Asante Kotoko have today, February 8, 2021 notified the Ghana Football Association of the confirmation of the appointment of Coach Abdul Gazale, a CAF License "A" holder as the substantive head coach of the club.

Following the mutual termination of the agreement between Asante Kotoko SC and former Head Coach Maxwell Konadu, the league leaders and CAF Confederation Cup campaigners informed the Association that Coach Abdul Gazale has been appointed in an Acting Head Coach capacity until a substantive one is appointed.

Under the Duty To Notify requirement by clubs and the Club Licensing Process, Asante Kotoko SC notified the GFA of the interim appointment of Abdul Gazale and Johnson Smith as head coach and assistant respectively for a 30 day period on December 22, 2020.

On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the club was reminded of the expiry of the interim appointment and the need to confirm a substantive appointment on or before the January 22, 2021 by the Association or risk being sanctioned.

Accordingly, the club has confirmed the appointment of Abdul Gazale as the head coach for both their domestic and continental competitions for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

The club has however been asked to furnish the GFA with the contractual documents of this appointment in line with the club licensing regulations.

The GFA wishes to use this opportunity to also remind all clubs who made interim appointments within the season to ensure the appointment of a substantive coach within the 30 days grace period or face sanctions.

ource: ghanafa.org

Executives of Get Vim and Urban Sports Champions based in the USA and Ghana who have been monitoring the progress of Ghanaian athletes qualifying to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have promised to support Team Ghana.

Mr. Gabby Ammah, a member of the organistions who are out to motivate and inspire young Ghanaians said they are planning to sponsor about ten athletes or more and hope that others will qualify.

He expressed that Ghana has talent, but the talent alone cannot win the medals everybody wants, so the talented athletes must be supported technically, psychologically, morally and financially.

According to Mr. Ammah who was born in the UK, lived in Ghana and the USA, but decided to come down, work and stay in his motherland, sports is a big industry that has made countries like Jamaica, Cuba and Kenya known, so Ghanaians should not joke with it, but rather invest in facilities and the athletes.

After supporting Ghanaian kickboxer, Isaac Commey to defeat Theophilus Nelson from Britain at the Accra Sports Stadium, he has fell in love with the nation’s sporting heroes and decided to engage more athletes, especially boxers and martial artists as well as musicians.

Currently, he is supporting some unknown athletes, musicians and media, but feels sad that there is no track and field oval in the whole of Accra, than the University of Ghana, Legon which is far for athletes from the northern, western and southern areas like Kasoa, Odorkor, Kaneshie, Mamprobi, Dansoman, Korle Gonno, La, Osu and Tema.

He wondered why and how the Inter Colleges Sports Meetings have stopped or no longer exciting, just because the tartan tracks have been removed from the Accra Sports Stadium, and El Wak is also not ideal.

“We have to utilize the Cape Coast, Essipong and Tamale Tracks” he said.

He appealed to the sports authorities to work hard to fix El Wak, finish the Kaneshie Sports Complex on time and upgrade existing facilities at places where sports talents can be unearthed and groomed into super stars.

He pledged his support for the GOC President, Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah and advised delegates who are going to vote at the next Congress to vote massively for him.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Veteran boxing trainer and match-maker, Abdul Rashid Williams, is happy that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo overlooked former Sports Minister, Mr Isaac Asiamah and appointed a new Sports Minister-designate in the person of Mr Mustapha Yussif.

He contended that the former minister showed no interest in supporting or developing boxing and also failed to appreciate the problems of boxing.

“When he was the minister, the United Boxing Coaches Association (UBCA) wrote to him for a meeting to deliberate the future of the sport but he completely ignored us,” he told the Graphic Sports in an interview in Accra last Thursday.

A fortnight ago, the President released a new list of appointees for his second term and Mr Yussif, a former Executive Secretary of the National Service Secretariat, was named as the Sports Minister-designate.

Believer, who also manages boxers, claimed that the former minister only came to manage football and played no part in the affairs of developing boxing.

“As for Asiamah, the least said about him the better. He came only for football, he was not interested in boxing and cared less about the sport,” he stated.

Coach Believer, as he is affectionately called, implored the incoming minister to take boxing seriously and meet stakeholders to draw a master plan for the development of the sport.

“I will congratulate the new minister and wishes to inform him that when he is vetted, approved and sworn into office, he must meet us. We the boxing coaches will again write to him for a meeting; he should take boxing seriously because the sport is dying,” he stated.

According to him, the COVID-19 has gravely affected the sport and many boxers, as well as young talents have lost interest in the discipline. He urged the incoming minister to bring life back into the sport.

“When boxing is developed and better investments are made properly, it creates jobs for the youth and government also rakes in the needed revenue. Boxing is the face of Ghana Sports,” he stressed.

