…John Ansah is new Vice Chairman

Kudjoe Fianoo has been voted the chairman of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA).

The Ghanaian football bigwig has retained the seat during an election at the Accra Sports Stadium on Thursday.

Kudjoe Fianoo pulled 71 votes as against Isaac Koomson’s 41.

Check the full results below

Division Two Representative

Eugene Jacquaye – 14

Emmanuel Opoku Abrokwa – 54

Vincent Boateng – 44

Division One Representative

Engene Noble Noah – 58

Felix Bewu – 54

Treasurer Position

Linda Ansong – 90

Justice Boison – 23

Premier league Representative

Edmund Ackah – 91

Nana Amankwah – 64

George Ofosuhene Peprah – 53

Vice Chairman Position

Alex Akumeh – 47

John Ansah – 65

Chairman Position

Cudjoe Fianoo- 71

Isaac Wilberforce Koomson – 41

From Sammy Heywood Okine

The World Boxing Council is honouring the stellar career of Floyd 'Money' Mayweather by placing his picture on each of its famed Green and Gold Belts.

“I’m honored to have the WBC include my likeness on their Green and Gold belts for eternity,” said Mayweather. “I remember the first time I won a WBC belt and saw the photos of the great champions on there and always wanted to be there too. It really is a dream come true for me to be alongside the great Ali , and WBC founder Don Jose, and to be recognized by them for my contributions to the organization and the sport. I am beyond grateful to receive this honour. ”

Throughout his exceptional two decades in the pro ranks, which included 50 bouts having gone undefeated (27 knockouts), and winning WBC World Championships in 5 divisions: Super Featherweight, Lightweight, Super lightweight, Welterweight and Super welterweight, Floyd has been a constantly loyal as well as a brilliantly successful WBC fighter. For him Green and Gold has always come first and foremost.

Floyd Mayweather enters The WBC championship belt for eternity as an homage to an illustrious career precisely on 2021 the year designated as “the year of boxing ”

The World Boxing Council is very proud Floyd`s image is now on our Green and Gold Belt.

Credit: WBC

Marks DECATHLON’s First Partnership with a North American Sports League

LONDON, United Kingdom, January 21, 2021/ -- NBA (www.NBA.com) Licensed Merchandise to Launch in More Than 1,200 DECATHLON Stores Worldwide Through Partnership Across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America; Marks DECATHLON’s First Partnership with a North American Sports League.

DECATHLON, one of the world’s largest sporting goods retailers, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a new multiyear merchandising partnership that makes DECATHLON an official licensee of the NBA across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America and marks DECATHLON’s first partnership with a North American sports league.

The partnership will feature a dedicated range of NBA team and league-branded base layers, accessories and footwear* designed by DECATHLON and sold under their basketball brand “TARMAK.”  The collection will be sold exclusively in more than 1,200 DECATHLON stores worldwide and online at www.Decathlon.com. Products will be available for pre-order beginning in March 2021 ahead of the April 2021 launch in stores.

“Since the creation of TARMAK four years ago, it has been our dream to collaborate with the NBA, the greatest basketball league in the world,” said TARMAK Leader Damien Dezitter. “We have a common objective to develop basketball all over the world, so it’s natural to work together to make this possible.”

“We are excited to partner with DECATHLON, a leader in sporting goods retail with a global footprint,” said NBA EME Director, Global Partnerships Steve Griffiths. “Through this partnership, NBA fans and basketball players around the world will have access to an exciting and innovative range of merchandise to help them get in the game.”

About DECATHLON & TARMAK:

DECATHLON (www.Decathlon.com), one of the world’s leading sporting goods retailers, is headquartered in France and specializes in the creation of sports products and their distribution online and in stores at more than 1,600 locations in 59 countries.

Created in 2016, TARMAK is DECATHLON’s basketball brand which designs its own products and technologies, including balls, boards, clothes, shoes, training accessories, protections and supports.

