The price of petroleum products may decrease if the government-secured oil is made available this week, according to Duncan Amoah, Executive Director of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers, Ghana (COPEC).
Ghana on January 15, 2023, took delivery of 40,000 metric tons of the first consignment under the policy from the United Arab Emirates.
Executive Director for COPEC is optimistic price of the commodity might see a drop if the distribution of the commodity is done soon.
“The numbers pertaining to this gold-for-oil policy are very crucial. If it doesn’t solve the escalating fuel price situation, and it doesn’t solve the cedi depreciating, then we should stop the politicians from meddling in fuel or trading completely.
“Because that will not be the situation Ghanaians are clamouring for. The numbers they will put up for the coming week will determine whether we are able to stimulate the market downwards or we are able to sustain prices where they are. Or there are some benefits to be derived as a people. If there are no benefits, then it will be difficult to go to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to ask for money to trade in oil, we will be burnt on all sides,” Mr. Amoah said.
Following several weeks of fall, the price of fuel spiked on Saturday, January 21, 2023, for the second pricing window.
The instability of the local currency relative to the dollar was blamed by several stakeholders for this issue. To remedy this situation, the government began the “Gold for oil policy”.
After helping his country win the World Cup of soccer, Lionel Messi has become a national hero in Argentina, receiving honors in the form of murals and tattoos.
Now, his visage may be seen on a cornfield that has been particularly created from above.
An algorithm was used to spread the seeds in the field at Los Condores, in the province of Córdoba’s central region, so that when the corn grew, it would produce a massive image of Messi’s beard.
“For me, Messi is unbeatable,” said Maximiliano Spinazze, the crop farmer who planted the unusual crop formation as a celebration of the team’s victory, their first World Cup since Diego Maradona led the team in 1986.
“Now, they are world champions, I am delighted this can be expressed by planting the crop.”
A farming engineer named Carlos Faricelli created the programming for the seed-sowing machinery that allowed them to plant the seeds in an exact manner to produce the final image, with some places having more seeds per square inch than others.
“I had the idea to make a code that goes in the seeders with Messi’s face as a tribute,” he said, adding he had then made the code available for any farmers “who dared to plant it.”
Using geocoding tools, the machinery knows how much seed per square meter it has to put in certain places to create the contrast for different parts of Messi’s face, Faricelli said.
“So when this corn grows and an aerial shot is taken, where the plants are closer together and the ground is less visible, a more intense green contrasts with where there are fewer plants and then this kind of agriculture art is created.”
The Chamber for Bulk Oil Distributors (CBODs) has entreated the government to swiftly create a framework for the gold-for-oil programme that would guide it and prevent unjust treatment.
A week after the government received the first shipment under the agreement, some members of the chamber began working with the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) to obtain the commodity.
The chamber’s CEO, Dr. Patrick Kwaku Ofori, said that the framework is necessary to prevent prejudice.
“I think the first consignment has already been there, some of our members were already trading with BOST. Those who already have an existing arrangement with government I think something can be done. Because we are looking forward to a potential or proper framework that will guide the whole process.
“I know the regulator met to solicit our views in terms of ensuring that they create a level playing field so that nobody is actually disadvantaged. And also the gains from the pricing advantage that can happen through the process can also trigger down to the pumps,” Dr. Patrick Kwaku Ofori told Citinews.
The government’s action is intended to address the declining foreign exchange reserves and the demand for dollars from oil importers, which are weakening the local cedi and driving up living expenses.
Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in a thrilling LaLiga match on Sunday thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos.
In the 24th minute at San Mames Stadium, seasoned France international Benzema beat Unai Simon with a spectacular volley to hook back a loose ball.
The 90th minute breakaway goal by Kroos sealed the victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s team and kept pressure on league-leading Barcelona.
However, Ernesto Valverde’s team will have to reflect on whether they should have earned a point after making a valiant effort to force a draw before Kroos’ goal dashed any ambitions.
Following Barca’s victory over Getafe, it was imperative for Madrid to ensure they kept pace with a win of their own.
In a first half not short of opportunities, they had the edge over their hosts and demonstrated a shrewd ability to capitalise on their mistakes.
That proved invaluable when Benzema rescued Marco Asensio’s wayward header and volleyed home.
Madrid were initially frustrated in their attempts to double the advantage, with Asensio narrowly shooting past the left post in the 66th minute.
Inaki Williams briefly thought he had found the equaliser for the hosts with 13 minutes left, only for the linesman’s flag to rule his finish out with an offside call against Gorka Guruzeta.
Athletic’s hopes of salvaging a late draw were dashed at the death when Kroos picked off a Rodrygo ball and coolly slotted home from outside the box.
Ancelotti’s side headed to Bilbao knowing dropped points may prove seriously damaging to their title credentials.
Though they looked at risk of wavering with a one-goal lead, they were ultimately good value for their victory and will take confidence from the result going forward.
Benzema makes more LaLiga history
The Frenchman’s first-half finish was yet another top-flight goal to savour, but more importantly, it was his 228th for Madrid in the competition.
That draws him level with Raul for joint-second on the club’s all-time LaLiga scorer chart, trailing only former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who leads with 311.
Hosts rue wayward finishing
It was not to be for Valverde and his men, who came out of the blocks in the second half seeking a result against one of the division’s heavyweight outfits.
With 18 shots to Madrid’s 10, they outgunned their visitors throughout, but with just three of those on target, they ultimately failed to earn a share of the spoils.
Key Opta Facts
– Athletic Bilbao have not won any of their last 15 games against Real Madrid in LaLiga (D4 L11), losing each of the last six.
– Real Madrid have won points in each of their last eight visits to Athletic in LaLiga (W6 D2) since a 1-0 loss in March 2015, with Carlo Ancelotti and Ernesto Valverde also on both benches.
– Real Madrid have not lost in their last 12 visits to teams from the Basque Country in LaLiga (W11 D1), since losing 3-1 v Real Sociedad in May 2019, winning each of the last seven.
Arsenal defeated Manchester United in a five-goal thriller, with Eddie Nketiah flicking in a late winner to keep their Premier League title challenge alive.
Since replacing the injured Gabriel Jesus, the striker has been on fire and has already scored seven goals in as many games, including Sunday’s last-second winner that gave their team a 3-2 victory over their former rivals at the Emirates Stadium.
Marcus Rashford maintained his own impressive run of play for United with a beautiful goal that was quickly cancelled out by Nketiah before Bukayo Saka put Arsenal in front with his own top-notch effort.
After some shoddy defence, Lisandro Martinez, who was a target for Arsenal last summer, equalized for United, but Nketiah would turn home an errant Martin Odegaard shot to secure a victory.
After Manchester City’s consecutive victories following Arsenal’s victory over Tottenham had cut their eight-point lead at the top to just two, Mikel Arteta’s team played magnificently under pressure.
In their attempt to repeat their Old Trafford triumph from September, United, the only club to defeat Arsenal in the Premier League this year, is off to a great start.
Despite having an early penalty appeal rejected after Bruno Fernandes was fouled by Aaron Ramsdale, they were celebrating the lead in the 17th minute. Referee Anthony Taylor’s decision to dismiss the appeals was backed by the VAR’s rapid review.
Thomas Partey easily lost control before Rashford sprinted by him and arrowed home a superb low finish.
Arsenal, showing the sort of response of any side with title ambitions, bounced back soon after as Nketiah nodded home a Granit Xhaka cross after losing Aaron Wan-Bissaka far too easily.
The game opened up from that point, Scott McTominay – in for the suspended Casemiro – forced a smart stop out of Ramsdale with a strike from the edge of the box.
Arteta was booked by referee Taylor following his protestations at a Luke Shaw foul on Saka as the first half ended with the sides locked level.
That would change just eight minutes after the restart as Saka, afforded too much space and time, curled home an inch-perfect strike from 25 yards to put Arsenal ahead.
Ramsdale put in a man-of-the-match display in the 2-0 win at Spurs last week and made a great save to deny Rashford levelling with a deflected effort.
The England goalkeeper, however, was culpable for United’s equaliser after a mix up with half-time substitute Takehiro Tomiyasu at a corner allowed Martinez to head in his first Red Devils goal.
Having shared four goals, both teams went in search of the winner as Saka struck from a similar position only for this effort to deflect off Christian Eriksen and clip the post.
Leandro Trossard, who joined Arsenal from Brighton on Friday, came on for the final 10 minutes to make his Arsenal debut as David de Gea made a smart close-range stop to deny Nketiah a second.
Arsenal were now very much on top with United unable to get out of their own penalty box for large spells.
Eriksen led a rare foray forward for the visitors, winning a corner for a brief respite but the Arsenal pressure eventually told as Nketiah’s reaction to throw a boot at an Odegaard effort saw him divert the ball past De Gea.
A VAR check followed but the former England Under-21 striker was played onside by Wan-Bissaka and the goal was awarded, sending the Emirates wild and putting Arsenal five points clear of City with a game in hand.
In contrast to Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden was noticeably absent from Manchester City’s lineup to face Wolves.
Several British journalists have referred to England player Foden as “not entirely fit,” and manager Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly be questioned about this.