Graphic sports

Mr. Charles Amofah, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Sports Authority (NSA), has vowed on behalf of the Authority to improve the COVID-19 protocols at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The stadium witnessed an intense clash between Accra Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics earlier this year. One of the talking points was the victory for Olympics but another one was fans failing to socially distance at the venue. Due to this, Hearts of Oak were banned from allowing fans into the stadium.

Amofah apologized on behalf of the NSA and promised to do better.

"The [COVID-19] measures have always been in place but on that matchday [Hearts v Olympics], you can agree with me that it was a local derby and the stakes were high. We had lots of fans even outside the stadium. We realized that the locks were broken in two of our gates," he stated on Joy FM.

"If the law enforcement agencies hadn't intervened, there would have been a spillover at the Accra Sports Stadium. I will say that day was unfortunate. The behaviour of fans should be condemned. We have resolved not to repeat that incident. We thought we could control any eventuality on that day with the security arrangements we made but it was unfortunate"

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Guinea finished third at the TOTAL African Nations Championship (CHAN) after beating hosts Cameroon 2-0 in the third place play-off on Saturday.

The Syli National displayed some grit to win the match at the Reunification Stadium in Douala to win the bronze medal of the tournament designed exclusively for home-based players.

Talented Guinea playmaker Morlaye Sylla put his side in an early lead before with striker Mamadouba Camara doubling the advantage on the stroke of half-time.

A second-half impressive display by the Indomitable Lions did not lead into goals which resulted in the West Africans picking the third place of the competition.

Sylla, the talented Guinea playmaker, put the Syli National in the lead in the ninth minute when the AC Horaya split the home side’s defence with his dexterity before firing past goalkeeper Haschou Kerrido.

The Indomitable Lions injected some seriousness into their game and had a couple of chances but were not but Felix Oukine and Bertrand Junior could not take advantage.

Guinea defender Abou Camara dived low to prevent Salomon Bindjeme from restoring parity as the Cameroonians piled the pressure on the West Africans.

In the 37th minute Ngnowa Yre also had the chance from inside the box but he headed the ball straight into the waiting hands of goalkeeper Moussa Camara.

Just before the break and against the run of play, the Guineans beat an offside trap to put Mamadouba Camara through and the striker made no mistake in a one-on-one situation with Kerrido to extend their lead.

The Indomitable Lions returned from the break determined to make amends but found the Guinea defence tough to crack.

Defender Kalif Traote made goal line clearance in the 56th minute after goalkeeper Camara punched an aerial ball that allowed the Cameroon Oukine to hit.

Shot-stopper Camara passed a test five minutes later after grabbing Martin Ako’s well struck effort from the edge of the box.

The Guinea goalkeeper produced one of the finest saves of the tournament in the 82nd minute when he dived to his left to parry Anthony Mfede’s well taken free-kick from a distance which ended any hopes of a comeback for Cameroon.

The final will be played on Sunday when title holders Morocco take on Mali at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

CAF

Ghana Tennis Federation (GTF) No.3 seed Tracy Ampah defeated tournament No.2 seed Annette Cruickshank to win the 2nd edition of the Ladies Challenger Series Title,  in a three-set victory at the National Tennis Center, Accra.

The Tarkwa Goldfields Tennis Club’s Tracy Ampah won 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3 in 2 hours and 15mins.

Speaking to ghanatennis.org Tracy said, "I knew that I had to be aggressive, give 100% for every ball and not allow my opponent to have the upper hand in the match; especially the final set because she's so powerful and so strong. Annette knows how to manage every moment. So, I knew that I had to be resolute, which I did pretty well today."

Annette led 6-5 in the first set, only for Tracy to raise her game to level up and win the tie-break. Annette started to get herself a bit more into the match early in the second set with a break and won the set 6-4. But the 13-year-old Tracy Ampah showed strength and character in the decider to earn her first professional title.

Tracy Ampah will now be moved to GTF No.2 with 310 points, equaling the No.1 Ranked player Naa Mckorley’s points. Annette will also get 300 points placing third and Naa Shika Mckorley will maintain the fourth position with 200 points.

 In the Men’s 2021 National Ranking Tour 1 final, Samuel Antwi beat Japheth Bagerbaseh again since the first final meeting in 2018 October National Ranking Tour 5 (6-3, 1-6, 6-4). The Atomic Tennis Club based Antwi, won 6-3, 3-6, 4-1 in 3 hours and 10mins.

“This is all hard work,” said Antwi. “Thanks to my coach Murphy and Andrew Adu Appiah (Akaak) for their help.”

The One-week Tournament was organized by Second Serve Tennis Shop, a subsidiary of Tennis Foundation Ghana and Ghana Tennis Federation’s Gender and Equity Committee with support from Beebies Event and ITAKOL.

