FIRST AFRICAN TO ATTEMPT GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS RECORD FOR LONGEST SINGING MARATHON INDIVIDUAL

FIRST FEMALE GHANAIAN TO PERFORM CONTINUOUSLY FOR 5 DAYS

FIRST GHANAIAN AND AFRICAN FEMALE INDIVIDUAL TO SING AND PERFORM 120 SONGS

FIRST UN - PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN TO PERFORM CONTINUOUSLY FOR FIVE DAYS

FIRST FEMALE GHANAIAN TO PERFORM STRICTLY GHANAIAN SONGS FOR 5 DAYS

FIRST AFRICAN FEMALE / INDIVIDUAL TO PERFORM FOR 5 DAYS.

“What God cannot do doesn’t exist. This was God’s orchestration not my might

My testimony is huge and unending . Not all humans will understand what happened between December 23 and 29, 2023. My Outfit by GTP Fashion, hosted by The Royal Senchi. Shots by kakel media Gh” said Afua Asantewaa Aduonum.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

African football legends El Hadji Diouf, Asamoah Gyan, Ahmed Hassan and Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha are the first names to be signed up in the newly-established CAF Ambassadors program.

Football Legends, community role models and other popular personalities will form part of the CAF Ambassadors Programme. Their role will include promoting CAF and African Football, as well as playing an important role in other activities including tournaments, charity initiatives, commercial and social events amongst others.

The criteria for selecting the four legends who are well-known public figures include but not limited to sporting and career achievement, social impact and commercial value.

Diouf, a two-time CAF Player of the Year is fondly remembered for his exploits with the Teranga Lions of Senegal’s golden generation of the 2000’s which reached the final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations and also the quarters of the FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

On the other hand, Gyan had a remarkable career rising to captain of Ghana’s Black Stars, and featuring in seven Africa Cup of Nations, reaching the final in 2010 and 2015. His six goals from three FIFA World Cups makes him the African with the most goals in the history of the Mundial.

On his part, Hassan remains one of the most decorated players in the history of African football, winning four Africa Cup of Nations titles with the Pharaohs of Egypt – 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. He also famous for his over 170 caps with Egypt, which ranks him amongst the most capped players of all time.

Nigeria’s iconic midfielder Okocha was a delight to watch during his hey days. He won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Super Eagles in 1994 and also Olympic gold two years later in Atlanta, USA.

The Ambassadors Program is expected to open CAF and its activities to new frontiers with the inclusion of personalities from other fields, and also commercial benefits and social impact across the continent.

Through the continuous connection with legends and celebrities, the program will open up new revenue streams for CAF and also enhance engagement with fans and other stakeholders globally.

Meanwhile, CAF will announce more names that will form part of the Ambassadors Programme in due course.

CAF | Communication Department

With just days to go before Cote d’Ivoire kicks of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, Ivorian football icon, Didier Drogba has expressed his pride of seeing his nation host the 34th edition of Africa’s biggest event.

Cote d’Ivoire hosts the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2023 between 13 January – 11 February, with 24 nations expected to contest for Africa’s most sought-after trophy.

Speaking to CAFOnline recently, the global football icon who has contributed immensely to African football’s rich history says seeing his nation host the competition brings a sense of pride for him.

“It brings a sense of pride for me. The last time was in 1984. The fact of having worn the jersey of the national team and now seeing the tournament hosted on home soil is exceptional. We are very happy to welcome all of Africa. It is going to be a party”, said Cote d’Ivoire’s all-time leading goalscorer (65).

Despite not lifting the title, Drogba has very good memories of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.

“It is the most beautiful competition for all Africans. I was inspired by Roger Milla, Gadji Celi, Youssouf Fofana and many others. Our legends were revealed in this tournament. Laurent Pokou for example and others. For us it’s the celebration of African football. The unity of a continent to see Sadio Mané, Obi Mikel, it's Africa's party for a month”, said the former skipper who played in two finals (2006), (2012) where they fell against Egypt and Zambia.

The former Chelsea striker further emphasised that visitors can expect a warm and friendly reception from the people of Cote d’Ivoire.

