Ghanaian forward Asumah Abubakar-Ankrah has been named the Best Player of the Switzerland Challenge League of the year 2020.

Abubakar-Ankrah was instrumental in the Swiss second-tier last term having bagged 16 goals and provided 6 assists in 38 matches in all competitions for SC Kriens.

The feat saw the 23-year-old being voted as best player of Kriens at the end of the 2019/2020 campaign.

Abubakar-Ankrah has switched from Kriens to Swiss top-flight side FC Lugano this winter transfer after an impressive start to the 2020/2021 season.

He netted 7 goals with 4 assists in 12 matches in all competitions before moving to Lugano where he has already made a debut.

Abubakar-Ankrah was selected by Portugal for the 2016 UEFA European U19 Championship, scoring in a 4-3 group stage win over the hosts Germany.

Shortly after, however, after doubts arose regarding his eligibility, the Portuguese Football Federation opted to immediately remove him from the competition.

GhanaSoccerNet

Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan has joined Arsenal on loan until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old Australian international had fallen out of favour at Brighton, losing his spot to Robert Sanchez after a 3-0 loss to Leicester in December.

Last month, Brighton boss Graham Potter dismissed suggestions Ryan had played his final game for the Seagulls but said he was willing to allow him to leave in search of regular first-team football.

“We know Mat very well through his performances with Brighton in recent seasons and he brings additional quality to our squad,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told the club’s website.

“Mat has very good Premier League experience and has played over 100 times in the league, which is something that will benefit us greatly on and off the pitch.”

Despite starting 11 of Brighton’s first 12 matches in the Premier League this season, Ryan has not been called up to Brighton’s matchday squad for the past seven league games.

By skysports

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for coronavirus.

The club confirmed the news on their official website, with the Frenchman set to go into a spell of isolation.

In line with protocols, the club will keep their manager closely monitored during his period in isolation.

The development comes at a time when Real are struggling for form on the pitch.

They suffered the embarrassment of being dumped out of the Copa Del Rey by Segunda B side Alcoyano on Wednesday.

Marca went with a headline of “Zidane in Danger” following the exit, pointing out that previous managers Bernd Schuster and Manuel Pellegrini were dismissed on the back of being stunned in the Copa Del Rey - while Eurosport's Graham Ruthven felt it was damning of Zidane as a coach.

While they are out of the cup, Real are second in La Liga - albeit seven points adrift of leaders Atletico Madrid.

The team will have to navigate the short term without Zidane at the helm. They travel to Alaves on Saturday and face Levante at home the following weekend.

By Eurosport

Division One League side Sekondi Hasaacas FC has announced global kits manufacturers, Umbro as its kits partner through South African-based consulting Company, FC Cape Town Consulting Limited.

The UK-based kits manufacturers will be producing top-class kits for all three affiliates of the Sekondi Hasaacas Football Club brand.

The UK-based manufacturers, Umbro will be providing all sporting wears for the Club starting 2020/2021 Football Season.

Umbro is included in the My Africa product which also houses the Insurance Packages for the club’s players, technical team and registered supporters on the Membership Charter.

This partnership deal has been structured to cover all three teams of Sekondi Hasaacas FC brand; the first team, Sekondi Hasaacas FC which currently is competing in the Division One League, the Juvenile Side, Marlavands which is also in the Second Division and finally, the women’s team, Hasaacas Ladies which competes in the elites National Women’s League.

This unprecedented deal-breaker with Umbro strengthens the Sekondi Hasaacas FC brand as the biggest football brand in the Western Region and on the national scale as the only Club housing three teams competing at various levels on Ghana’s football pyramid.

Uganda are also spotting a nicely designed Umbro at the 2021 CHAN going on in Cameroun.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Muniru Sulley's contract terminated by Asante Kotoko

Ghana Premier League giants Asante Kotoko, have terminated the contract of midfielder Muniru Sulley barely three months after joining the club.

Muniru has joined the Porcupine Warriors on a free transfer ahead of the 2020/21 Ghana Premier League season.

He signed a two-year contract with Kotoko but has been poor in all the matches has played for the club.