De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte were inserted into the starting lineup that defeated Tottenham 4-2 on Thursday, and Julian Alvarez and Nathan Ake were benched for the match on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Foden’s absence was the primary talking point because he was not utilised during City’s comeback victory over Spurs in the middle of the week after falling behind by two goals.
Foden’s last start came in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, where he was substituted after 57 minutes.
Victory for City against Wolves would move Guardiola’s side two points behind leaders Arsenal, who host Manchester United at Emirates Stadium later on Sunday.
Man City XI: Ederson; Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte; Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri; Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez; Erling Haaland
🔵 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘔 𝘕𝘌𝘞𝘚 🐺
XI | Ederson, Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Laporte, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Gundogan (C), Mahrez, Grealish, Haaland
In the midst of rising tensions with the West and the turmoil roiling the nation, the value of the Iranian rial has fallen to an all-time record low.
The US dollar crossed the 450,000-rial threshold on the open market for the first time on Sunday.
Ali Salehabadi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Iran, was dismissed following a previous sharp devaluation of the rial in late December, when it plunged to more than 440,000 versus the dollar on the open market.
In an effort to maintain price stability amid a 40% inflation rate, his successor, Mohammad Reza Farzin, had sworn to artificially maintain the currency’s rate against the dollar at 285,000 rials.
“Today the central bank faces no limitations in terms of currency and gold reserves, and the main reason behind the currency fluctuations is media hype and psychological operations in the society,” Farzin said on Saturday.
As the rial went into another freefall on Saturday, the central bank claimed that 300 million euros ($326m) of Iran’s money in Iraq had been received, despite US sanctions, and injected into the market.
Central bank to raise exchange limit
On Sunday, the central bank said it will soon raise the maximum amount of currency that can be sold to an individual annually from 2,000 euros ($2,176) to 5,000 euros ($5,439) in an apparent effort to show it has no shortage of currency.
The cap was introduced after the US unilaterally abandoned the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and imposed harsh sanctions, triggering a new currency crisis in Iran.
To combat currency devaluation, Iran’s police force has periodically announced the arrest of dozens of currency speculators in recent months.
This week’s depreciation of the rial comes amid boiling tensions with the West, and as protests in Iran, that started in September last year – which Tehran accuses the West of orchestrating – have persisted.
Earlier this week, the European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a resolution that calls for designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a “terrorist” organisation, and for sanctions on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi and others.
Following a Lunar New Year party that drew hundreds of people, a mass shooting east of Los Angeles left at least 10 people dead and 10 injured, according to authorities.
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Bob Boese, the shooting, which happened late on Saturday, took place at a Monterey Park store on Garvey Avenue.
Police said the male suspect is still at large.
The police announced that Sunday’s Lunar Year celebrations in Monterey Park have been cancelled due to the shooting and out of respect for the victims.
Monterey Park is a city of about 60,000 people with a large Asian population that’s about 16km (10 miles) from downtown Los Angeles.
“Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones tonight in our neighbouring city, Monterey Park, where a mass shooting just occurred,” Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a tweet.
Seung Won Choi, who owns the Clam House seafood barbecue restaurant across the street from where the shooting happened, told the Los Angles Times that three people rushed into his business and told him to lock the door.
Dozens of police officers responded to reports of a shooting that occurred after a large Lunar New Year celebration had ended in a community east of Los Angeles late Saturday [Jae C. Hong/AP Photo]
The people also told Choi that there was a shooter with a machine gun who had multiple rounds of ammunition on him so he could reload.
Choi said he believes the shooting took place at a dance club.
Saturday was the start of the two-day festival, which is one of the largest Lunar New Year events in southern California.
The incident marks the fifth mass shooting in the US this month and the deadliest since 21 people were killed in a school in Uvalde, Texas, according to the AP/USA Today database on mass killings in the US.
The latest violence comes two months after five people were killed at a Colorado Springs nightclub.
In order to revive a winning culture at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag wants the bar to stay high.
On Sunday, United will play Premier League leaders Arsenal. While their immediate focus is on securing a spot in the top four, a win may imply a title challenge is not out of the question.
Wednesday’s 1-1 tie with Crystal Palace snapped United’s seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
It’s about rediscovering the ethos that allowed United to rule English football under Alex Ferguson, according to Ten Hag.
“What I want to bring in is some culture from high standards and values,” he told reporters.
“And also, I think accountability and transparency. So honestly, they are our values [that] I want to set, want to control.
“I think that is the way we have to cooperate. Internally, but also externally. So for instance, with the media with the fans.”
Asked if he has confidence in United’s ability to keep improving, Ten Hag said: “Yes, I’m quite convinced of that process. I think we are [going] in the right direction.
“It also means that we have to improve a lot if you want to compete in the future for the top positions because the competition will be really tough.”
United beat Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford in September, which marks the Gunners’ only league defeat of the season.
This is just the third time Arsenal are hosting United in a Premier League match while top of the table, with the previous two meetings ending in draws – 1-1 in March 2004 and 2-2 in November 2007.
The clubs have enjoyed a fierce rivalry down the years, and Ten Hag believes both sides are close to getting back to where they belong.
“I think in the Premier League, you have six, seven teams who all can win the league,” he said.
“When you have the right philosophy, the right strategy, I think that many more clubs can compete for positions for the top positions in the league, so that’s a great challenge.”
Anita Asante, a British-Ghanaian professional footballer who is now a coach, has married British reporter and lesbian partner Beth Fisher.
On the evening of January 20, 2023, the couple tied the knot in Wales.
Fisher took to social media to post a photo of the ceremony along with the caption: “Got married at 3, in bed by 10! A perfect start to married life with my perfect person” followed by two heart-related emojis.
She also posted a picture of herself and Asante in bed showing off their wedding rings.
Asante quote-tweeted the post with the caption: “2023 starting off the best way possible” followed by the heart-eye emoji.
Since at least 2019, when they made their initial public announcement of their relationship, Asante and Fisher have been living together openly as lesbians.
37-year-old Anita played for Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa during her storied career spanning two decades and won an impressive 75 caps for England.
She is currently the first-team coach for Bristol City.
Beth Fisher, meanwhile, is a BBC reporter and former Wales international hockey player.
As negotiations for his upcoming bout with Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight championship continue, Tyson Fury believes his return to the ring is “imminent.”
Since Fury defeated Derek Chisora in a trilogy fight last month, Usyk has been widely expected to challenge him. Usyk faced Anthony Joshua in August 2017 to defend his WBA-Super heavyweight, IBF, and WBO titles.
A draft contract for the fight, with a March date tentatively scheduled, had been delivered to Usyk’s team earlier this month, according to Fury’s co-promoter Frank Warren.
The WBC heavyweight champion provided an upbeat update on the discussions with Usyk’s team while present at Chris Eubank Jr.’s fight against Liam Smith on Saturday in Manchester.
Asked by Sky Sports when he would be returning to the ring, Fury said: “Hopefully quite soon. I don’t know when, but it’s imminent.
“Hopefully we see it in the next few months or whatever. I am ready to rock and roll as always. I am looking forward to the challenge.
“You would have to ask all the promoters and lawyers about how far away we are and all of that.
“Like I always say time and time again, we are never in the ring until we are in the ring, and nothing is ever on until you see me walk into that ring.
“You never know, and saying you want to fight somebody and actually doing it is very different. We have seen these big fights not happen in the past many, many times.
“Usyk seems to be up for it and I can’t do any more. I just do what I do and hopefully we get the thing all sorted out.”
The Foreign Affairs Ministry has reported that a project that was initially estimated to cost the government GH1,435,728.99 was actually completed at GH7,967,886.57.
This is because the contractor fell ill and could not complete work on time.
International Development Resources was given the job of renovating the Adu Lodge Guest House on March 15, 2007.
However, according to Ambassador Ramses Joseph Cleland, the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, the project stalled a year later as a result of the contractor’s poor health.
When the Ministry testified before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Friday, January 20, 2023, they stated that the project had been revisited in March 2019 and had been re-valued at GH7,967,886.57 for the same contractor to complete at the consultant’s request.
According to the Auditor General’s report, 90% of the contract sum, or GH7,741,501.60, had already been paid as of June 2019.
After 13 years of delay, the project, according to the Ministry, has now been finished and delivered to the Ministry.
The committee questioned whether the provisions of the contract permitted for the failure of the contractor to complete the project on time to incur a cost to the state after being unsatisfied with the Ministry’s answer.
In response, the Ministry stated that nobody else save the estate officer, who wasn’t present at the committee meeting, could speak to that.
In order to allow the Public Accounts Committee to make a decision on the topic in its report, the committee has instructed the Ministry to provide them with the contract and all other required papers.
A teacher who was wrongfully imprisoned for defiling a student has recounted his ordeal.
According to Maxwell Benneh, the terrible incident happened while he was working as a teacher in Takoradi, in the Western Region.
He had only been attending the school for one month when he was dragged to the police station early one morning while preparing for the end-of-term exam.
His seven-month struggle reached a breaking point when it was learned at the police station that a defilement complaint had been lodged against him.
Maxwell Benneh claims that after entering a not guilty plea at trial, the matter dragged on for seven months with him in custody.
