The death of Argentine football great Diego Maradona prompted scenes of mourning around the world, with fans gathering to pay tribute to one of the greatest players of all time.

The World Cup winner, a national hero in his home country, died following a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60.

Three days of national mourning have begun in Argentina, where swarms of fans chanted Maradona's name shortly after his death was announced.

"I can't believe it," one fan, Francisco Salaverry, told the AFP news agency. "It's incredible. Everyone ends up being mortal. It feels like a bad dream."

Fans searching for a place to grieve gravitated towards the Obelisk landmark in the centre of Buenos Aires. Hundreds wore the famous blue-and-white national colours of Argentina.

Many of those who gathered were in tears. "Few times in my life have I felt the pain that invades me today," one lifelong fan, Mauricio Passadore, wrote on social media.

A match between Sport Club Internacional and Maradona's former club Boca Juniors was postponed on Wednesday.

And in the capital, "Gracias Diego" replaced train information on digital signs while fans in the suburbs sang football songs.

At the Diego Maradona stadium, home to the Argentinos Juniors club where he played as a child and later made his professional debut, fireworks were launched and music was played.

Here, fans of the club cheer Maradona's name outside the stadium.

Maradona was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup, scoring the famous "Hand of God" goal against England in the quarter-finals.

The iconic sporting moment saw England's goalkeeper rush to punch the ball clear, but Maradona jumped and used his hand to touch it into the empty net. The referee failed to spot the handball, triggering angry protests from the English players.

An image of that goal is depicted in murals both in Argentina and abroad, and artworks of the player quickly became focal points for fans to pay their respects.

This mural is in the Italian city of Naples, where Maradona scored 81 goals in 188 appearances and became a club legend.

His Italian fans also gathered outside Napoli's San Paolo stadium, where candles were lit and flags were placed around the entrance.

"Always in our hearts. Ciao Diego," the club wrote on Twitter.

Hundreds of fans gathered in the streets of the city's Spanish Quarters. "In Naples, he's a king," one woman told RaiNews24.

"Diego made our people dream, he redeemed Naples with his genius," the city's Mayor Luigi De Magistris said.

He also called for Napoli's stadium to be renamed after Maradona, who he described as "the greatest footballer of all time".

There were tributes outside Argentina and Italy, too.

A minute's silence took place before Wednesday's Champions League matches, but similar acts of remembrance were held in other countries and at all levels of the sport.

Here, youth players in the Indian city of Secunderabad hold their own minute's silence for Maradona.

The President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG), Kwabena Yeboah is pleading with the government to allow fans access to stadia to watch games in the Ghana Premier League.

The new Ghana Premier League has so far been exciting with the only thing missing being the absence of fans in the stands when the games are going on.

Initially, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo announced that stadia will be allowed to be filled to 25% capacity prior to the start of the new football season.

However, in the days leading to the opening weekend of the Premier League, a statement from the Ministry of Youth and Sports indicated that all matches will be played behind closed doors as a result of the Coronavirus crisis.

Speaking to Hot FM today, Kwabena Yeboah has joined in to support growing calls for fans to be allowed to watch their teams play from the various grounds.

“I am pleading the government and Covid-19 team to allow fans to the stadium to support their clubs and I believe the clubs and GFA will ensure all the Covid-19 protocols if they can allow 25% of fans to go to the stadia to support their clubs,” the SWAG president shared.

So far all clubs are following laid down protocols to ensure players and officials on Matchdays don’t go contrary to requirements from the GFA and the government.

ModernGhana

Ghana’s Emmanuel 'The Gameboy' Tagoe will meet Mason 'Rock Hard Mighty' Menard in a 10-round lightweight bout on Friday November 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, USA,

The fight has gained some attention and publicity as the lightweight division has become hot after the defeat of former champion Lomachenko by the new kid on the block Theofimo Lopez.

At the press conference ahead of the bout, Menard looked cool and easy going, but Tagoe said he will use the day to gain popularity in America and boxing fans will remember him.

He went of to predict a knock out within the first four rounds.

World Ranked Lightweight Emmanuel ‘Gameboy’ Tagoe, (31-1, 15 KOs) says the battle-tested veteran Mason Menard, (36-4, 25 KOs), of Rayne, Louisiana would be an easy ride and asked his fans to count another victory.

He is currently world ranked #5 by the WBO, #8 by the IBF and #9 by the WBC. The 31-year-old is remarkably undefeated since losing his pro debut in 2004 at the age of 15.