Muniru had been without a club since July last year. He parted ways with Russian club, PFK Tambov.

The 28-year-old’s transfer to Kotoko marks his return to Ghana league, seven years after leaving Liberty Professionals.

He started at the Scientific Soccer Lad’s youth team and graduated to the first team in 2012.

Muniru is now a free agent to join any club.

He has featured for five clubs abroad, including Romanian giants Steaua Bucuresti,  Dinamo Minsk and CFR Cluj.

Muniru made only four appearances for the club during his stay.

Muniru is the younger brother of Ghana legend Sulley Ali Muntari.

Below is the full statement by the club.

Following discussions with the Government as well as local area Safety Advisory Groups and local NHS Trusts the British & Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA) have made the decision to NOT authorise the sanctioning of any events in February 2021.

On making the announcement BIBA Vice President Gianluca Di Caro said “We discussed the situation with the promoters of the two planned February events, who both willingly agreed to reschedule the events until later in the year.

“It was a hard decision to make, but one we believe was the only one we could possibly make, without doubt it would be irresponsible to put any extra pressure on NHS services at this time.

“In reality it wouldn’t just be irresponsible but also Criminally Negligent in our view, as we could not possibly guarantee that should a boxer receive a serious head injury, such as a bleed on the brain, that they would receive the required treatment within the ‘Golden Hour’ to prevent permanent brain damage or even death.

“Whilst the Government provided ‘Positive Test’ figures do seem to be on a downward trend, the actual level of serious Infection and Hospital Admittances, as well as Deaths are still rising to record levels on a daily basis.

“Currently, according to Government figures, there is one new hospital admittance every thirty seconds and some Hospital Trusts are reporting full or close to full capacity of ICU beds, as well as overly long waiting times within Accident & Emergency Departments.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and will announce in Mid-February whether events in March will be authorised or not.

“In the meantime, we urge everyone to observe Social Distancing rules, wear face coverings over both the mouth and nose when on public transport or in the shops, etc. and please wash your hands regularly for twenty seconds or use hand sanitiser.”

#BIBAChangingBoxingForGood

Glorious Accra Hearts of Oak midfielder, Benjamin has signed a three-year contract extension with the club.

The 24-year-old contract with the Phobians expired this season and was tipped to the leave the club but has renewed his stay until 2023 after fruitful negotiations.

According to a source close to the club, the former Karela United man has finally acceded to the demands of his current employers thereby extending his stay with them for the next three football seasons in the domestic top-flight.

Afutu’s contract extension will serve as a morale booster for coach Kosta Papic as he is set to play a big role in his setup for the ongoing Ghana Premier League season.

He has so far played 5 league games, scoring 2 goals for the rainbow boys in the elite division league campaign.

ModernGhana

As people everywhere ramp up their usage of instant messaging, more and more are choosing ayoba. MTN Group is proud to partner with this unique instant messaging platform localised for the needs of consumers across Africa.

Launched in 2019 to improve access to affordable communications, ayoba is active in 17 MTN markets, and is also available to download onto Android smartphones in numerous other markets from Google Play, on iOS devices from the App Store and via the ayoba website www.ayoba.me as an over-the-top (OTT) offering. 

Ayoba is focused on protecting users’ privacy and security:  it is not possible for messages in the app to be read by anyone else or to be shared with any third parties, including MTN. The app features peer-to-peer private messaging which is end-to-end encrypted; ayoba treats data with the utmost care and respect in line with its privacy policy.

All the content available on ayoba channels is curated and reviewed to ensure that its 100% family friendly and safe for younger users. A team of editors checks every post on ayoba content channels before it goes live across over 100 content channels and 120 games.

Ayoba has also recently launched an in-app assistant, Aya, to guide new users on how to use the instant messaging app. Aya appears automatically in the app and can run a variety of interactive tutorials for key features within ayoba.

Ayoba users can send and receive encrypted messages, share photos, videos, files, voice notes and even their location, and can also subscribe to live channels. Localised content is available through these channels that aim to entertain, educate and empower communities.

