Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or title on Monday, while Alexia Putellas won her first Ballon d'Or Féminin title.

It is a record-extending win for Messi, who now has two more titles than his arch rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

Although comparatively it might be considered a relatively down year at club level for Messi, he played a vital role in helping Argentina win the Copa América title earlier this year.

He also finished as the Spanish league's top scorer and scored two goals as Barca won the Copa del Rey.

Before he left for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, Barcelona had finished third in La Liga and had been knocked out of the Champions League in the first round.

"I'm really proud to win the France Football Ballon d'Or once again," Messi said. "It's incredible to win it for the seventh time. I would like to thank my family, my friends and all the people who follow me and always support me, because without them I couldn't have done it."

Messi previously won the award in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2019.

Messi beat out competition from Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who netted 53 times this calendar year, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

The Polish striker was widely expected to win last year's award before it was canceled due to the pandemic.

During his winning speech, Messi said he thought Lewandowski would've won the award last year.

"You deserve your Ballon D'Or. Last year, everyone was in agreement to say that you were the big winner," Messi said.

For Putellas, she's had a year that dreams are made of.

The 27-year-old was an instrumental player in Barcelona's treble-winning season, helping the club to victories in the Champions League, the Spanish league and the Spanish Cup.

In 2021, in an excellent Barcelona side, Putellas has looked the standout player, contributing a remarkable 37 goals and 27 assists.

She beat out her Barcelona teammate Jennifer Hermoso to the award; the third time it has been handed out.

It was introduced in 2018 and won by Norway's Ada Hegerberg, while American Megan Rapinoe became the second winner the following year. Last year's awards were canceled amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The timing of this season's awards in the middle of a women's international break has drawn criticism, a decision making it hard for some nominees to attend.

For instance, Australia and Chelsea star Sam Kerr, who is in the running to be crowned the best player in the women's game, is likely to be a notable absentee from the ceremony with the Matildas facing the US in Newcastle on Tuesday.

The lists of nominees are compiled by France Football, after which a panel of journalists from around the world vote for the winners.

Earlier in the evening, Barcelona star Pedri won the Kopa Trophy, awarded to the best men's under-21 player.

Lewandowski didn't end the evening empty-handed though, being named the 'striker of the year,' a new award introduced this year.

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was awarded the Yashin Trophy for the best keeper.

European champions Chelsea was named club of the year, the first team to win that trophy.

By Ben Morse, CNN

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has announced that it has postponed the upcoming Super Clash between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.

The two rival clubs were originally scheduled to lock horns on Sunday, December 12, 2021, for the first meeting of the 2021/2022 Ghana Premier League season.

However, due to the tight schedule of Hearts of Oak as a result of their participation in the CAF Confederations Cup, the Ghana FA has resorted to postponing the game.

“The Ghana Football Association wishes to announce that the Ghana Premier League Match Day 7 fixture between Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko has been rescheduled.

“This is due to the itinerary of Hearts of Oak in respect of the 2nd leg of the CAF Confederation Cup play-off tie against JS Saoura which makes them unable to return in good time to honour the fixture.

“The Ghanaian Champions are expected to return home on Friday, December 10, 2021 – making it impossible to play the match on Sunday, December 12,” a statement issued by the GFA on Tuesday, November 30, has said.

It concludes, “A new date would be communicated in due course.”

Hearts of Oak are expected to depart Ghana on Wednesday to honour the second leg encounter of the tie against Algerian outfit JS Saoura.

The Phobians hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and will hope to secure a good result from the second leg in order to progress to the Group Stage of this season’s CAF Confederations Cup.

Source Modern Ghana

Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain)

In 2021: 41 goals, 17 assists. Won Copa America & Copa del Rey.

Actual ranking: 1st

Ballon d'Or number seven is now Lionel Messi's, even if his relatively slow start to life at Paris Saint-Germain saw the chasing pack close the gap considerably over the past three months.

The GOAL50 winner almost single-handedly dragged Barcelona to what would have been an unlikely La Liga title if they had got over the line during the opening months of 2021, before winning Player of the Tournament and the Golden Boot at the Copa America as the Argentine finally claimed his first major international trophy.

His goal record might not match that of Lewandowski's, but Ballon d'Or voters do have a magpie-like nature to them, and enjoy the sight of players lifting silverware.

For that reason, Messi just had the edge in one of the closest fights for years.

A novelty indoor Super Volleyball Competition involving the top clubs in Accra, the capital city of Ghana comes up from December 17 to 19 at the Ga Mashie Sports Hall inside the Trust Sports Emporium.