Tagoe is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and managed by Peter Kahn’s Fight Game Advisors along with Ghanaian soccer superstar, Asamoah ‘Baby Jet’ Gyan.

Said Lou DiBella, “Ghana’s Emmanuel “Gameboy” Tagoe is a legitimate top contender in the hot 135lb. division. I’m happy that he’s again getting an opportunity to prove it, against hard-hitting Mason Menard, on Friday night.”

“Emmanuel is in the best shape of his life,” said Peter Kahn. A lot of people see him rated high in the world ratings, but haven't had the opportunity to see him fight. He is more than ready for his fight this week. He had a full training camp and is ready to shine on November 27.”

Tagoe is trained by the renowned Javiel Centeno, proprietor of the Sweatbox Gym in Davie, FL. “After having to go back home to Ghana when his fight was cancelled back in March due to COVID-19, I was concerned that when he was able to get back into camp he would be out of shape.  I was wrong. He showed up in shape and we hit the ground running without skipping a beat.  Camp has gone extremely well and the entire Sweatbox team of boxers are looking forward to seeing him display his exciting, fan friendly boxing style live on DAZN.”

The fight night will begin come on Friday, November 27 at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. (That's around 1 to 2 am Saturday morning in Accra.)

The ten-round clash is a featured bout on the undercard of the Super-Middleweight grudge match between Daniel Jacobs and Gabriel Rosado presented by Matchroom Boxing at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, USA.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

The news of the sudden death of world football and Argentine legend Diego Armando Maradona has taken social media particularly Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter by surprise.

The 1986 FIFA World Cup hero suffered a cardiac arrest at a home in Tigre, Argentina according to multiple reports by the Argentine media and CNN.

Maradona had been recuperating from the removal of a blood clot on the brain.

Born in the Villa Fiorito area on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Maradona made his professional football debut while still aged 15 with Argentinos Juniors in 1976 and rose from there to become a world football legend.

Ghanaians on social media upon hearing the news of Diego’s death have used the platform to mourn him and send their message of condolences.

Others have also decided to celebrate “The God of Naples” by reliving memories of him.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

I am sad about Diego Maradona death. He was a legend in football, one of the greatest of all time  in terms raw talents, however Messi is on top than Maradona. I’ts just that he Lionel Messi have not  won a FIFA World  Cup , and Maradona  has won world cup for Argentina in 1986.

But to me my best player of all time is Edson Arantes do Nascimento world PELE. He is my greatest player of all time.

My top 3 best players of all time will be .

WORLD PELE, LIONEL MESSI AND DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA

#KWABENA Yeboah The Writer

Diego Maradona has died at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to reports in his native Argentina.

The football legend had a heart attack at his home just two weeks after leaving hospital where he underwent surgery on a blot clot in his brain. 

Maradona, regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, helped Argentina win the World Cup in 1986, the pinnacle of an illustrious career. 

He played club football for Boca Juniors, Napoli and Barcelona among others and was adored by millions for his brilliant skills. 

Maradona was responsible for the infamous 'Hand of God' that eliminated England from the 1986 tournament.  

More to follow.  

Acting captain of the Black Princesses (female U-20), Mukarama Abdulai says it’s a delight to play against Morocco in Accra.

Ghana will on Thursday, November 26, play host to Morocco in the first of two test games at the Accra Sports stadium at 10:30am.

The game is part of the team’s preparation for the 2021 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

The Princesses who lost 3-2 to the Moroccans in a friendly in March, have been presented with an opportunity to avenge that defeat in Accra.

‘’First, I would like to thank the FA for the opportunity and I believe it’s good for we the players especially when there are no qualifiers. We are happy about hosting the Moroccans in Ghana. We played them away before and they are now here in Ghana. The entire team is happy about it and we hope to have a good game’’. Mukarama said

The games are slated for Accra at 10:30am on Thursday, November 26 and Monday November 30, 2020 respectively.

GFA COMMUNICATIONS

 The 2019 African Games general team captain Derek Abrefa of the Ghana Immigration Service has urged all sportsmen and women to desist from all kinds of violence during December general elections.

"Sports is about discipline and brings unity. Likewise elections' Abrefa said

I therefore urge top sports athletes who have great influence in their various organizations and communities to use their influence as sports icons to affect the 2020 general elections positively

The coronavirus has not left us entirely. Let us be mindful and continue to observe the covid-19 safety protocols as we step out to vote on election day.

