Abdulai is on the radar of several Premier League and Championship clubs in the ongoing summer transfer window.

Following a stellar 2022/23 season, Nurudeen received his debut call-up to the Black Stars squad that faced Madagascar and Comoros in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November last year.

Former Ghana coach Chris Hughton included him in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations provisional squad but missed out on the final squad with a shoulder injury.

Former Accra Shooting Stars wonderkid Godswill Vadze joins Serbian giants Čukaricki

Ghanaian prodigy, Godswill Vadze is set to take the Serbian Super League by storm after completing a 3-year deal with Čukarički.

The white and black were reinforced by the signing of the offensive midfielder Godswill Vadze, a youngster who was one of the best individuals in the Zvijezda 09 team in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina last season.

Vadze was born on September 4, 2001 in Tefle, Ghana, and after a 3-year spell with Accra shooting stars FC, he began his European adventure with Austrian third-tier club, Pinzgau Saalfelden, from where he moved to Zvijezda 09 from Stanišić.

While at Republika Srpska, he was very noticeable, in 49 games he scored eight goals and assisted six times.

“I am very happy that I became a member of Čukaricki. I can’t wait to meet my teammates, to do the first training and I hope to be in competition for games very soon. I am grateful to God and to all the people in Ghana who believed in my talent. I promise to give my best for this club, to which I am very grateful for the fact that they signed me. It is a privilege to play for Čukarički” – said Vadze after being introduced to the club from Banovo brdo.

Vadze was assigned the number 11 jersey. On Monday, he underwent medical examinations and he will begin first training session with the team today.“We followed several guys who were on our radar for a long time, including Vadze. We did a detailed analysis of his qualities, with the help of the club’s scouting service, together we came to the conclusion that this is the ideal profile of a player who fits the system and idea of the game that our head coach Goran Stanić is looking for.”

“We expect the boy from Ghana to quickly adapt to the requirements and to play for the team as soon as possible, and the fact that he has already played in these areas will be of great importance” – said Goran Grkinić, the technical director of Čukarički.

“Our goal is to produce top level players who are capable of competing at the highest level and we are most definitely on that path having produced a couple of youngsters including Vadze in whom I am confident in the next couple of years, will be rubbing shoulders with the best in the world of football” – said Isaac Ansah, Vice president of Accra Shooting Stars FC.

Colombia 2024: Black Princesses need to play friendlies as part of preparations – Basigi

Head coach of the Black Princesses, Yussif Basigi, has stressed on the need for his side to play friendly games ahead of their participation in the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Ghana is set for a seventh straight appearance in the competition since its debut in 2010.

The Black Princesses have been training in Cape Coast for the past three weeks as part of their preparations for this year’s competition which will be staged in Colombia.

Despite their lengthy stay in the Central Region, the team have not had the deserved test required as part of their preparations.

“Definitely, when it comes to such preparations, you will need matches to play. But to begin with, we have started playing some medium-profile games around since many of the female clubs are not in session,” Basigi said during a presser on Monday.”We have decided to play with U-13 boys so we take it from there and I know as and when we are progressing, other matches will follow.”

With the expansion of the competition to 24 teams from 16, Yussif Basigi will be hoping to guide Ghana past the first round for the first time.

Ghana are pitted in Group E where they will face Austria, New Zealand and Japan.

Ghana’s Black Queens aiming for World Cup return under coach Hauptle

Ghana’s Black Queens head coach, Nora Hauptle, has set her sights on returning the team to its former glory and qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Black Queens, once a dominant force in African women’s football, have seen their fortunes dwindle in recent years. However, since Hauptle’s appointment, there are signs of a resurgence.

“Our mission is to get back to number one in Africa,” declared Hauptle, referencing the Black Queens’ past success at the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 1999, 2003, and 2007.

“We even qualified for the World Cup at one point, and we want to bring ourselves back to that level.”

Hauptle acknowledges the recent achievement of qualifying for the Women’s AFCON again. She emphasises the importance of challenging themselves against the best: “It’s important to measure ourselves against the top ten teams in the world,” she said, referring to their upcoming friendly match against Japan this weekend.

The match against Japan on Saturday at the Kanazawa Go Go Curry Stadium will be a crucial test for the Black Queens as they strive to reclaim their position as a powerhouse in African women’s football.

Great Olympics: Interim Committee to oversee appointment of new coach

Kudjoe Fianoo, a member of Accra Great Olympics’ newly formed three-man management committee, has emphasized that their immediate focus is to appoint a new head coach, which will most likely be followed by the dissolution of the interim committee.

Last week, the club’s board chairman, Amarkai Amarteifio, announced the dissolution of the club’s Management and Technical Teams following their relegation from the Ghana Premier League.

In an interview on Channel One TV, Fianoo explained the decision to dissolve the management board after the club’s relegation.

During the previous season, Great Olympics finished 16th in the league standings, which consisted of 18 teams. Throughout the season, they went through three different head coaches, namely Annor Walker, Jimmy Cobblah, and Henry Orlando Wellington.

Fianoo expressed his belief that the newly formed committee might not oversee the entire season. Currently, they are actively searching for a coach.

“I don’t think that this committee is going to see through the entire season. As we speak, we are on the search for a coach,” Fianoo stated. “When we get the coach, we will see some names sent to the Board for consideration and then we will form the management committee that will be in charge of the day-to-day running of the club. So our mission is to make sure that we fill in the gap as the club prepares to move into Division One.”

Great Olympics are determined to rebuild and make a strong comeback, starting with a strategic appointment of a capable head coach to lead the team in the upcoming season.