“We have a very beautiful country. A hospitable nation and we know that the competition will go well. We are ready to welcome the world. It’s a privilege to receive so many guests in Cote d’Ivoire”, he concluded.

cafonline

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) has today announced Unilever personal care brands, including Rexona (also known as Shield, Sure), Dove, Dove Men+Care and Axe, as the latest Official Sponsors of its two forthcoming continental championships: the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 and TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2024.

This partnership with CAF was forged by Unilever International, Unilever’s Global Business Unit in close partnership with Unilever’s Personal Care Business Group.

The partnership makes Unilever the exclusive ‘Personal Care consumer goods partner’ for the two tournaments, while also working closely with CAF on a range of football initiatives across Africa.

By sponsoring the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, Unilever is building on its rich history as a major partner of football events and competitions in Africa and Worldwide.

The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 which will kick off on 13 January, is expected to be watched by over 800 million people Worldwide tuning in to catch the unique flavour of Africa’s biggest footballing celebration.

The TotalEnergies Women's Africa Cup of Nations 2024 will take place in the summer of 2024 in Morocco, with the dates still to be announced.

CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “Our partnership with Unilever and our sponsors are contributing to CAF achieving its objective of making CAF Competitions and African Football globally competitive and appealing to football fans and broadcasting viewers in Africa and worldwide. We are pleased to welcome Unilever as the latest Official Sponsor of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 and the TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2024. We are also delighted with the numerous sponsors that we have been announcing over the past year and are excited about the new sponsors who continuously approach us with the intention of partnering with CAF.”

CEO of Unilever International Mr Assem Puri said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) and engage a large audience through our Personal Care brands. Through this partnership, we are also excited to connect with the future generation of football athletes across the African continent and help them grow.”

By sponsoring the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023, Unilever is building on its rich history as a major partner of football events and competitions in Africa and Worldwide.

About Unilever:

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 127,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022. For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com.

cafonline

Ghana national team head coach, Chris Hughton says his players are eager to do well for the country at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

The continental tournament is scheduled to kick off in Ivory Coast on Saturday, January 13.

In a pre-tournament friendly against Namibia on Monday, the Black Stars failed to impress and drew goalless.

Speaking after the game, Coach Chris Hughton said his team is determined to perform well at the AFCON although things do not look good.

He indicated that his players desperately want to do well for Ghana.

“How far we can go depends on the performances that we can put in. One thing I know is that this is a group of players that want to do well. And if you have a group of players that desperately want to do well you never know what can happen and I certainly don’t want to be a head coach of a team that doesn’t think that we have a chance of winning it,” Chris Hughton told the press.

The Ghana coach continued, “That has to be the mentality going into the tournament but we know we have to play well. Things have to go our way, we have to be fortunate with injuries and we have to be very optimistic that we can do very well.”

Ghana at the 2023 AFCON will compete with Cape Verde, Egypt, and Mozambique.

The Black Stars open their campaign at the tournament on Sunday, January 14, when they face off with Cape Verde.

footballghana

Coach J.E. Sarpong, a fearless and outspoken football tactician believes Ghana is no longer feared on the African continent in football.

Speaking on GTV Sports programme Match Day to discuss the 34^th African Cup Of Nations taking place in Cote d’Ivoire, he noted that Ghana is now used as a measurement by other nations to determine their standard and level in the game.

He said Ghana is not a powerhouse now like Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Cameroun, Nigeria, Cote dIvoire, Zambia, South Africa, Mali, Tanzania, Comoros and others.

He was surprised that Ghana, four time winners of the African Cup could not beat Namibia at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

According to the Accra Academy coach who has handled various clubs and national teams in Ghana, the chances of the Black Stars are very slim, unless a miracle will take Ghana to the finals, let alone win the cup.

He observed that many Ghanaians have lost interest in the Black Stars and do not bother or cheer up as compared to the past.

Ghana last won the African cup in 1982 under late Chairman J.J. Rawlings, after the third in 1978 under the late General Kutu Acheampong. The first two victories of the Black Stars were in 1963 and 1965 under the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first president.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

With just some few days to the much awaited 48th Nguvu SWAG Awards, corporate Ghana, understanding the task ahead is engaging the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) on sponsorship to make the 2023 SWAG Awards, a memorial.