About the NBA:

The NBA (www.NBA.com) is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League. The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 215 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2020-21 season featured 107 international players from 41 countries. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.9 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

SOURCE

National Basketball Association (NBA)

Ghana’s famous Right To Dream academy, and Man Capital LLP (“Man Capital”) have formed a new footballing partnership to help bring greater access, opportunity, and equality through football in Ghana and across the globe.

As the birthplace of the Right To Dream academy, the partnership will invest in ensuring its tradition of innovation and supporting children’s dreams across the country through football continues.

The academy in Ghana will also continue to develop some of the best youth players in the country and focus on discovering talents and developing high performance athletes with a focus on education.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

2020 Boxer Of The Year Manyo Plange Challenges American Gary Antonio Russell

Sensational skillful and stylish boxer, Jessie Manyo Plange who was recently voted Best Professional Boxer in Ghana 2020 by boxing journalists has been tipped to wear a world title belt.

With a record of no defeat in 21 victories against one draw, he is seen by many boxing experts as a star of the future and plans are advanced to get him a world title shot.  He currently holds the West African Boxing Union Super Fly Title.

His manager, Tony Tolj has started negotiations by contacting  Tom Brown of TBG Promotions for a showdown with Gary Antonio Russel.

Manyo Plange is now ranked by two world boxing bodies. He is number 2 on the WBA bantamweight ratings and number 9 in the WBO super flyweight division, but he feels he can beat the American who has also not lost in 18 fights.

In an exclusive interview with Tony Tolj, he was very confident that Plange will defeat Russel, and wants the fight to come on as soon as possible.

American Gary Antonio Russell was born, 1993 - 01-29 / aged 27. He made his debut on 2015- 01-31 and fights in the bantamweight division where he takes the orthodox stance.

Russell, the number one contender in the     stands at a height of 5′ 6″ / 168cm, with a reach of 66″ /168cm.

Russell resides in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. His birth place is Capitol Heights, Maryland, USA.

He defeated Juan Carlos Payanon in his last bout Boxing Bout via a TKO on 2020.12.19.

Plange is coached by Lartekwei Lartey who was also voted joint winner of the trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of Ghana (BWAG).

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Cristiano Ronaldo scored to help Juventus win a record-extending ninth Italian Super Cup by beating Napoli 2-0 on Wednesday

Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed Josef Bican for the most goals scored for club and country in football history - with his tally now at 760.

The Juventus forward has continued to defy his years since arriving from Real Madrid for around £100m in 2018 - and his strike against Napoli in the Italian Super Cup on Wednesday has now moved his top of the all-time scoring charts.

The 35-year-old five-time Ballon d'Or winner recently moved past Brazil legend Pele (757) - who moves down to third on the all-time list - while Romario is fourth (743) and Ronaldo's Barcelona rival Lionel Messi makes up the top five (719).

Of his 760 official goals, as recorded by Opta, a whopping 450 came during his nine-year spell at Real, while he netted 118 for Manchester United, 102 for his country Portugal, 85 for current club Juve and five at Sporting Lisbon.

His most prolific scoring year came in 2013 when he found the back of the net 69 times, but he also recorded 34 in 2007, 35 in 2008, 30 in 2009, 48 in 2010, 60 in 2011, 63 in 2012, 61 in 2014, 57 in 2015, 55 in 2016 and 53 in 2017.

The five-time Champions League winner's most prolific scoring season, though, was in 2011-12 - with 69 goals overall.

Ronaldo scored 27 against Sevilla - more than any other club - while 25 came against Atletico Madrid and he managed 23 against Getafe. He scored 488 with his right foot, 139 on his left, 131 with his head and two via other body parts.

At home, Ronaldo has 410 to his name, with 304 coming away and 46 at neutral venues. He scored 46 hat-tricks, 136 doubles and there were eight occasions where he scored four times in a match, scoring five times in a game twice.