“A month into my arrival in the school, we were getting ready for exams so I had submitted the questions for the exam. I was in the office when two ladies and a guy came ordering me to get into a waiting taxi to the police station. When we got to the station, they told me I had defiled one of the students.
“It wasn’t true because I had just arrived at the school and didn’t know a lot about the children. This particular girl was in class five and I was handling primary 4. I knew her face but didn’t know her name. The story was sent to DOVVSU and we went to court. It happened in 2015. I was charged with defilement and I pleaded not guilty. The trial took seven months and I was on remand throughout the period. She claims I defiled her in the school’s urinal during extra class hours,” he narrated to Takoradi-based Connect FM.
Maxwell Benneh was sentenced to twenty imprisonment despite being innocent of the charges.
“The judgement came in July 2016 and the court handed me a 20-year sentence. I raised my hand and told the judge that it is not true but the judge said that I could appeal. I don’t know why the judge sentenced me. I was lucky to have the proceedings of the Circuit Court,” he said.
Six years into his 20-year jail term, he successfully appealed the sentence through private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu at the Sekondi High Court.
His application was upheld and he was released from prison. He is grateful to God and Martin Kpebu who he says trusted him to fight his case for him.
“I was in Nsawam for some time. There was a CID officer who was not happy with the whole thing. I had a lady friend and I told her to send my document to Martin Kpebu. I knew Kpebu from the media and I felt he was a good lawyer. I told him that I was innocent and wanted him to challenge the case. By the time I got to find Kpebu I had already spent six years. The High Court ruled that I was innocent and that I should have never been jailed,” he said.
He served a word of advice to all men and asked them to be careful with passing sexually suggestive remarks about the ladies in the form of jokes.
Hamilton defeated Ross County 5-3 in a penalty shootout to win the battle of the worst teams and go to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
At New Douglas Park, extra time failed to separate the two teams, necessitating penalties, which were won by the Championship underdogs.
With 120 minutes dominated by sloppy possession and squandered opportunities, the game displayed many hallmarks of being played between two clubs at the bottom of their respective leagues.
One change was made by Hamilton manager John Rankin from the team that defeated Morton the previous Saturday, with Chrissy McGinn replacing Daniel O’Reilly.
Premiership basement boys Ross County made four changes following their draw at Motherwell. Out went Alex Iacovitti, David Cancola, Jordan Tillson and Jordan White, replaced by Keith Watson, Nohan Kenneh, Kazeem Olaigbe and Jordy Hiwula.
It was the visitors who started the better and had a flurry of early chances, most of them created by their brightest spark Yan Dhanda, who orchestrated some neat moves for Ross County from the base of midfield.
Hiwula – who was handed his first start since November – should have given the Premiership side the lead after latching onto Dhanda’s teasing low cross but could only smash his effort straight at Ryan Fulton.
Owura Edwards blasted the ball over from close range before Hiwula spurned another brilliant opportunity after 16 minutes when he was on the end of an inch-perfect Dhanda corner and his misguided header went over the crossbar.
Ross County boss Malky McKay shuffled the pack at the break as his side tried to assert their dominance, with Victor Loturi replacing Kenneh.
The visitors continued to peg back the home side and went agonisingly close to opening the scoring as Ross Callachan nearly found the corner with a looping header, but it was scrambled off the line by Dylan McGowan.
Jordan White did not do much different from Dhanda’s dangerous deliveries as he headed over the crossbar from close range with his first touch of the ball, while Andy Ryan drew a smart stop from Ross Laidlaw as extra-time loomed.
William Akio came close to winning it for County, but his shot was saved by Fulton, before – up the other end – Dario Zanatta’s effort came crashing back off the post.
Jordan White, who was subject to a bid from St Johnstone this week, missed his spot-kick from 12 yards and that proved decisive as Ryan’s effort sent the Championship side into the fifth round.
Reports have it that funds paid to investors who bought cocoa bills at maturity on Thursday, January 19, 2023, have been taken out of their accounts without their permission.
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) introduced the bill and many people purchased the notes with the expectation that they would receive their money back on January 19, 2023, plus interest.
According to sources, the money was indeed transferred on Thursday, January 19, 2023, but it was then reversed on Friday, January 20, 2023.
It is alleged that pressure from impacted clients has been on the banks all day. The banks have cited a Bank of Ghana regulation for them to unilaterally roll over the bonds without first obtaining investor agreement
One of the affected investors shared his ordeal while speaking to the media.
“It is cocoa bill and matured yesterday [Thursday]. When it matured, the funds were deposited into the account and I decided to go to the bank today [Friday], when I went there today, the money had been taken out of the account,” he told JoyNews.
According to him, when he queried about the withdrawal, he was informed that “it is a directive that has come for all the funds to be automatically rolled over for the next six months.” “We were told that T-Bills were not going to be touched. If T-Bills were not going to be touched Cocoa bills were even safer because they are cocoa bonds instruments so I was just shocked,” he further narrated.
It is believed that COCOBOD has defaulted in payment and according to Honorary Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, this is “shocking capital market players.”
Former Finance Minister, Seth Terpker is of the assertion that COCOBOD defaulting its payment comes as no surprise since “ COCOBOD & other loans that should have been the responsibility of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) were added to the public debt.”
Former President of the Ghana Football Association(GFA), Lepowura MND Jawula, passed on over the weekend after battling a short illness.
According to sources, he was initially taken to the University of Ghana Medical Centre before being transported to the US last week for additional treatment, where he passed away.
In a Twitter post, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) expressed its sadness over the event and sympathised with the family and all who held Mr Jawula at heart. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him,” the GFA wrote.
Lepowura MND Jawula, a sports enthusiast, served as GFA Chairman from 1997 to 2001. It was under his watch that the Black Starlets lifted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1995.
Up until his demise, Mr Jawula led the Premier League Management Committee. He was also the Lepowura of the Kujolobito Gate in the Northern Region’s Lepo- Kpembe.
We’re saddened by the news of Lepowura MND Jawula’s death.
Alhaji was a Chairman of the GFA from 1997-2001.He also chaired the @MTNFACupGH & was Chairman of the @GhanaLeague Organizing Committee until his demise.
After a goalless draw at Crystal Palace extended their undefeated streak to 15 Premier League games, Newcastle moved up to third place in the standings.
The guests controlled the majority of the possession throughout the game, giving up 15 corners, but Wilfried Zaha’s injury in the second half dealt the hosts a setback.
Goalkeeper Nick Pope of the Magpies, who preserved his ninth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions, produced a spectacular leaping stop to deny substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta the opportunity to break the score.
Newcastle and Manchester United, who play the league’s top team, Arsenal, on Sunday, are now tied on 39 points.
Miguel Almiron received a cross from Joe Willock on the right side of the box, and he volleyed it goalward for the visitors’ first opportunity.
Vicente Guaita was ultimately forced to make a low stop by a crisp left-footed shot from Dan Burn, and the Magpies were back on the attack after referee Craig Pawson ruled Jeffrey Schlupp had the last touch in their struggle towards the right byline.
Despite failing to capitalize on Kieran Trippier’s ensuing corner, Newcastle continued to apply pressure as Fabian Schar flicked the ball to Joelinton, who sent a meek effort straight at Guaita from a distance of 10 yards.
Joelinton remained in the hunt for an opener and struck from close range, the ball appearing to take a deflection off Tyrick Mitchell’s arm, but a quick VAR check determined there was no handball.
The hosts survived another Newcastle set piece when Eberechi Eze was punished for bringing down Almiron on the right and the ball bounced off Schar before Guaita claimed it out of the air.
Palace could have taken the lead before half-time through Eze’s corner, which found Chris Richards in a good position in front of goal but the American – making his second start for Palace – could only nod over the crossbar.
Palace were unable to create any real chances after the break, while Newcastle could not find the finishing touch as Joelinton saw a right-footed effort blocked, Bruno Guimaraes directed a dangerous effort wide and Sven Botman missed a good opportunity to nod in an opener.
It was more bad news for the Eagles when talisman Zaha, making his 450th start, pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury forcing boss Patrick Vieira to bring on Michael Olise in the 65th minute.
It took a fine leaping save from Pope to avoid falling behind when the ball pinged around the area before landing at the feet of substitute Mateta, who unleashed an effort towards the top-left corner but watched the Magpies keeper tip away Palace’s best chance of the match.
The visitors continued to enjoy a considerable possession advantage through 80 minutes but were denied taking the lead by Guaita, who got his gloves on Alexander Isak’s header before blocking another from Schar.
Neither side was able to make anything of four minutes of added time, though 17-year-old substitute David Ozoh was still able to enjoy a milestone moment when he became the youngest player to play for Palace in the Premier League.
It was the second time the teams have drawn a blank, with a Carabao Cup clash going to penalties following a goalless stalemate.
The National Lottery Authority will receive assistance from Malta’s minister for foreign and European affairs as well as trade to help Ghana’s lottery industry become legally compliant.
Dr. Ian Borg stated that his nation will continue to assist the NLA in expanding the lottery sector in this region of the world.
These were made public when he paid the NLA an official visit as part of the Maltese Foreign Affairs Minister’s one-day official working tour to Ghana.