Beverage company, Guinness Ghana Limited through their Malta Guinness brand has signed up to the SWAG Awards as the official beverage sponsors for the event.

According to Mrs Dinah Adu Asare, Marketing Manager for Malta Guinness, the SWAG Awards falls in line with their mandate hence the reason to sponsors.

SES HD Plus Ghana Limited, digital satellite television provider with excellent and quality high definition TV, who has sports as a major product line, has signed on to sponsor the SWAG Awards in a second year running after the later hugely invested in the digital and high definition production of the 47th SWAG Awards in Accra.

The National Lotteries Authorities (NLA), GOIL Plc, Twellium Industries, producers of Verna Water, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Stanbic Bank, Estharcie Events and others have contributed to the 48th Nguvu SWAG Awards to make the night, a never to be forgotten one.

Scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC), on Friday, January 12, 2024 the event will honour athletes and sports administrators who have excelled in the year 2023.

The event will be held under the theme; “Leveraging on the benefits of the 13th African Games”.

The Nguvu SWAG Awards is the longest running sports event in Ghana and will confer honours on about 50 sportsmen and sportswomen, as well as corporate institutions for their role in the development and promotion of sports in Ghana.

SWAG Awards, the longest running award scheme in Ghana since 1975, rewards top performing Sports men and Women over the year, and recognises the efforts of persons involved in Sports development.

As a novelty, this year’s SWAG Awards will also honor the long serving sports journalists in the country.

Source SWAG

Brazilian and world football is in mourning. Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo, world champion as a player (1958 and 1962), coach (1970) and technical coordinator (1994), died on January 5, 2024 at the age of 92. 

Zagallo was born in the city of Atalaia in Alagoas, but when he was still young he came to Rio de Janeiro. In 1950, he liked to remember, he was at Maracanã in the final, helping with security as a member of the Army Police – eight years later, he would become world champion, in Sweden. “That defeat marked me. I swore that we would be champions,” he liked to remember.

As a player, Zagallo started with América's youth system. He arrived in the Brazilian national team for the Oswaldo Cruz Cup, in 1958, already as an athlete for Flamengo. Called up for the World Cup in Sweden, he played all six games and scored a goal in the final, in Brazil's 5-2 defeat of Sweden. Four years later, he became world champion again, in Chile.

On the eve of the 1970 World Cup, the “old Lobo” was called to take charge of the Brazilian national team. Now with Pelé, with whom he had played in the first two triumphs, as coach, he returned to being champion, with an irreproachable campaign, only of victories in Mexico. In 1974, in the German Cup, he led the Brazilian team to fourth place.

After the definitive conquest of the Jules Rimet Cup, Brazil did not win the World Cup until 1994, when Zagallo was the technical coordinator and Parreira (his physical trainer in the 1970s) took over as coach. It seemed that, really, Zagallo had to be in the group for Brazil to win.

Superstitiously, he liked to make connections with the number 13. His phrase became famous when asked about his preparation for the 1998 World Cup (he was runner-up, again as a coach). “They're going to have to swallow me,” he repeated, provoking those who defended that he was outdated.

Vicente Dattoli - AIPS EC Member

Best player of the previous edition, the Lions of Teranga star player will once again be the man to watch when he captains his side in their title defense this year.

After leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia last summer, Sadio Mané has lost none of his sharpness.

He remains the guiding light and leader of a Senegalese team whose ambition is to achieve the double.

Here are the top 10 players to watchout for at the AFCON 2023:

Vincent Aboubakar (Cameroon, 31)

For several competitions now, he's been carrying the Indomitable Lions. Vincent Aboubakar is Cameroon's captain and trusted goalscorer. His mental strength and leadership will be key in guiding his teammates to a 6th star for Cameroon.

Sehrou Guirassy (Guinea, 27)

The centre-forward has been coming back to life in Germany this season. He's racking up goal after goal and rivalling other top Bundesliga strikers. Guirassy is undoubtedly the striker who was missing from the Syli de Guinée's puzzle to excel in the TotalEnergies AFCON finals.