According to the organizers, the competition is to raise awareness as Volleyball being the fourth most popular sport in Ghana after football, boxing and athletics.

Also as Ghana prepares to host the 13^th African Games, lovers of Volleyball want to see the nation win gold or silver in the game.

Finally they want to create a platform for corporate Ghana to invest in the game, players and officials.

The top six clubs invited to participate are Ghana Air Force, Ghana Police, Ghana Army, El Wak Wings, Ghana Prisons and Tema City.

Mr. Mohammed Aputeog, founder of the event said many people love Volleyball and want to watch the nation’s best stars in the indoor performance, to open avenues for young players.

National star, Kevin Carboo told Yours Truly they have been waiting for such innovative ideas and investments in Ghana Volleyball for a long time, and prayed that the programme will be exciting and successful.

“We have to develop Indoor Volleyball in Ghana. It is very interesting and important” he said.

African Sports Media (Ghana) is fully supporting the Super Volleyball Competition.

By Sammy Heywood Okine

Shortlists for players’, goalkeepers’ and coaches’ prizes announced

Public voting via FIFA.com: votes can be cast until 10 December 2021

The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2021 show to take place on 17 January 2022

FIFA has revealed the candidates shortlisted for The Best FIFA Football Awards™ 2021, the winners of which will be revealed at an online ceremony on 17 January 2022.

Two expert panels – one for women’s football and one for men’s football – selected the candidates for each category.

The nominees are listed below in alphabetical order:

The Best FIFA Women’s Player:

Stina Blackstenius (Sweden / BK Häcken)

Aitana Bonmatí (Spain / FC Barcelona)

Lucy Bronze (England / Manchester City WFC)

Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden / Chelsea FC Women)

Caroline Graham Hansen (Norway / FC Barcelona)

Pernille Harder (Denmark / Chelsea FC Women)

Jennifer Hermoso (Spain / FC Barcelona)

Ji Soyun (Korea Republic / Chelsea FC Women)

Sam Kerr (Australia / Chelsea FC Women)

Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands / Arsenal WFC)

Alexia Putellas (Spain / FC Barcelona)

Christine Sinclair (Canada / Portland Thorns FC)

Ellen White (England / Manchester City WFC)

The Best FIFA Men’s Player:

Karim Benzema (France / Real Madrid CF)

Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium / Manchester City FC)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal / Juventus FC / Manchester United FC)

Erling Haaland (Norway / BV Borussia 09 Dortmund)

Jorginho (Italy / Chelsea FC)

N’Golo Kanté (France / Chelsea FC)

Robert Lewandowski (Poland / FC Bayern München)

Kylian Mbappé (France / Paris Saint-Germain)

Lionel Messi (Argentina / FC Barcelona / Paris Saint-Germain)

Neymar (Brazil / Paris Saint-Germain)

Mohamed Salah (Egypt / Liverpool FC)

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach:

Lluís Cortés (Spain / FC Barcelona)

Peter Gerhardsson (Sweden / Swedish national team)

Emma Hayes (England / Chelsea FC Women)

Beverly Priestman (England / Canadian national team)

Sarina Wiegman (Netherlands / Dutch national team / English national team)

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach:

Antonio Conte (Italy / FC Internazionale Milano / Tottenham Hotspur FC)

Hansi Flick (Germany / FC Bayern München / German national team)

Pep Guardiola (Spain / Manchester City FC)

Roberto Mancini (Italy / Italian national team)

Lionel Sebastián Scaloni (Argentina / Argentinian national team)

Diego Simeone (Argentina / Atlético de Madrid)

Thomas Tuchel (Germany / Chelsea FC)

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper:

Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC Women)

Christiane Endler (Chile / Paris Saint-Germain / Olympique Lyonnais)

Stephanie Lynn Marie Labbé (Canada / FC Rosengård / Paris Saint-Germain)

Hedvig Lindahl (Sweden / Atlético de Madrid Femenino)

Alyssa Naeher (USA / Chicago Red Stars)

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper:

Alisson Becker (Brazil / Liverpool FC)

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy / AC Milan / Paris Saint-Germain)

Édouard Mendy (Senegal / Chelsea FC)

Manuel Neuer (Germany / FC Bayern München)

Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark / Leicester City FC)

 * These shortlists contain more candidates, in accordance with article 5 of the Rules of Allocation.

Note: the shortlist with the nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award (awarded for

the best goal) will be announced at a later stage.

Voting open now!