Speaking to the press, the Director-General of the National Lottery Authority, Sammy Awuku mentioned that the visit has a lot of relevance to the operations of the NLA.
He noted that it was the Maltese government that supported Ghana to start the lottery business in the country, therefore the visit by the Foreign Affairs Ministers means a lot to the two countries.
“It means a lot. First of all, they taught us how to even play this lottery and, again, they helped to establish the Department for National Lotteries that today we have the National Lottery Authority.
“Again, they have advanced in the area of this lottery and gaming industry; they’ve had inbuilt systems to ensure responsible gaming, and they’ve also been very strong in eliminating illegalities,” he is quoted to have said by MyJoyOnline.com.
“It was their countryman, William Francis Brennan, who started the business 60 years ago. It was the Maltese government that sent down Brennan, upon a request from the Ghanaian government headed by Doctor Kwame Nkrumah, paid all his allowances, and his salaries for the over 15 months that he was gifted to Ghana. Subsequently, Ghana then normalize their relationship and kept Brenham for almost nine years,” he revealed.
Sammy Awuku said the visit opens up a lot of areas for collaboration between the two countries, and they are looking forward to taking advantage of all the opportunities that will open up.
“So to have their Foreign Affairs Minister, who is their Chief Diplomat and in charge of European and trade affairs, to also pay a visit to the NLA deepens the cooperation that we have, and we’re looking forward to also assisting us to grow properly, and have the checks and balances needed as well,” he said.
As the government collaborates with the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ghana Airforce (Western Command) to repair some specialized aircraft, the fight against “galamsey” is becoming more intense.
These aircraft will be used for information gathering, surveillance, and area recognition.
The three aircraft were inspected by George Mireku Duker, the deputy land minister in charge of mines, on Friday at the Takoradi Airforce Base. He noted that they had not been in use since 2014.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines is funding the repairs, which are expected to cost €700,000 and take six months to complete.
“This is an effort we are making to clamp down on recalcitrant miners who are determined to destroy our industry. We want to streamline and regulate activities in the mining sector,” he said.
Mr Duker expressed the belief that repairing the aircraft was a cost-effective measure to facilitate the fight against “galamsey” as against procuring new drones and other equipment for mining surveillance.
Servicing the aircraft would see the replacement of crashes, hard drives, outdated software and engines, among other things.
Mr Duker commended the Chamber of Mines for its immeasurable and patriotic effort towards the fight against illegal mining and lauded the Ghana Armed Forces for its support.
A snow shower earlier this week gave Adwoa, Freda, and Richmond, who work at Kingsbridge Private Hospital on Belfast’s Lisburn Road, a taste of what winter is really like.
The Ghanaian nurses danced amid the snowflakes with their eyes closed, dazzling smiles on their cheeks, and had as much fun as children.
The trio hurried outside during their break to feel the snow on their skin without even putting on coats in their eagerness to be outside and experience the white stuff.
Photo credit: Belfast Telegraph
The nurses who all work at Kingsbridge’s new Diagnostic and Treatment Centre at the old King’s Hall Building, said they were delighted to see snow for the first time.
Adwoa Aninkora, 26, who has been in Northern Ireland since October 2022 said: “It was beautiful. When you haven’t seen something before it is quite intriguing.
“We missed the first session of snow that day, so when we heard it was snowing again we wanted to see what it was like, so we just ran out in our scrubs.
“I have seen snow in movies, but it was so interesting to touch it.”
Northern Ireland’s weather is, of course, very different to that of Ghana, which enjoys a tropical climate.
“Back home we usually have the sun out most of the time – it rains, yes, but usually we are warm,” said Adwoa.
“In Northern Ireland it rains a lot. It is usually windy and cold, so it was a bit of a change coming from a tropical country, but you get used to it. I have bought a lot of jackets.”
Adwoa said she had sent the pictures of herself and her colleagues in the snow to her father back in Ghana.
“I sent a post to my dad. He’s been in Northern Ireland before, but being his daughter he was happy for me to experience snow.”
Leandro Trossard will make his debut for Arsenal against Manchester United on Sunday, and manager Mikel Arteta is optimistic about the Belgian’s ability to “immediately impact” the match.
Trossard completed a rumoured £27 million transfer from Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday and signed a long-term contract at Emirates Stadium that is likely to last until 2027.
The 28-year-old Belgian international was eager to leave Brighton after an argument with manager Roberto De Zerbi, who took the winger out of the team earlier this month and criticized his attitude.
After missing out on their top target, Mykhaylo Mudryk, last week and having him sign with Chelsea, Arsenal moved quickly to sign Trossard.
While Gunners fans had been eager for Mudryk to join, there is a perception Trossard represents less risky business given his Premier League experience and that he cost roughly a third of what Chelsea paid to Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arteta expects Trossard to adapt quickly, and confirmed he is in line to face Manchester United on Sunday, with the north Londoners hoping to open an 11-point gap between themselves and Erik ten Hag’s men in third.
“Well, he trained today [Friday], so hopefully he will be [available on Sunday]. Yes. I think [all the paperwork is done], I think he’s good to go,” Arteta told reporters.
“He’s a player we followed for a while now. The opportunity came, we have the necessity, obviously, to have a player in the frontline that is versatile enough to play in different positions.
“He knows the league, has enough experience here, and I think he can have an immediate impact in the team.
“In the summer we were looking for a player in that position and we were unable to do it. It’s something this squad needed, obviously with the injuries of Gabby [Gabriel Jesus] and Reiss [Nelson].
“We are really short in the front line and we needed reinforcements, and we found in Leandro a player who fits everything we want.”
The signing of Trossard, given his age, marks a departure from Arsenal’s recent transfer policy of focusing on young players.
However, with Arsenal leading the Premier League and hoping to win their first title since 2004, Arteta emphasised how crucial he felt it was to bring in a player who would be able to give them what they need straight away.
“Very important, we have to think short term but also medium and long term, and I think he gives all that,” Arteta said.
“He’s a very intelligent player. When you look at his career, what he’s done in the last few years, he’s a player who fits our way of playing, for sure, and we are happy to have him.”
Trossard will have found a familiar face in the Arsenal changing room, with Arteta’s assistant Albert Stuivenberg formerly the player’s coach at Genk.
The Dutchman was able to provide a glowing reference of Trossard’s character, even if De Zerbi’s recent criticism of his attitude might have caused concern among fans.
“Albert gave me a really, really good reference, but not for now, for a few years [ago],” Arteta said.
“We talk about everything that is connected, about players we know we want to recruit because character is something crucial, but as well to understand how they are, how they behave, whether they can accept the role they’re going to have at the club with us, and then personal conversations. Obviously they are very important as well.”
The former striker, who is the only African to have ever won the coveted Ballon d’Or, given to football’s finest player in the world, said he voiced his “fullest and powerful” support for the country that advanced to the Qatar 2022 World Cup semifinal.
BBC Sport Africa is aware of Weah conveyed his support in private during the MEDays international peace event, which was held in Tangier, Morocco, in November.
“Liberia fully endorses and supports Morocco’s bid to host Afcon 2025. I have made this commitment to King Mohamed VI. It is cast in stone,” Weah said in a statement released by Liberia’s state house following media reports he was ready to back Algeria’s bid.
Weah cited Morocco’s investment in football development and said he has already begun campaigning for the bid with stakeholders around the continent.
The 56-year-old, who played for clubs including Monaco, AC Milan and Chelsea during an 18-year career, also spoke of Morocco bringing immense pride to Africa during the World Cup.
Algeria, South Africa, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin-Nigeria are the other nations seeking to replace Guinea, who were stripped of hosting rights because of concerns over infrastructure and facilities.
Confederation of African Football (Caf) inspection teams are touring the bidding countries this month.
Findings will be submitted to the 24-member Caf executive committee which will announce the winner on 10 February.
Burnley, who are now leading the Championship league, made an offer for star striker Antoine Semenyo, according to Bristol City coach Nigel Pearson.
A number of teams are keeping an eye on Antoine Semenyo of Bristol City as the January transfer window is about to close.
Burnley expressed interest in Semenyo earlier this month, and Vincent Kompany’s need for another striker pushed them to submit a proposal earlier in the transfer window; however, their offer was also rejected.
In his last four games, Semenyo has contributed to one goal and three goals for the Robins.
“We’ve received offers of a fashion from Bournemouth and Burnley too. And there is speculation about other clubs. It can be potentially very unsettling for players and that’s why I very much believe in being as frank and open as possible,” Pearson said.
“Antoine is a young man who’s had a pretty good couple of years now, on a personal level in terms of breaking into the side and showing not just potential but his ability to perform at a very good level. The one thing he’s working harder to do now is scoring more goals and, like many forwards, he’ll go through spells of achieving that but even when he’s not doing that he’s still a real handful,”
“We know we’ve got a talent in Antoine at the club but we need to protect our interests as a football club and if we get to a point where a deal is accepted that it’s done in the right way. Until that point, Antoine is our player,”
“What I would say about him is he’s a really honest player, honest person and he’s dealing with it as well as he can but speculation can be unsettling.”
When Liverpool plays Chelsea on Saturday, Jurgen Klopp will have managed 1,000 games as a head coach and manager. It’s been quite the journey.