Brighton unveil Ghana forward Ibrahim Osman

Ghana forward Ibrahim Osman has been unveiled by English Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 19-year-old joined the Seagulls in the summer transfer window after agreeing terms with the club during in January.

Osman joined the Premier League side for the first time this week and took part in pre-season exercise at the club’s training complex.

He will be travelling with the team to Japan to continue preparations ahead of his debut campaign in the most popular league in the world.

“Obviously, I am happy to be here. It is a dream come true. As a young guy to be in a new country, in a new team, and a new environment> Basically there were a lot of teams who wanted me but when Brighton came, I was like this is the type of team I want to play for,” he said.

“The style of play, they play also younger players so it was a great development for me. I want to fully achieve my dreams. Playing every week and scoring goals,” he added.

The Right to Dream Academy graduate made the sensational switch from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland.

Wimbledon 2024: Paolini edges out Vekic in thriller to reach women’s singles final

Jasmine Paolini edged out a tearful Donna Vekic in a thrilling semi-final to become the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon women’s singles final.

In one of the best matches of the tournament, Paolini missed two match points and was 8-7 behind in the 10-point tie-break before recovering to clinch an incredible victory.

The match lasted two hours 51 minutes, making it the longest women’s singles semi-final at Wimbledon, with the Italian winning 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8).

Paolini, who had never won a match at this tournament before this year but who has gained huge popularity with her enthusiasm, bubbly personality and incredible shot-making skills, said: “I was serving really bad so I am so happy. This match I will remember forever.

“I was just trying to think about what to do on the court, point by point, because I was really in difficulty.”

Vekic, who was also struggling with an injury to her lower right arm, was seen in tears at the changeover before the tie-break as the match was slipping away from her.Paolini lost in the French Open final in May and is the first woman to reach back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2016.

Lawrence Cherono: Kenyan marathon runner banned for seven years for doping

Cherono was suspended for seven years due to a violation of anti-doping rules.

Kenyan long-distance runner Lawrence Cherono has been banned with a seven-year ban for violating anti-doping regulations.

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) announced the ban on Wednesday.The 35-year-old tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test conducted in May 2022.

According to the AIU, they imposed a two-part ban, Four years for the positive test itself and an additional four years for attempting to tamper with doping control procedures.

Cherono’s cooperation with the investigation reduced the total ban to seven years. This means he cannot compete until 2029.

“The AIU has banned Lawrence Cherono (Kenya) for 7 years from 16 July 2022 for presence/use of a prohibited substance (trimetazidine), tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control, submitting misleading, forged/falsified information”, the AIU said in a statement.

Cherono’s case highlights the ongoing issue of doping in Kenyan athletics. The AIU had already criticized Kenya for widespread doping practices in April 2023.

Trimetazidine, a blood flow booster, has been at the center of recent doping controversies.

It was detected in Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Kenya: Former World Record Holder Kosgei Drops Out of Paris Olympics

Nairobi — Olympics marathon silver medalist Brigid Kosgei is out of the women’s team for this month’s Paris Olympics due to injury concerns.

In a statement from the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK), Kosgei was deemed unfit to compete in her second Olympics after a regular assessment and monitoring by the medical team.

“It’s during the one of the regular monitoring sessions that Olympic silver medalist Brigid Kosgei expressed an injury concern to the technical team. Upon a review by the medical team led by the Chief Medical officer Dr Ondiege, Kosgei will not be heading to Paris for her second Olympics,” the statement read.

The former world record holder has been replaced by Sharon Lokedi who clinched the 2022 New York Marathon title on her debut in the World Marathon Majors race.

It is a hammer blow to Kosgei who had seemed to be on the path to peak form after her injury woes in the aftermath of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The 30-year-old won the Lisbon Half Marathon in March this year, clocking 1:05:51 before finishing fifth at the London Marathon, the following month.

The two-time London Marathon and Chicago Marathon champion was part of a formidable three-woman team that also included Olympics defending champion Peres Jepchirchir, Boston and New York Marathon champion Hellen Obiri.

For Lokedi, a debut appearance at the Olympics is the icing on a cake of a glittering and sumptuous road race career thus far.

The 30-year-old followed up her New York Marathon win in 2022 with a third place finish at the same event the following year – timing 2:27:33.

She has continued her trend of podium finishes this year with second place at the Boston Marathon in April (2:22:45) before clocking 31:04 to finish second at the New York 10km race in June.

The Kenyan marathon team – including men – are currently training in Ngong as well as Eldoret.

They are expected to depart the country next month, in time for their event, which will be held at the tailend of the Olympics.

Super Eagles invitee set for Ligue 1 adventure after leaving relegated Luton

The former Luton Town centre-back is set for a move to France with the newly-promoted side

Nigerian centre-back Gabriel Osho is set for a new lease on life after leaving relegated English side Luton Town to sign for newly-promoted Ligue 1 side Auxerre.

Osho leaves Luton after four years

Following a four-year spell with Luton Town, Osho decided to take his services elsewhere, choosing not to renew his contract after The Hatters suffered relegation from the Premier League.

The one-time Super Eagles invitee made 85 appearances for Luton Town before leaving, including 21 games in the 2023/24 Premier League season, which unfortunately ended with the Hatters getting relegated to the EFL Championship.

Osho set for Ligue 1 move

Following his exit from Luton Town, Osho has agreed a move to join Auxuerre, who just gained promotion to the Ligue 1 after winning the French second division title last season.

Osho becomes Auxerre’s first signing of the new season as they look to retain their top-flight status in the French league.

The former Luton star was invited to the Super Eagles team in March 2024 for international friendlies against Ghana and Benin Republic but was unable to make his debut after withdrawing from squad due to injury.