Since 2020, as COVID-19 spread across the world, ayoba’s daily lifeline data allocations on MTN’s networks in most markets allowed users free connections with family and provided them with zero-rated access to credible information through special COVID-19 channels.

10 REASONS TO USE AYOBA:

1.FREE TO USE: ayoba is free to use. You need data to send messages and files to your contacts, but if you are on the MTN network, you will get free data every day to use the app.

2.CHAT NOW: Instantly send and receive text and voice messages with any of your contacts.

3.SECURE: End-to-end encryption means that messages in a conversation cannot be read by anyone else.

4.QUICK CONNECT: Use your existing address book to quickly and easily connect you with your contacts.

5.CHAT WITH EVERYONE: Send SMS text messages with anyone in your contact list, regardless of whether they've installed ayoba or not.  If the contact to whom you send a message does not have the app, the message will be delivered by SMS.  That contact can then respond by SMS and the response will come back into your app.  This is a unique technology.

6.GROUP CHAT: The more the merrier. Set up group chats to easily communicate with friends and family in a single chat.

7.SHARING IS CARING: Share videos, images, audio and other files with your contacts.

8.LET’S MEET: Share your real-time location with your ayoba contacts.

9.CHANNELS: Consume all content across various categories ranging from news, sports, music to entertainment and much more, all within the ayoba app.  We have over 30 content channels live in Nigeria including Pulse for entertainment and the MTN YelloStar competition.

10.LISTEN AND PLAY: We have a free music service in the app so you can listen to trending songs on our fantastic playlists.  We also have games that you can play, such as BattleShip, Pinball, Solitaire and more.  New content is added every day.

The app supports over 20 local languages spoken across MTN’s markets, including isiZulu, isiXhosa, Pidgin, Yoruba, Swahili, Hausa, French, Arabic, Portuguese and English. At the end of June 2020, ayoba had two million active users.

In November 2020, ayoba was named the ‘Best Mobile App of the Year’ at the Africa Digital Awards 2020, acknowledging Africa’s first super-app, which offers users free instant messaging, mobile commerce and interactive entertainment.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code “MTN”. We are pursuing our strategy with a major focus on growth in data, fintech and digital businesses in Africa.

About Ayoba

Ayoba is a free instant messaging (IM) application developed and owned by SIMFY AFRICA, based in Cape Town, South Africa. Although Africa is one continent, it is also the home to hundreds of unique cultures. ayoba celebrates the diversity of Africa by providing a world-class messaging platform that reflects local needs and aspirations.

Ayoba’s inclusive approach to technology means that its users will be able to communicate with anyone with a mobile device, even if they don’t have the ayoba app. During an initial promotional period, this communication is made available at no cost, across selected mobile network operators. ayoba launched its first strategic partnership with MTN in Cameroon on the 4 May 2019.

Frim Sammy Heywood Okine

Award winning football fan, Alberta Twumasiwaa has commended female footballers who are taking part in the Ghana Women’s Premier League (WPL).

The member of the Ghana Sports Supporters and founder of the Achievers Club said the WPL has brought entertainment and joy to all the playing centres and it is very for the promotion of football to attract more spectators and sponsors.

She hailed the GFA and all contributors who are working to make the WPL an attractive product.

“I think the WPL has kicked off fashionably, and I love the results registered at the various centres in the north and southern zones. The players performances prove that they have prepared and they are highly motivated” she expressed.

She congratulated the media for their great work, especially the female reporters most of whom are PROs of the clubs in informing and educating fans on the safety protocols at matches to curb the spread of Covid - 19.

She called on women organisations to support the WPL.

Alberta Twumasiwaa, a former member of the Die Hard Supporters Union was awarded in South Africa at the 2013 African Cup of Nations for her fantastic dressing by Orange, a telecom company.

She urged fans to contribute in making the game interesting and exciting.

She is an executive member of WOSPAG Greater Accra and has honours from Women In Sports Association (WISA).

By Sammy Heywood Okine

LOC for Hockey Under-21  Junior Africa Cup

Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the Hockey Under-21  Junior Africa Cup Inaugurated by Director  General of National Sports Authority.

By Sammy Heywood Okine