Klopp has accomplished more than anyone anticipated of a man whose playing career was clearly humble, from a relegation struggle with Mainz in the German second division to the heights of Champions League triumph with Liverpool.
Although it would be a stretch to say the indications were present from day one, they were unquestionably present by day two.
One day later, Klopp made his debut as a coach in the second tier of the Bundesliga. He had been a player in the team until that point, but this marked the beginning of a new chapter.
Club president Harald Strutz, quoted in the Rheinische Post at the time, voiced the suggestion the interim boss could stake a claim for the full-time job.
“Maybe that will be a permanent solution,” Strutz said, presciently.
Midfielder Christof Babatz, who would be a significant figure in Mainz’s rise to the Bundesliga under Klopp, then said after the first game resulted in a 1-0 win over Duisburg: “The coach teased that certain something out of us.”
And so began the story of Klopp’s touchline career, one centred on teasing out the very best from the talent at his disposal, nurturing prospects into polished performers, and tallying trophies along the way. From Mainz, to Borussia Dortmund, and eventually to Liverpool, Klopp has delivered on that initial leap of faith.
There have been league titles, cup triumphs and big European final nights with Liverpool and Dortmund, plus promotion and even a relegation during his formative Mainz days.
Here, Stats Perform looks at those first 999 games, as Opta data shows some essential numbers behind one of the 21st century’s great coaching careers.
Pep, Howe, Hecking and Magath – Klopp’s rivalries
Klopp has faced Pep Guardiola more than any other rival manager, going head-to-head with the Catalan 27 times across their careers.
There have been notable defeats along the way, including the 2014 DFB-Pokal final, when Klopp’s Dortmund went down 2-0 to Guardiola’s Bayern, and the 5-0 and 4-0 thrashings meted out by Manchester City to Liverpool in September 2017 and July 2020, both of which rank among the top nine heaviest defeats Klopp has had to stomach.
However, Klopp has the overall upper hand across their meetings, winning 11, drawing seven and losing nine of those games.
He has faced only one other boss more than 20 times: German Dieter Hecking, against whom Klopp pitted his wits 21 times, winning 11, drawing five and losing five. Hecking bossed Lubeck, Alemannia Aachen, Hannover, Nurnberg and Wolfsburg during Klopp’s time in the German leagues.
Klopp certainly has a happy record against Newcastle United’s former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, achieving 11 wins from their 13 meetings.
This shows the most wins Klopp has had against any boss is 11, against Guardiola, Hecking and Howe, while it can be revealed the team he has beaten the most are Freiburg (13 times), followed by Crystal Palace, Nurnberg and Arsenal (all 12).
His real nemesis appears to have been Felix Magath, the former Stuttgart, Bayern, Wolfsburg and Schalke coach. In 14 games against Magath teams, Klopp won only three times, losing eight.
Bayern have had the most wins against Klopp, with 16. No other team have reached double figures, with Hamburg, Schalke and Wolfsburg (all nine) next on the list.
The milestones, the biggest and the best… and the games he’d rather forget
Klopp won that first match of his career against Duisburg, and to date he has never lost on each 100th game on his way towards 1,000 as a boss.
There have been wins against the way against Bochum (200th game), Werder Bremen (300th), his old club Mainz (400th), Freiburg (500th) and Southampton (600th), and draws on his 700th, 800th and 900th games, against Newcastle, Chelsea and Real Madrid, respectively. Klopp’s 100th game was also a draw, against Unterhaching with Mainz.
His biggest win was the 9-0 trouncing that Liverpool dished out to Bournemouth in August of this season, and his Liverpool team have also hit seven in a game five times (Maribor, Spartak Moscow, Crystal Palace, Lincoln City and Rangers), while his biggest win as a boss in Germany was Dortmund’s 6-0 crushing of Arminia Bielefeld in May 2009.
Klopp has suffered four defeats by five-goal margins, the worst he has had to endure, with Aston Villa inflicting two of those: 7-2 in October 2020 and 5-0 in December 2019 – albeit the latter with Klopp and his frontline Liverpool stars out of the country on Club World Cup duty. There was also a 6-1 torching for Mainz at the hands of Werder Bremen in October 2006, and Liverpool’s 5-0 whipping by Guardiola’s City.
When it comes to promoting young talent, Klopp has rarely hesitated. His youngest player was Harvey Elliott, now a first-team squad regular at Liverpool, who faced MK Dons in the EFL Cup at the age of 16 years and 174 days in September 2019.
Klopp has fielded five 16-year-olds for Liverpool, plus seven 17-year-olds, while he also gave chances to the 17-year-old Mario Gotze at Dortmund, and Mario Vrancic, also 17, during his time at Mainz. Gotze went on to become a World Cup final match-winner.
His oldest player was Peter Neustadter, a Kazakh defender who was older than Klopp himself, aged 37 years and 176 days, when he turned out for Mainz against Alemannia Aachen in the Bundesliga’s second tier in August 2003.
Warhorse midfielder James Milner could yet break that record as the oldest Liverpool player to have appeared for Klopp, aged 37 years and 13 days when he played in the recent FA Cup replay win against Wolves this week.
James Woodburn remains the youngest scorer for Klopp after hitting the net against Leeds in an EFL Cup clash in November 2016 at the age of 17 years and 45 days, while Sebastian Kehl ranks as his oldest scorer – 35 years and 53 days old when he bagged for Dortmund against Hoffenheim in a DFB-Pokal quarter-final in April 2015.
Dani Alves’ contract with Pumas UNAM has been canceled after the former Barcelona defender was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual assault.
After it was claimed that Alves had sexually assaulted a woman in a nightclub restroom, he was taken into custody in Barcelona on Friday.
The 39-year-old, who played against Cameroon in Qatar last month and became the oldest player to appear for Brazil in a World Cup game, has denied attacking the woman.
Alves, who has also played for Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain, reportedly spoke with the Mossos d’Esquadra police force before the public prosecutor’s office asked that he be held and not granted bail.
Spanish news agency EFE reported how that application, plus a private prosecution brought by the woman who made the allegation, would be put to the investigating judge to determine whether Alves is kept in prison while investigations continue.
Subsequently, Pumas confirmed on Friday, via a short statement on their website and a media briefing from club president Leopoldo Silva, that they had terminated Alves’ contract.
Alves joined Mexican side Pumas in 2022 after his second spell at Barca came to an end.
In an effort to secure a significant victory for Everton that would lessen the burden on his position, Frank Lampard declared that he had “given it everything” there.
In a crucial matchup at the bottom of the Premier League on Saturday, Everton will take on West Ham, another struggling team led by former longtime Toffees manager David Moyes, with both teams tied on 15 points.
Everton, who has dropped seven of its last ten games in all competitions and hasn’t won since October, may move up a spot with a victory.
However, Southampton would enter a two-week break atop the table if they lost at the London Stadium and Aston Villa avoided a loss.
Farhad Moshiri, the owner of Everton, has supported Lampard, but he and the club’s board are coming under further scrutiny.
The Chelsea legend is not searching for an explanation as to why the Toffees haven’t bought a player in January despite their manager’s acknowledgement that they want to strengthen their lineup.
“That’s a tough one. I’ve absolutely given it everything that I can and it’s not one for me to analyse all the circumstances,” Lampard told reporters when he was asked if he would feel he had been able to fulfil the role to the best of his ability should he be sacked.
Asked if he felt Everton’s issues with recruitment were restricting him, Lampard added: “I can’t answer that question and I don’t want to answer in a way.
“I’ve been given an opportunity to work at a great club. I had one of the most amazing nights of my footballing career against Crystal Palace [last season], learned a lot about myself, about coaching, about living in this area.
“I’ve got my own opinions on those things obviously but I also had an understanding of what the job was, the size of the club, all the positive things and then some things that were maybe going to be taxing.
“Some things I can’t control on that front so I just work. Part of the responsibility of the job is to keep certain things private and keep working out of respect.”
Everton are reportedly close to signing forward Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal, and Lampard reiterated he hopes to add fresh faces to his squad.
“You want to help the squad and that [new players] would help me as a coach, no doubt,” he said. “None of us, as coaches, are geniuses.
“Some are probably closer to being geniuses than others but we are not absolute geniuses. And recruitment to get players is generally what will help you have relative success.
“Until that point, there is a responsibility to work with what you have got. There is also my own capacity – can I get better? Can they get better? We have to focus on what we have got here.”
Everton’s loss to Southampton last week was further marred by the fact that the club’s four-person board did not attend the game due to safety concerns.
It was subsequently claimed, through club sources, that chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale had been manhandled after a 4-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on January 3.
Merseyside Police confirmed no complaints had been filed by the club but they were working with Everton to ensure any threats were dealt with.
On Friday, the HerGameToo campaign announced they had been in contact with Everton over fears of the safety of female fans at Goodison Park.
A statement from the campaign confirmed Everton had provided reassurances that “robust procedures and reporting processes” were in place.
Juventus has stated that they will appeal their 15-point deduction because they feel it is “a clear injustice towards millions of fans.”
An examination into the 36-time Italian champions’ prior transfer dealings led to the sanction, which was officially announced by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on Friday.