Present for the finals were GTF President Isaac Aboagye Duah and GTF board member Cedric Dzelu, GTF Gender and Equity Chairperson Committee member Deladem Tanson and Second Serve Tennis Shop General Manger Michael Asianowah Sekyere.

Story: Gabriel Amoakoh

Morocco star midfielder Soufiane Rahimi has swept the top awards at the TOTAL African Nations Championship, Cameroon 2020 after winning the best player and top scorers awards.

The 24-year-old, who plays for Raja Casablanca, was handed the award on Sunday night at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde after inspiring his side to win the tournament.

Rahimi was the star player of the tournament thanks to his goalscoring prowess from his midfield position and impressive contribution to his team.

He received the top scorer award from the legendary Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o after helping his side win the tournament.

He topped the scoring charts in the competition with five goals and also received three Man of the Match awards during the three-week tournament held in the Central African country.

He scored two goals in Morocco's 5-2 victory over Uganda, netted the first goal in the Atlas Lions 3-1 win in the quarter-finals before scoring another brace against Cameroon in their 4-0 semi-final victory.

Rahimi proved on the pitch that he was the best player in the tournament dedicated exclusively to players playing in their national leagues.

By CAF

Morocco became the first team to successfully defend the African Nations Championship (CHAN) trophy with a 2-0 win over Mali in Cameroon on Sunday.

The Moroccans were made to work hard for their win and both of their goals came from second-half corners in front of around 6,700 fans at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Soufiane Bouftini headed home the first and that was followed up by another from Ayoub El Kaabi, who scored nine goals in 2018 to help Morocco win the title on home soil.

To make matters worse for Mali they finished the game with 10 men after the dismissal of Issaka Samake for a second yellow card, as the game went into injury time.

Initially, Kenyan referee Peter Waweru had cautioned and Morocco's Mohammed Ali Bemammer before the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) recommended he looked at the pitch-side monitor and after a lengthy review he reversed his decision and showed Samake a second yellow card.

Mali had started the match on the front foot and seemed to surprise the Moroccans as they pushed forward and disrupted their passing game.

There were some clumsy challenges from both sides in the opening 20 minutes and one of the resulting free-kicks saw the first good chance of the match.

The ball was played short to Soufiane Rahimi on the edge of the area and his shot was well saved by the Mali captain and keeper Djigui Diarra and the lose ball was scrambled away by his defenders.

A few minutes later Mali's Moussa Kone found himself in behind the defence but experienced keeper Anas Zniti spread himself to block the shot.

Morocco managed to start the second-half with more possession and created the early chances and after 55 minutes they claimed a penalty which the VAR eventually turned down.

Moments later Mali's Sadio Kanoute will feel he should have done better as he rose highest to get his head on the ball but put it narrowly wide.

In the 63rd minute Moussa Kone was once again one on one with the keeper but Zniti made another excellent save.

The breakthrough came in the 69th minute as Bouftini headed home a corner that had been swung in by Omar Namsaoui.

Morocco's second had a touch of fortune about it as the ball looked to have gone behind for a goal kick but the referee awarded a corner that was headed back across goal by Mohammed Ali Bemammer and nodded home by El Kaabi.

El Kaabi's compatriot Soufiane Rahimi finished as the tournament's top scorer with five goals, including a brace in the semi-final win over hosts Cameroon.

Recently reinstated Confederation or African Football president Ahmad was part of the presentation ceremony at the end of the match alongside former Cameroon players Samuel Eto'o, Patrick Mboma and Jacques Songo'o.

By BBC

Young Ghanaian born American juvenile boxer, Jojo Awinongya Jr. lost to Darnell Timms in Special Title Fight on Saturday, February 6, 2021 in Philadelphia, USA.

A new title belt was at stake and it was a painful points lose for the Ghanaian born Joseph Awinongya Jr. who failed to throw more punches at Darnell Timms.

His coach  and dad said it was a good performance though he did not throw many punches after a long lay off.

He was however optimistic that they will come back better very soon, as they are going to correct the mistakes and have a revenge,

By Sammy Heywood Okine

USL League One side North Texas SC have unveiled Ghanaian teenager, Hope Kodzo Avayevu ahead of the 2021 season.

Avayevu completed his move in January 2021 signing a three-year contract for the club with an option to extend for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

The 18-year-old is a product of the Faith Soccer Academy in Ghana.

Avayevu was a standout performer in the 2019, Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, with Bechem United FC before joining affiliate club FC Dallas.

"Hope is a very exciting young talent that we have been tracking for a while now and also had the opportunity to bring him to train with us last year," North Texas General Manager Matt Denny said.

"He has been on the radar for many big clubs and we have worked hard to bring him here. We see a really bright future for Hope."

The youngster becomes the first major signing for North Texas ahead of the new campaign.

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