Sébastien Haller (Ivory Coast, 30)

For his second TotalEnergies AFCON, he couldn't have dreamt of anything better than playing it at home and in front of supporters that adopted him very quickly from his first steps with the Elephants. At 29, Sébastien Haller has reached maturity and intends to make a big impact at Africa’s biggest football spectacle in front of his fans.

Mohamed Amoura (Algeria, 23)

While other illustrious elders in the Algerian squad (Mahrez, Feghouli, Slimani) need no introduction, Mohamed Amoura should be the big attraction of this TotalEnergies AFCON 2023 for the Fennecs. The midfielder has excelled for his Belgian club over the past two seasons and has the opportunity to lead his national team into a major competition.

Victor Osimhen (Nigeria, 25)

It's hard not to include the Best African Player of the Year in this thread. Victor Osimhen, fresh from his recent accolade as the best African footballer, is celebrating his new status on the continental stage. He is the figurehead of Nigeria's rich attacking frontline, which he will have to guide in Côte d'Ivoire.

Azzedine Ounahi (Morocco, 24)

With the Moroccan team at the 2022 World Cup, he was part of a strong collective. Azzedine Ounahi once again has the opportunity to confirm the high regard in which he had with the star-studded Atlas Lions.

Mohammed Kudus (Ghana, 23)

A livewire for West Ham United in England’s Premier League, Mohammed Kudus has set one of the best leagues in the world alight with his explosive speed, skill and goalscoring prowess. Boasting seven man of the matches accolades this season with his side, the 23-year-old Ghanaian sensation will be one of the key players for the Black Stars in their pursuit of an elusive fifth TotalEnergies AFCON title.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt, 31)

As he has done for the last 3 finals, Mohamed Salah will once again be one of the attractions on the banks of the Ebrié Lagoon. A Liverpool star (top 5 scorer in the club's history) with a string of goals every weekend, the Pharaoh remains the leader of his national team. Under his leadership, Egypt made it through the qualifiers unscathed.

Peter Shalulile (Namibia, 30)

Peter Shalulile is at the prime of his career with South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. Fresh from lifting the inaugural African Football League and currently a key member of the team’s chase for a second TotalEnergies CAF Champions League gold medal, Shalulile will be key for the Brave Warriors of Namibia in Cote d’Ivoire.

Source: CAF

The Ghana Supporters union on Friday, January 5, 2023, out-doored their new website and social media handles as their quest to rebrand themselves takes shape.

The group led by Issaka Moro Polo – also known as 40-40, as its acting president, is the umbrella body of all supporters in the country responsible for supporting, motivating and entertaining all national team during local and international competitions.

At the event which took place at the Omaye Hall at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly on Friday, January 5, 2024.

The website, Ghanasupporters.com is an embodiment of what the group stand for when it comes to supporting the national teams.

The colourful event also included the outdooring and launching of their social media handles in addition to the official website.

The event which started at 10am was graced by sponsors Rice Express as well as representatives of the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central Constituency Hon. Patrick Yaw Boamah.

Other major sponsors of the launch were Aqua Blue, Tampico and Angel Cola whose contribution to the event made it a success.

The event marks the genesis of a new era in the history of supporters within the sports fraternity in Ghana.

Speaking to sienutvsports.com at the launch, Ag. President Issaka Polo outlined the significance of coming together under a single body as supporters and eschewing the days of segregation.

“It makes us strong,” he said.

“Coming together shows that we have the common interest of the nation and not personal interests.

“Now we have about 98% of all the supporters’ groups in the country under this union,” he added.

“We are hopeful that the Black Stars will surprise Ghanaians and so we are going to ivory coast in our numbers to support the team and every one of our members will be there,” he concluded.

The supporters are expected to leave Ghana by Friday, January 12, 2023 for Ivory Coast to support the Black Stars.

The Black Stars will depart Ghana for Ivory Coast on Wednesday January 10 and play their first game on January 14, 2023.

Source sienutvsports.com