His La Liga tally stands at a total of 311, with 134 in the Champions League, 84 in the Premier League, 67 in Serie A, 30 in World Cup qualifying, 31 in qualifying for the European Championships, 13 in the FA Cup and seven at the World Cup.

Wayne Rooney lauds former Manchester United team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo after he reached 750 career goals on Wednesday night.

Wayne Rooney lauded former team-mate, Ronaldo, after he reached 750 goals

Ronaldo, who has won titles in England, Spain, and Italy is most likely to score between 76 and 90 minutes - with 178 goals - more than any other time-frame in a match.

Ronaldo, who also won the Euros and Nations League with Portugal, and has scored 15 goals in 14 Serie A games this season, recently revealed his desire to continue playing for "many, many years" despite his age.

Ronaldo's contract in Turin still has 18 months left to run and he does not believe retirement is imminent, saying: "If you feel motivated, it doesn't matter.

"Cristiano now is good. I feel in a great moment, but I don't know tomorrow what's going to happen. I live the present, the moment. Moment is good, I feel happy.

"I feel still good, sharp and in a good moment in my life. I hope to play many, many years more, but you never know. This is football, we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.

"When I speak with the young boys, I'm always giving advice to them. I say: "Enjoy the moment because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow. Something can happen in your life with your family. Enjoy the moment.

"My eyes see the future very, very bright, so I'm happy with that."

By skysports

Olympic signs are in place in Tokyo

Tokyo Olympics organisers say they are not willing to see the event held behind closed doors - and that the Games "will take place this summer".

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound said on 7 January there could be no guarantees of the postponed 2020 Games going ahead from 23 July.

But a spokesman says it could even happen without the need for athletes or spectators to be vaccinated.

"Our position remains - we will deliver the Games," Masa Takaya said.

"The IOC has made it is absolutely on the same page as Tokyo 2020."

Sir Keith Mills, who was chief executive of the London 2012 Olympics, said on Tuesday he thought it was"unlikely" the Games will take place this summer.

Mills told BBC Radio 5 Live's Wake Up To Money that organisers should now be "making plans for a cancellation".

On Wednesday, British Olympic Association chairman and former sports minister Sir Hugh Robertson said he was "very optimistic" the Games would take place.

"I've spoken to the IOC - everybody is working on the basis the Games will go ahead," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "There's been no talk of cancellation or postponement."

On whether athletes will be vaccinated for the Olympics, he added: "It wouldn't be appropriate to ask athletes to be fast-tracked. The BOA doesn't want to queue jump, but this will look very different in the spring."

Takaya told BBC Scotland's The Nine that a decision on how many fans will be allowed inside venues in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic will be taken in March.

"We are not willing to see the Games taking place behind closed doors," he said. "We obviously want to see as many spectators as possible inside the venues, which is why we have been working tightly with the Japanese government and all international stakeholders, spearheaded by the IOC.

"We will see in spring how we can accommodate spectators inside the venues. We also have to see what guidance we get from the government regarding spectators and look at the situation around sports, both internationally and nationally."

Takaya also dismissed a recent survey which suggested 80% of locals want the Games cancelled or postponed, saying that it was just one of a number of such polls.

"Most recent surveys show people want the Games to be re-postponed, but in that trend, we see that people are willing to see the Games go ahead in some form, which is why we want to keep conveying how we are able organise the Games in this situation," he said.

Takaya said the Olympics could be delivered without mass vaccination, pointing out that "lots of sporting events are taking place in Japan" without one.

"Our counter measures on Covid-19 are working under the assumption that we will not have a vaccine, so even if we do not, our plan is that we will be able to deliver the Games," he said.

"The J League and baseball season will start here very soon and there will be government guidance, so we will take all of those things into our considerations."

Takaya was aware of the problems being experienced in Melbourne, where positive cases on three flights forced 72 tennis players into full quarantine before the Australian Open, with three players testing positive.