"Proper diet and physical exercise is what we need in such times as this is important for our growth as sports athletes" he expressed

Abrefa expressed gratitude to the Sports Ministry for the YEA financial package to Sportsmen and women nationwide.

He thanked the Ghana Olympic Committee GOC and the Ghana Table Tennis Association GTTA in ensuring the safety of athletes across the country.

“I support a peaceful election. I want us to be united than ever and show more love” he expressed

From Sammy Heywood Okine

On International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women , FIFA, the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and the European Parliament Sports Group have joined forces to raise awareness about the risk of domestic violence and call for an end to violence against women and children.

Following the joint campaigns earlier this year, the renewed #SafeHome campaign is a joint response to be launched on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25^th November.

The announcement comes as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect populations across the world and stay-at-home measures are re-introduced in many countries, putting both women and children experiencing abuse at greater risk. Of importance in this context is the recently published EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025) .

Speaking on the renewed campaign, Gianni Infantino, FIFA President said:

“Violence has no place in our society, and sports and football are no exception. FIFA is fully committed to continuing our work with leading international organisations to help end violence, by using football as a platform to raise awareness on this and other key issues facing society today.”

 “The world must remain steadfast in our efforts to end violence against women and girls. Preventing and addressing this pervasive violation of human rights should be a key part of every country’s response to COVID-19,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Every one of us must stand with survivors to ensure that they are safe and receive the support and essential services they need at all times.”

Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, said:

“Violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights, and has no place in the European Union, or anywhere else in the world. This pandemic is a test for humanity. It has led to heightened exposure of women and children to domestic violence. We must eradicate this shadow pandemic.

“The EU is committed to working incessantly with its partners to prevent and combat violence against women. We must step up, our efforts to achieve gender equality and eradicate violence against women and children.”

“I’m honoured to be part of the #SafeHome joint campaign on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

“We all have a duty to speak up to protect women’s rights and fight any form of violence and this is particularly important during the current circumstances, with confinement often increasing the risk of domestic abuse. Let’s harness the power of sport to raise awareness of this issue and strive to put an end to violence and abuse.” added Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth.

“With almost one in three women worldwide having experienced violence at some point in their lifetime, domestic violence has devastating impact on the lives of so many within society.

“30 % of women around the world have been raped, beaten, forced to act or abused at least once in their lives. This is a real scourge that we must tackle without hindrance, at all levels of government and on every ground.

“The first thing to break is silence; This is the reason for this joint campaign with FIFA, the World Health Organisation and the European Parliament’s Sport Group. We need to do everything we can to put an end to violence and abuse. Every victim is a victim of too much!" explains Marc Tarabella, Member of the European Parliament and co-chair of the European Parliament’s Sports Group.

The campaign is aimed at the general public and decision makers (including recommendations to governments) to not only raise their awareness of the risks, but also what actions they can take to prevent and mitigate these risks.

The video awareness campaign features 19 past and present footballers - Álvaro Arbeloa, Rosana Augusto, Vítor Baía, Khalilou Fadiga, Tomasz Frankowski, Matthias Ginter, David James, Andrzej Juskowiak, Giorgos Karagounis, Annike Krahn, Marco Materazzi, Milagros Menéndez, Noemi Pascotto, Graham Potter, Mikaël Silvestre, Kelly Smith, Óliver Torres, Clémentine Touré and Theodoros Zagorakis - who have stressed their support in addressing this critical issue.

The campaign is being published on various FIFA digital channels, with #SafeHome also being supported with multimedia toolkits for the 211 FIFA member associations and for various media agencies to help facilitate additional localisation and to further amplify the message worldwide.

• Video 1: Survivor advice 1
• Video 2: Survivor advice 2
• Video 3: Survivor support
• Video 4: Perpetrator advice
• Video 5: Government advice

The video campaign can also be downloaded HERE for editorial purposes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and FIFA signed in 2019 a four-year collaboration to promote healthy lifestyles through football globally. More information on the WHO-FIFA memorandum of understanding can be found here .

The two organisations jointly launched the “ Pass the message to kick out coronavirus ” campaign in March 2020 to share advice on effective measures to protect people from COVID-19. This was followed by the #BeActive campaign in April 2020 to encourage people to stay healthy at home during the pandemic.

Factsheet

According to WHO, violence is a pervasive public health and human rights problem around the world. It affects women, men, boys and girls in all countries and cuts across boundaries of age, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, culture and wealth. Statistically, women and children (both boys and girls) are most affected by violence in the home and it is often perpetrated by men they know and trust.