With 20 games remaining, Juventus has dropped from third place in Serie A to tenth place and is 12 points outside of the Champions League spots.
The FIGC also imposed two-year suspensions from Italian football on the club’s former president Andrea Agnelli and former CEO Maurizio Arrivabene.
Former sporting director Fabio Paratici, who is now at Tottenham, has been given a 30-month ban.
A statement by the club’s lawyers read: “Today’s acceptance of the appeal for revocation by the Federal Court of Appeal seems to us to constitute a clear unequal treatment to the detriment of Juventus and its managers compared to any other club or registered player.
“We are waiting to carefully read the reasons for presenting the appeal before the Sports Guarantee College. However, we point out, as of now, that only Juventus and its managers are attributed the violation of a rule, which the sports justice itself had repeatedly recognised did not exist.
“We believe that this is a clear injustice also towards millions of fans, which we trust will soon be remedied in the next level of judgement.”
Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office had been seeking a nine-point deduction following a hearing earlier on Friday.
But the FIGC announced a harsher punishment after Juve were found to have used transfers to artificially boost their balance sheet.
The sanctions come on the back of chairman Agnelli and the rest of the Bianconeri’s board resigning en masse last year.
That came in the wake of an investigation being launched into financial violations during their time in charge.
A separate ruling made last year acquitted Juve and other clubs of their financial conduct within Serie A, with a case centred on player values in exchanges and transfers.
But football prosecutors reopened the case against Juve after seeking new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding the club’s conduct.
In the result of a probe into the team’s prior transfer activities, Juventus has been docked 15 points.
Fabio Paratici, an ex-director of Juventus who is currently at Tottenham, received a two-and-a-half-year suspension from Italian football, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced on Friday.
The ban for Paratici includes a request for an extension to encompass UEFA and FIFA activities, which could have significant repercussions for Premier League team Spurs.
Andrea Agnelli, a former Juve executive, has also been barred from holding any positions in Italian football for the subsequent two years.
It has been widely reported the decision is likely to be appealed by Juve.
The Bianconeri had been third in Serie A, but have now dropped to 10th – 12 points off the Champions League places – as a result of the punishment.
Turin Public Prosecutor’s Office had been seeking a nine-point deduction following a hearing earlier on Friday.
But the FIGC went with a harsher punishment after Juve were found to have used transfers to artificially boost their balance sheet.
The sanction comes on the back of chairman Agnelli, vice-president Pavel Nedved and the rest of the Bianconeri’s board resigning en-masse last year.
That came in the wake of an investigation being launched into financial violations during their time in charge.
A separate ruling made last year acquitted Juve and other clubs of their financial conduct within Serie A, with a case centred on player values in exchanges and transfers.
But football prosecutors reopened the case against Juve after seeking new documents collected by public prosecutors in Turin surrounding the club’s conduct.
Juve have denied any wrongdoing, while lawyers claimed prosecutors had not brought enough in to reach the adequate threshold for a new ruling.
The 36-time Italian champions are next in action on Sunday at home to Atalanta, in what was set to be a potentially crucial clash in the race for Champions League qualification.
Chris Wood, a striker for Newcastle United, has signed a loan agreement with Nottingham Forest that will turn into a permanent one at the end of the current season.
Wood didn’t join Newcastle until January 2022, moving for £25 million from then-relegation rivals Burnley.
Burnley were ultimately relegated, but Eddie Howehelped Newcastle easily stay up, and a year later, they are still very much in the running for Champions League qualifying.
But whereas Wood started 15 of his 17 Premier League games for the Magpies the previous season, he has only made four starts in his 18 appearances this year, totaling just 437 minutes.
The New Zealand international had scored just four goals in 35 games, placing him behind the recovered Callum Wilson and the club-record signing Alexander Isak.
Instead, he will spend at least the rest of the current campaign with Forest, who hired Wood after learning of Taiwo Awoniyi’s injury in an effort to maintain their Premier League status for the upcoming year.
The agreement contains “a conditional obligation to become a permanent deal”, Forest confirmed, with reports suggesting the achievable criteria of those conditions will lead to a £15m move.
We are delighted to announce the signing of New Zealand international Chris Wood! 🤩#WoodForTheTrees🌳 | #NFFC
Wood was no longer a starter at St James’ Park, but only Jacob Murphy (36) had made more Premier League appearances for Newcastle since his arrival from Burnley, and Howe wants a replacement for the 31-year-old forward.
Ahead of the transfer on Friday, Howe said: “Hopefully, we’re planning to replace him.
“Certainly, from my side, there was no thought of letting a player go and not replacing [them]. I think that would leave us dangerously short of players.”
Howe acknowledged the club were now in a “difficult situation” in the transfer market but recognised Wood’s departure represented “a very good deal financially”.
Mykhaylo Mudryk will probably play his first Premier League game for Chelsea against Liverpool on Saturday, according to Graham Potter.
In the race to get the Ukraine international, the Blues outspent London rivals Arsenal by spending an estimated £89 million (€100 million).
How Potter will integrate Mudryk into a top-heavy team at Stamford Bridge, where he joins players like Kai Havertz, Joao Felix, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, has been a subject of discussion.
While that is uncertain, Chelsea supporters will get to see Mudryk play for the first time at Anfield after Potter announced he will make his debut there.
“He is a young and exciting player. We have to help him adapt to us and the Premier League. He hasn’t played so much football recently but has been training well, so we will have to assess him,” Potter said.
“There’s a chance [he could make his debut]. There is probably a role for him at some stage in the game.
“We’ve got to help him and everybody [must] understand that he is coming from a different country and league and has to adapt.
“He is a young player who has a lot of potential and at the same time he has had good experiences already and he is an exciting player.
“He’s trained very well and is very happy to be here. He is looking forward to his career here and is excited to get started.”
Chelsea’s work in the transfer market is seemingly not yet complete, with PSV winger Noni Madueke closing in on a move to west London, while Brighton and Hove Albion reportedly rejected a £55m bid from the Blues for midfielder Moises Caicedo.
Although it may seem there is no end in sight for Chelsea’s spending under Todd Boehly, Potter does not anticipate an influx of new additions at the backend of the mid-season transfer window.
“I don’t think there’ll be too many to be honest. I’ve no complaints about the squad. January is very complex. You might want A, B and C, but they are not available in terms of positional need,” he added.
“You are always looking to strengthen your squad and we have done that. When players come back, we have an exciting squad of players.
“You’ve got to analyse the squad and analyse where it’s at. Sometimes it is adding and sometimes it’s moving out players. That is on a case-by-case basis and we’ll look at it as and when.”
Leandro Trossard has officially been acquired by Arsenal from Brighton & Hove Albion for a reputed £27 million.
The international player from Belgium has signed a long-term contract with Emirates Stadium that is anticipated to expire in July 2027.
The announcement was announced by Premier League leaders Arsenal on their official website on Friday, and the versatile midfielder is now available to play this weekend against Manchester United.
“It is good work from everyone at the club to complete the signing of Leandro,” Mikel Arteta said.
“He is a versatile player with high technical ability, intelligence and a great deal of experience in the Premier League and at international level.
“Leandro strengthens our squad as we head into the second part of the season and we’re all looking forward to working with him.”
Mykhaylo Mudryk was previously thought to be Arsenal’s main target as they made no secret of their desire to add attacking reinforcements this month.
Although Mudryk seemed keen to move to north London, Chelsea beat them to the signing of the Ukrainian international last week.
Shakhtar Donetsk said that Arsenal matched the reported £89 million (€100 million) offer from Chelsea in terms of money, but they believed the conditions and bonuses in the Blues’ offer were more reasonable.
Trossard, though, may be seen by some to be a less risky signing and to offer better value.
At the Amex Stadium, Trossard has developed into a top-tier winger who provides both a goalscoring threat and creative ability. It is said that Arsenal has been interested in Trossard ever since he joined Brighton from Genk in 2019.
Only seven players have produced more than 65 opportunities in open play and at least 14 Premier League goals (excluding penalties) since the start of the previous campaign: Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Bruno Fernandes.
Tottenham, Arsenal’s rivals in north London, were also said to be interested, while recent sources said a £12 million offer from Spurs was “laughed off.”
After a disagreement with the team’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who took the winger out of the lineup earlier this month due to his attitude, Trossard was eager to leave Brighton.
Memphis Depay has finalized his transfer from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid.
The international player from the Netherlands, who was permitted to train with Atletico on Thursday, has agreed to a two-and-a-half-year contract at the Civitas Metropolitano.
A player whose contract was set to expire in July will now receive an upfront payment from Atletico of €3 million, with the possibility of an increase to €4 million.
Prior to the 2021–22 season, Depay moved to Barcelona on a free transfer from Lyon. He reunited with former Oranje player Ronald Koeman at the club, although Koeman was fired by the Blaugrana at the end of October 2021.
Xavi was hired a week later and never appeared to have quite the same trust in Depay.
His first 11 LaLiga appearances were all as a starter, but after Xavi’s appointment only nine of his next 17 top-flight outings came from the start.
Depay was hampered by the January 2022 arrivals of Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore.