Public voting is open on FIFA.com and will run until 23:59 CET on 10 December 2021.

FIFA will announce the three finalists in each of the seven categories listed above in early January 2022.

The full  voting and award process is detailed in the Rules of Allocation.

To keep up with the latest news about The Best, check out FIFA.com and FIFA’s accounts on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

You can join the discussion about who should win the awards by using the hashtag #TheBest.

Source: FIFA

Winner of the female category of the 2021 Ghana Fastest Human Grace Obour says becoming a sports champion is not achieved on a silver platter.

“You need to meander your way to the top and after, maintaining it, is also another journey on its own. Most of the world champions in sports have confirmed it and they also say it takes few people to be able to maintain this spot. You need to be consistent, hardworking, smart working, disciplined, and motivated” she expressed.

Grace Obour is a Ghanaian national track and field athlete. She specialises in sprint events, 100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres. She won a bronze medal at the 2019 African Games in 400 metres. She won the fastest female athlete Meet final at the Paa Joe Sports Stadium in Kumasi.

 “One thing you need to know is that being a champion is not easy when you start to do the sports as a lady. A lot of people will say all sorts of words about you. As a lady you shouldn’t run, if not you will become something else. Sometimes, some of the things that they will say about you if you are strong enough or motivated you will just give up”, disclosed Grace Obour.

She has been motivating her fellow female athletes not to give up, no matter what will happen.

She also added that running sometimes can be difficult, because sometimes you can become last during competitions but keep on training. Most of our sportswomen are facing and going through harassment each and every day. Because the society doesn’t value the sportswomen and that’s also another reason most of our women are afraid to do the sports. The trauma and anxiety the women endure as an athlete is still growing each day.

Grace Obour was selected to bear the Queen’s Baton Relay in Ghana. The Queen’s Baton Relay was to create awareness of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2022. The games will be held in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Source: athleticshour.com

Stanbic Bank Ghana has announced a GH20,000 sponsorship package towards the 46th MTN SWAG Awards scheduled to take place at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC) on Friday, December 17, 2021.

This is the 15th year Stanbic Bank has partnered the Sports Writers ‘Association of Ghana to award deserving sportsmen and women who bring smiles to Ghanaians in through their various endeavors.

Manager for Communications and Marketing at Stanbic Bank, Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, said he was delighted to once again represent his organization to contribute their quota to the awards.

He mentioned that his outfit will be looking at more innovative ways of supporting SWAG and even increasing the sponsorship package in the future.

He wished all winners on the night well and urged Ghanaian athletes to continue giving out their best when represent the country.

SWAG President, Kwabena Yeboah, thanked Stanbic for their continuous support to the successful hosting of the event and explained that SWAG does not generate any income but relies on the benevolence of corporate institutions like Stanbic to award the athletes.

Over 30 sportsmen and sportswomen are expected to be honoured at the 46th MTN SWAG Awards which is being supported by GOIL, Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA), National Lottery Authority (NLA) Betboro Ghana, Stanbic Bank, and ASKOF Productions

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 best sports journalist in the country.

FIFA and CAF have signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will pioneer a new era in the advancement of professional refereeing in Africa.

The MoU was signed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe in Cairo, Egypt during the 13th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly.

The anchor of the agreement is Refereeing “Star Project” – an initiative that aims to produce world-class referees from the African continent and also contribute towards the development of referees in the 54 CAF Member Associations.

FIFA President Infantino said: “Refereeing is such an important element of football. We have to professionalise and elevate the level of refereeing in Africa and ensure that we have the referees that are in the best conditions. This historic MoU is just an example of how FIFA and CAF can work together to raise the standards of the different aspects of football in this great continent.”

CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “Africa is embarking on a journey that will see this continent play a very impactful role in global football. We are clear, Africa must be the best and must produce the best; not just players, but administrators but also referees. We want to see African referees officiating in the FIFA World Cup finals and we want to see our match officials excelling. As CAF, we are fully backing the talent we have in Africa and the qualities of referees. With this partnership with FIFA, we are taking practical steps to move in that bold direction.”

He thanked FIFA President for the support: “We are grateful to have a FIFA President who is deeply committed to our cause – the cause to advance the development of football.”

FIFA Chairman of Referees, Pierluigi Collina made a presentation to the Extraordinary General Assembly on the FIFA ‘Refereeing Star Project.