Data (Source: WHO)

• Almost one in three women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence, not including sexual harassment, by any perpetrator
• Globally, 30% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime
• Globally up to 38% of murders of women are committed by intimate partners
• Adolescent girls, young women, women belonging to ethnic and other minorities, transwomen, and women with disabilities face a higher risk of different forms of violence
• The majority (55% to 95%) of women survivors of intimate partner violence or sexual violence do not disclose or seek any type of help or services
• Being abused as a child or exposed to violence in the family when growing up, attitudes accepting of violence and gender inequality including gender norms increase the risk of perpetrating violence against a partner; in some settings violence is associated with excessive use of alcohol
• Globally, over one billion children – over half of all boys and girls aged 2–17 years – experience some form of emotional, physical or sexual violence every year
• The lifetime prevalence of childhood sexual abuse is 18% for girls and 8% for boys
• Homicide is among the top five causes of death in adolescents, with boys comprising over 80% of victims and perpetrators
• Regional statistics also exist. For example in Europe, it is estimated that one in five (20%) children have experienced sexual abuse, and in the WHO European region, a quarter of women (15-49 years) have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that 58% of children experience sexual, physical or emotional violence each year, and 30% of women have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime.

Resources

• EU Strategy on victims’ rights (2020-2025)
• Stop violence against women: Statement by the European Commission and the High Representative
• COVID-19 and violence against women: What can the health sector/system do?
• WHO, LSHTM, SAMRC: Global and regional estimates of violence against women: prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence
• WHO: Respect women: Preventing violence against women
• WHO: Respect women: Infographics
• WHO: Inspire: Seven strategies for ending violence against children
• WHO: Inspire: Infographics
• End Violence Against Children: Global partnership

Joseph is the first kid in Illinois to keep winning nationals since 9 years old. He is a 3 times Silver Gloves National Champ, 1 time USA National Champion, 2 times Jr Olympic National Champion, 1 time Western Elite Qualifier National Champion, 2 times St Louis National Champion, 1 time King of the Jungle National Champion, 2 times Wisconsin National Champion, and Power Gloves National Champion.

At his tender age, he has received a congratulatory belt from the IBF International Boxing Federation for his athletic determination, and was also awarded a “Jo Boxer” license plate from Secretary of State for all his achievements.

Joseph Awinongya Jojo Jnr scintillating calling is supported by philanthropists across the world some of whom are Alhaji Inusah Sally who has been supporting Joseph since he was only 8 years old and Azumah Nelson, a staunch fan and mentor of Jojo, VIP travel and tour as key supporters of Ghana boxing aids the young boxing sensation to reach his highest height with his boxing career.

Father and Trainer of Joseph Jojo Awinongya Jnr, Josephy Awinongya says he is very determined to make his son a world champion.

According to the former boxer, he sees his son better than himself during his days as a boxer and believes his son, Jojo, is prospect for world boxing.

Former captain of the Black Stars, Asamoah Gyan believes American-Born Ghanaian amateur boxer, Joseph ‘Jojo’ Awinongya Jnr, is a great prospect for Ghana and world boxing judging from the successful bouts won by the youngster and National titles under his sleeve.

Football legend Asamoah Gyan who is also the owner of Baby Jet Boxing Promotion has been full of praise for the young boxer and encourages him to work hard to become one of the biggest boxing greats in Ghana and the world at large.

“Looking at your efforts and the success so far I believe you will be world champion, I am looking forward to having a chat with you on Whatsapp very soon because I saw your videos and I really really admire you, I know you can bring the world title to Ghana one day. I will also be supporting you in prayers and in everything. Just keep on working hard and I am very sure you will be a world champion one day,” Gyan said.

In response, the young and tough boxing genius expressed, “thank you very much. I really appreciate your efforts and comments and I must say i really admire your achievements, building a lot of companies and employing many people, helping the young people back home in Ghana and abroad. It’s really amazing and it makes me believe that everything and anything you set your mind to do, if you work hard, you can achieve it thank you very much I am so grateful.”

Joseph Awinongya Jnr. has won 13 titles including 7 national championships in USA. He is also National Champion at the Western Elite Qualifier, King of the Jungle National Champion and Power Gloves National Champion. Aside from his successes in boxing, the young American / Ghanaian super-star is also known for his benevolence to the needy in society.

He was preparing for the next 2020 USA Boxing National Championships from December 5th – 12t, 2020 in Shreveport, Louisiana National Championship, but it has been postponed; however we wish him success in all future endeavours.

 By Sammy Heywood Okine