🇳🇱 Memphis is a new Red & White player! 🔴⚪
🖊 The Dutch international has signed with our club for the remainder of the season and 2 more campaigns.
The addition of Raphinha in the preseason increased competition for positions even though the latter two have since left.
Depay has only played twice in LaLiga this year and hasn’t played since September.
However, Depay is a crucial signing for Atletico.
Joao Felix went on loan to Chelsea, and Matheus Cunha signed a temporary contract with Wolves that, according to reports, has already met the requirements to become a permanent one.
Despite winning neither of their past two games, Atletico are fourth in LaLiga, ahead of Villarreal and Real Betis on goal difference.
Depay could make his debut when Atletico host Real Valladolid on Saturday.
For the second consecutive year, Manchester City has won the Deloitte Football Money League, with 11 of the world’s 20 highest-earning clubs hailing from the Premier League.
The ranking, which evaluates the top-performing football clubs in terms of revenue every year, saw reigning English champions City become just the fourth club to ever come in first place last year.
In the 2021–22 season, the first one in which coronavirus restrictions were relaxed and supporters started to return to stadiums, City continued to be the team with the highest income generation in the world.
They earned £619.1 million (€731 million) over that time period to finish ahead of LaLiga’s Real Madrid (€713.8 million), while Liverpool advanced from seventh to third after earning £594.3 million (€701.7 million).
Fellow English clubs Manchester United (fourth), Chelsea (eighth), Tottenham (ninth) and Arsenal (10th) also make the top 10, with West Ham (15th), Leicester City (17th), Leeds United (18th), Everton (19th) and Newcastle United (20th) in the top 20.
It marks the first time in the report’s 26 years that a single country has provided more than half of the rich list.
“The Premier League was the only one of the big five European leagues to experience an increase in its media rights value during its most recent rights sale process,” said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group.
“It continues to appeal to millions of global followers and its member clubs have a greater revenue advantage over international rivals.”
Paris Saint-Germain (fifth), Bayern Munich (sixth), Barcelona (seventh), Juventus (11th), Atletico Madrid (12th), Borussia Dortmund (13th), Inter (14th) and Milan (16th) make up the rest of the top 20.
In the women’s game, Barcelona generated the highest revenue (€7.7m) after winning the Champions League in 2021 and reaching the final last year.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Oforikrom Constituency, Dr Emmanuel Marfo, has advised Gabby Otchere-Darko to be cautious in his analysis and interpretation of government’s policy on the economy while engaging the public.
Dr Emmanuel Marfo noted that the founder of the Danquah Institute, who is also a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), is painting a picture which indicates his unofficial involvement in the running of the economy.
Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko, who has actively been commenting on issues pertaining to the economy in recent times, has called on individual holders, who are presently contesting the government’s decision to include their investment in its Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme, to give into the government’s plan.
(1) Ghana is in a very difficult place. What we are seeing with the mobilisation of agitation on individual bondholders poses a real and serious risk worse than what we witnessed when opposition to E-Levy succeeded in derailing an already shaky macroeconomic situation from 2021.
“Ghana is in a very difficult place. What we are seeing with the mobilisation of agitation on individual bondholders poses a real and serious risk worse than what we witnessed when opposition to E-Levy succeeded in derailing an already shaky macroeconomic situation from 2021”, he tweeted on Sunday.
He further noted that Ghana would not be able to procure a credit facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should government fail to implement its debt restructuring programme.
“The debt exchange programme is voluntary for individual bondholders but a very necessary evil for our economy. Its success is critical to restoring macroeconomic stability, securing an IMF prog. It hits those of us holding bonds very hard. A straight no to it is no solution!”, portions of the tweet further stated.
(2) The debt exchange programme is voluntary for individual bondholders but a very necessary evil for our economy. Its success is critical to restoring macroeconomic stability, securing an IMF prog. It hits those of us holding bonds very hard. A straight no to it is no solution!
He added that the value of bonds by individual bondholders who refuse to subscribe to the DDE programme would be “potentially worthless.”
(4) I'm sorry but we have to face the hard/painful truths. We ain't sitting pretty. Our focus must be on how the burden to individual bondholders may be possibly eased; but not to take the hardline position of simply saying no to particpation. It will come back to hit us harder!
According to Dr Marfo, Mr Otchere-Darko’s remarks, either accurate or incorrect, “do more harm than good.”
“Can someone advise Gabby to know his labelled niche in this administration and to be circumspect in his commentary on government policy on the economy. They do more harm than good. It’s not about whether he is right or wrong, it’s about his perceived backdoor involvement in the crisis. He better keep mute; it helps the NPP!” the MP wrote.
This is not the first time Mr Otchere-Darko has relayed striking information on the status of some government policies that have a huge impact on the economy.
In June 2022, he disclosed that the government had been unable to reach its revenue target with regards to the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-levy) implemented in May that year by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
“What options are open to the government? The question should rather be: what option, if adopted, will re-inject investor confidence in our economy? Even if we find the $3-5 billion required, will that help? E-levy which was to have given us some 600m by now has done less than 60m,” he said in a tweet on Monday, June 27.
As part of its functions, the Ministry of Finance is to establish and disseminate performance-oriented guidelines and deploy efficient financial management information systems, as well as ensure commitment to transparency, probity and accountability in the management of financial resources.
Following the rejection of Arsenal’s appeal regarding an incident during their FA Cup victory over Oxford United, a £40,000 fine must be paid.
Eddie Nketiah scored twice as Mikel Arteta’s team defeated the opposition 3-0 earlier this month to advance to the fourth round.
However, the Football Association (FA) later reprimanded Arsenal for failing to control their players after they surrounded referee David Coote in the first half to demand a penalty.
Arsenal filed an appeal against the accusation, but it was denied, thus the club will now be required to pay the fine.
“Arsenal FC has been fined £40,000 after its players surrounded a match official during the FA Cup tie against Oxford United FC on Monday 9 January 2023,” read a statement from the FA.
“Arsenal FC denied an allegation from the FA that the club had failed to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the 34th minute, and the club also requested a hearing.
“An Independent Regulatory Commission subsequently upheld the allegation and imposed the club’s fine.
“Its written reasons for these decisions will be published in due course.”
Following a fine for their behavior against Newcastle United in a Premier League match, Arsenal has now been charged with two financial penalties in January.
When a no-penalty call was made by the authorities in the dying minutes of a 0-0 draw, the Gunners were also given a warning for losing control of their players.
Even though they competed against one another in the World Cup final in Qatar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are both included in FIFA 23’s Team of the Year.
It was Messi’s Argentina who won the World Cup for a third time with a penalty shootout victory following a 3-3 tie after extra time, despite Mbappe’s hat-trick in the championship game.
The FIFA 23 Team of the Year, which was chosen from more than 10 million fan votes, includes both of the Paris Saint-Germain teammates.
Despite Argentina’s World Cup win, Messi is the only player from Lionel Scaloni’s team to be included, with Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema completing the front three after scoring 44 goals in 46 matches in the 2021-22 season to help Real Madrid to a LaLiga title and Champions League win.
Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund and Kevin De Bruyne, who placed third in the Ballon d’Or rankings, are also in the midfield. Bellingham, who is just 19 years old, was instrumental in helping England win the World Cup.
At the back, the Madrid motif that permeates the lineup is continued with Thibaut Courtois between the posts and Eder Militao at the center of the defense.
While Theo Hernandez and Achraf Hakimi, who had outstanding World Cups with France and Morocco, respectively, fill the full-back positions, Virgil van Dijk joins Militao.
With a spectacular comeback and a 4-2 victory over Tottenham, Riyad Mahrez scored twice to give Manchester City new life.
Spurs scored twice through Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal in the final seconds of the first half as a result of blunders by Ederson at the Etihad Stadium, shocking the Premier League winners.
Pep Guardiola’s team rallied after the break despite the fact that they were eight points behind league leaders Arsenal and had played one more game.
Erling Haaland scored his first goal in four games to put the score even before the decisive Mahrez scored again to seal the victory. Julian Alvarez had previously pulled one goal back.
The comeback kept City from suffering their third straight loss across all competitions, and Arsenal will likely regret their opponents’ failure to inflict further damage on the champions as a result.
In response to recent issues with City, particularly Saturday’s derby loss to Manchester United, manager Guardiola changed his lineup.
Kevin De Bruyne was unexpectedly added to the roster of substitutes, and World Cup champion Alvarez was given the opportunity to start with Haaland.
Without De Bruyne, City did lack dynamism but such was the control they exerted in the first half that it was remarkable they ended it 2-0 down.
Mahrez fired a free-kick into the wall, Ilkay Gundogan curled a shot just wide and Alvarez had an effort blocked. Rodri was also shut down on the edge of the area and Hugo Lloris saved well from a deflected shot from impressive youngster Rico Lewis.
City hardly had time to regroup before they conceded again, Ederson again culpable as he palmed a Kane cross towards Emerson, who simply headed back into the goal.
City were booed by a small section of fans as they headed for the dressing room but their response was remarkable.
Mahrez took control of affairs and, after his cross into the box resulted in a goalmouth scramble, Alvarez lifted the ball into the roof of the net to reduce the deficit six minutes after the restart.