"We have been looking into many other sporting events that have already taken place in the last six or seven months," he said. "The feedback has been invaluable for Tokyo 2020's planning and we will put those into our considerations and further refine our countermeasures on Covid-19.

"Athletes have been training very hard to pursue their Olympic and Paralympic dreams. We are very passionate about delivering the stage for those athletes this summer."

Britain's wheelchair tennis player and Paralympic medallist Gordon Reid, is preparing for the Australian Open. More than 70 players arriving into the country have to quarantine for 14 days because of positive coronavirus cases on their flights.

"It's been really eye-opening here in Melbourne to see and hear the amount of logistical challenges and the scale of trying to organise just a tennis event in the current situation," he said.

"You've got to multiply that by a thousand when it comes to the Olympics and Paralympics because they are on another scale. I've been speaking to Shingo Kunieda, one of the Japanese tennis players who live in Tokyo, and he told me he thinks there's a 50% chance the Games don't go ahead now.

"Globally, the situation is getting worse in some places rather than better, so all we can do is hope they find a way to make it happen safely."

BBC Africa

President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Okraku has wished all candidates contesting the 2021 Ghalca elections the best of luck ahead of the polls on Thursday, January 21, 2021.

Read on for the full statement:

Today marks a new chapter in the history of our dear League clubs Association as delegates step out to elect Executives to run the affairs of Ghalca for the next four years.

Before I proceed, I would like to urge all of you to have in mind that the success of the Association depends on the outcome of today’s exercise and we must therefore strive to protect the integrity of the Association by running a free and fair election.

Let’s not forget that our beloved Association has made giants strides in the past having natured and produced greats in the annals of Ghana Football. On the behalf of the Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association, I would like to thank all the candidates for running a clean campaign in the lead-up to the polls.

We showed maturity and decorum during the campaign and I know that today will not be an exception. I would like to thank the outgoing Executives for their contribution to the development of Ghana football during the last four years.

They played their part despite the challenges that came our way. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s not lose sight of the fact, we are not in normal times, the industry has gone through a lot of difficulties during the last few years and it would take Unity, togetherness, solidarity, and hard work to bring Ghana Football back to where it belongs.

As President of the Football Association, I would like to assure all the candidates that your GFA is ready to work with anyone of you who emerges victorious in today’s election. Let me end by calling on all of us to respect the COVID-19 protocols.

I want us to adhere to the protocols by wearing our nose marks, avoid handshakes, wash our hands under running water regularly and sanitize our hands at all times.

I wish all candidates the best of luck. Long live Ghlaca. Long live Ghana Football.

Sporting regards,

Kurt E.S Okraku

GFA President.

The Professional Combat Sports Association (PCSA) in collaboration with the Jiu Jitsu Federation of Ghana presents Combat Jiu Jitsu Referees and Judges course 2021 as well as Grappling and Officiating course including self-defence training for Journalists.

The programme comes on this Saturday, 23 January at 10am, at the City Engineers, inside Attoh Quarshie Boxing Gym at James Town in Accra.

Mr. Evans Bernie Johnson, PRO of the Association said it is time the sports media in Ghana know what they have been doing over the years, and study their laws, techniques and tactics.

He expressed that the combat sport  is very interesting and entertaining, and hoped that journalists would love the sports and inform the public accurately on their progrmmes and events.

Also the president of the Grappling Association, he said this programme is an opportunity for the pressmen to know about other techniques in self defence.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Ghana will be hosting an international hockey tournament  this year.

According to Vice President of Ghana Hockey Association, Madam Elizabeth King, the event will take place at the Theodocia Okoh Hockey Stadium in Accra from March 22nd  to28th, 2021.

She said the Junior Africa Cup (U 21) in Accra will see the next generation of Hockey stars on the continent of Africa.

“It is after this that we will start the league. We are now getting confirmation of countries that want to participate because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We will let the media know the countries participating” she said. 

Ghana, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria are some of the best hockey nations in Africa.

By Sammy Heywood Okine