He said: “FIFA is dedicated to supporting the African refereeing stars of today, but also to develop the CAF refereeing stars of tomorrow. To achieve that, FIFA and CAF want to identify 24 top candidates from across Africa, men and women, to participate in this project. We strongly believe that these referees will not only further professionalise refereeing in Africa, but they will also give something back to the young referees in their member association so, in a way, they can eventually become the instructors themselves.”

By Cafonline

The Vice President of Ghana, HE Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, will be the guest of honour at the 46th Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) Awards Night which comes off on Friday, December 17, 2021, at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC) in Accra.

According to the SWAG secretariat, the SWAG Awards which is characterized by glitz and glamour would attract great names in Ghana sports as well as corporate bodies who believe in the promotion and development of sports.

The Vice President Dr Bawumia will be joined by the Ga Mantse, His Royal Majesty Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, patrons of SWAG and distinguished invited guests, including the Minister of Youth and Sports, the Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), executives of the Ghana Olympic and Paralympic Committees, sports federation heads and the Sports Writers Association members at the AICC to celebrate sporting excellence and honour the men and women who worked tirelessly to raise high the flag of Ghana in 2021.

The event will be held under the theme; “Ghana Sports in the post-Covid-19 era; a business approach”.

"The MTN-SWAG Awards is the longest-running sports event in Ghana and will confer honours on about 30 sportsmen and sportswomen, as well as corporate institutions for their role in the development and promotion of sports in Ghana," the SWAG statement said.

"Over 30 sportsmen and sportswomen are expected to be honoured at the 46th MTN SWAG Awards which is being supported by GOIL, Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA), National Lottery Authority (NLA) Betboro Ghana, Stanbic Bank, Betway Ghana, CW Studios, Blynxlivegh and ASKOF Productions".

The event has in the past been graced by sitting presidents and great personalities including President John Agyekum Kufuor, the late President John Evans Atta Mill, H.E. Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Oforipayin, the Dormaahene Osagyefo Oseadeɛyo Agyeman Badu II and Togbe Adade XIV of the Asogli State.

SWAG Awards, the longest-running award scheme in Ghana since 1975, rewards top-performing Sportsmen 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 honour the best sports journalist in the country.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Agent of AS Roma young striker Felix Afena-Gyan, Oliver Arthur says reports suggesting a white agent scouted the player in Ghana are false and should be discarded.

Arthur Legacy credits Ghanaian scout for discovery of AS Roma Star Felix Afena-Gyan, dispels rumor of Expatriate involvementFormer international scout for Chelsea, Sebastien Arnesen in a recent interview revealed he identified the teenage sensation after just 10 minutes into a game he watched in Ghana.

Oliver Arthur, head of Arthur Legacy Agency speaking to Benedict Owusu on Asaase Radio’s Teamtalk Sports show noted that, the player was scouted in Sunyani during an inter- schools competition by his scouting team in the Brong Ahafo Region.

“I have a scouting team headed by Gideon Attoh and one other guy in Sunyani called Sammy Mintah, so I was in Italy when they called that they have seen a young guy in the Milo games who looks very promising, he said

“So Sammy called Gideon because he is the head of the scouting team, Gideon then followed up and saw Afena-Gyan in the inter schools competition at the Sunyani Coronation Park and immediately they saw the boy was talented.

Afena-Gyan after completing Junior High School was sent to EuroAfrica Academy, partners of Arthur Legacy. He spent four months and then moved to Italy where he trialled at AC Milan, Sassuola and AS Roma.

All three clubs were impressed and wanted to have him but Roma’s offer of development was too good to reject.

 “My agency has a relationship with EuroAfrica Academy who has an Italian coach, so after the parents of Afena-Gyan agreed for us to take him, we put him in the academy after he completed school.

Oliver Arthur added that “I watched the video of the white agent claiming he discovered Afena-Gyan, I know the agent very well because he was at a tournament I organized which the boy was part of, he saw Afena-Gyan who was then at EuroAfrica academy and straight away said the boy was good and was going to flourish in the game. He even took pictures with the boy and he had plans of moving the boy to Europe but he didn’t come to the table and I moved the boy out so for him to say he scouted the player can’t be right.”

Afena-Gyan has been in the news since last week Sunday when he became the first player born in 2003 to score in Serie A.

The 18-year-old came off the bench to net a double to hand Jose Mourinho’s Roma a late 2-0 win over Genoa.

“Two months ago the discussion was different, it was about a certain young player coming in and will develop at the junior team of the club but it is different now as I have been informed by the sports director of Roma they want him to stay with the senior team. Already a lot of offers have been coming in for the boy, some clubs want him on loan but Roma are keen to have him stay on.” Oliver Arthur concluded