Mahrez was again involved as City equalised two minutes later. This time the Algeria winger headed across goal to tee up Haaland’s 28th goal of the season from close range.
Spurs tried to respond and were unlucky when an Ivan Perisic shot was deflected onto the post by Lewis but they generally struggled to contain City.
They were undone by Mahrez again when he turned Perisic and raced into the area to drive a low shot through the legs of Lloris and put City ahead.
Spurs pushed but could not get back into the game and Mahrez wrapped up the points late on after seizing on an error by Clement Lenglet and clipping home.
The Debt Exchange Programme, according to the Christian Council of Ghana, will affect church members’ tithes and offerings.
The General Secretary of the Council claims that the programme will present financial difficulties for their adherents.
Thus, the Council’s request for the government to halt the implementation of the aforementioned scheme was reinforced by Reverend Dr. Cyril Fayose in an interview with Blessed Sogah on JoyNews on Thursday.
Responding to whether the policy will affect collections or not, he said, “Definitely. If members cannot get their coupons [and] cannot make ends meet, it will affect the tithing and also the offering.
“So it’s important that we fight for them, so that we also get our share of the tithe”.
The statement added that a thorough engagement with stakeholders would help government to appreciate the concerns of the affected individuals and institutions to allow for measures to be outlined to address the challenges.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has set up a technical committee to further engage individual bondholders on their inclusion in the debt exchange programme.
This follows a closed-door meeting with leaders of the Individual Bondholders Forum on Wednesday to facilitate engagement on the programme.
During the meeting on Wednesday, the Minister said the programme is a voluntary exercise.
Mr Ofori-Atta said government anticipates an 80% per cent success rate.
He noted that the percentage will be enough to keep the economy stable.
Despite their stunning Premier League loss to Manchester City, Tottenham is “going in the right direction,” but Antonio Conte admits they are “not ready” yet.
Spurs led the champions by two goals at the break of their match on Thursday, only to suddenly surrender in a dismal second half performance and lose 4-2.
They have only managed one victory in their last five league contests, which has caused the team to fall outside of the top four and the title race.
Conte believes Tottenham’s deficiencies are highlighted by their loss to City, but the Italian is adamant that improvement is also being shown despite the setbacks.
“In this moment, we are not ready to fight for important achievements,” he said. “There are other teams more ready than us.
“We are working hard and going in the right direction. In one or two years, we will win this type of games. If I have to compare this game with last season, we played much better today.
“The performance was good. We played with personality, we created problems for City. Today, we were really brave, but compared to last season, we are conceding too many goals.
“You have to try to justify the goals that we are conceding. This is a period we are not so lucky in. [But] you don’t buy experience. We have to build [it] year by year.”
Ahead of his side’s game with Chelsea, Conte acknowledged he was taking stock of his career following the deaths of several close friends and colleagues in recent months.
The passing of Gian Piero Ventrone, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Gianluca Vialli has affected the Italian, but speaking after the full-time whistle, he insisted he remains focused on the task at hand with Spurs.
“I think that we have to try to understand that we are talking about two different situations,” he added. “This situation is my personal situation.
Before Real Madrid came back from two goals down to defeat Villarreal 3-2 in the Copa del Rey, Carlo Ancelotti told his players to “wake up.”
After losing to rival Barcelona 3-1 in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday, Madrid appeared to be eliminated from the Copa del Rey on Thursday when they trailed 2-0 at the half.
Villarreal took the lead thanks to Etienne Capoue and Samuel Chukwueze, but Vinicius Junior cut the deficit in half, and Madrid tied the score when Eder Militao pushed the ball home after Filip Jorgensen could only deflect Karim Benzema’s header into the center-path. back’s
Dani Ceballos, who had only played three LaLiga games all season, seized the chance to lead Madrid into the quarterfinals with a spectacular turnaround.
“In the second period, it was an incredible reaction, as it always is. This club never gives up but we can’t wait until near the end of the game to react.
“The team showed great personality to turn things around. The second half is fantastic for our confidence. We didn’t give up.”
Ceballos was Madrid’s unlikely hero as he popped up to fire in from Marco Asensio’s perfectly weighted pass.
Ancelotti felt that combination was one of the keys to victory, saying: “Ceballos and Asensio have changed the dynamics of the match because they put in more quality and energy, they were decisive in turning the result around.”
Vinicius and Pepe Reina, the replacement goalkeeper for Villarreal, got into a fight during the second half. Ancelotti and Los Blancos winger Rodrygo also got into a fight.
After being replaced by Asensio in the 56th minute, Rodrygo looked to reject Ancelotti’s offer of a handshake, but the Madrid head coach was unconcerned by the incident.
“He [Rodrygo] had a slight muscle strain and I decided not to risk him,” Ancelotti explained. “He didn’t acknowledge me because I think he forgot, I don’t think it’s a big deal.
“[The Reina and Vinicius altercation] was nothing. He was a bit wound up with Vinicius, that’s all. I have a good relationship with him. What I saw, was that Vinicius got kicked a lot, like he does every game.”
Dango Ouattara, a highly regarded winger from Lorient, has officially signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with Bournemouth.
Ouattara, 20, has excelled for Lorient in Ligue 1 this season, making 18 appearances and contributing six goals and the same number of assists.
The Cherries beat their Premier League rivals to the signing of the Burkina Faso international in a deal reportedly worth approximately £20 million, despite the player being linked to clubs like Everton and Leicester.
With eight losses in their previous nine league games, Bournemouth are just a point and a spot above the bottom three and will be hoping Ouattara will help them climb out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Cherries chief executive Neill Blake said: “We are pleased to secure the services of Dango, a promising and sought-after player with a great deal of potential.
“We have been monitoring him for a period of time and he fits the profile of the young, ambitious, hungry and hard-working player this club is looking to recruit.”
Defender Anton Walkes passed away on Thursday as a result of an accident, according to Charlotte FC.
The 25-year-old was a former Tottenham academy player.
London-born Walkes began his MLS career in 2020 when, after leaving Portsmouth, he joined Atlanta United.
After being chosen in the MLS expansion draft in 2021, he relocated to Charlotte for the 2022 season and made 23 league appearances in his first season.
We are deeply saddened to share that Anton Walkes has tragically passed away this morning.
Following his shock death, Charlotte paid tribute to the family man.
Owner David Tepper said: “Everyone at [the club] is devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes. He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met.
“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch.
“He will be greatly missed by many and our thoughts and prayers are with Anton’s family during this heart-breaking time. The club offers its full support to all those impacted during this period of mourning.”
Brighton issued a statement stating he was “undergoing precautionary checks” amid claims the former Zambian international had experienced a heart attack over the weekend.
After being admitted for four days, the 25-year-old has already been discharged and will continue his recovery at home.
When announcing his retirement three months ago, Brighton said Mwepu was at an “extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event” if he continued playing.
Since then, he has started working as the Premier League team’s academy coach.
Borussia Monchengladbach, a fellow Bundesliga team, has lost Yann Sommer to Bayern Munich.
While playing at Gladbach, Sommer, a Switzerland international, consistently ranked among the top goalkeepers in Germany.
The 34-year-old, whose agreement was about to expire at the end of the current campaign, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Bayern for a rumoured cost of around €8 million.
After Manuel Neuer broke his leg while skiing in December and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, Bayern wanted to expand their options in goal.
Alexander Nubel’s loan at Monaco had the potential to be called back, but Sommer always looked to be the top priority.
Despite Gladbach’s insistence they did not wish to sell him, Sommer reportedly asked to leave, and a deal was struck between the clubs on Wednesday.
“I’m really looking forward to my new role at Bayern. It’s a big club with power, we’ve often played against each other – I know about the enormous quality and charisma of this club,” Sommer said on his transfer.
“I’m proud to be part of Bayern now. We have big tasks ahead of us. I’m really looking forward to the start with my new colleagues and to everything that’s coming.
“I would like to thank Borussia Monchengladbach for eight and a half great years and for making this transfer possible.”
Sommer joined Gladbach in 2014 and made 272 Bundesliga appearances. Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann is the only goalkeeper to have played more times in the competition in the same period.
Of goalkeepers to make 10 or more Bundesliga appearances in that time, Sommer’s save percentage of 71.1 is the seventh best and ranks similarly to Neuer’s (72.5). He has kept 70 clean sheets.
Sommer has only made 10 appearances in the competition this season but boasts the second-best save percentage (77.1) behind Union Berlin’s Frederik Ronnow (79.1).
Bayern restart their campaign against Julian Nagelsmann’s former team RB Leipzig on Friday.
Hector Cuper, a former head coach of Egypt, and two other candidates are said to have made the shortlist for the vacant coaching position with the Black Stars.
The other two managers are Steve McClaren, an assistant manager at Manchester United, and Chris Hughton, a former coach of Tottenham Hotspurs.
According to the report, Otto Addo, who left his position after the 2022 FIFA World Cup, would be replaced by one of the aforementioned managers by the Ghana Football Association.
Hector Cuper and Chris Hughton are the two currently unattached among the three coaches.
Cuper was fired from his position as coach of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in June 2022, while Chris Hughton departed his position as technical advisor to the Black Stars in December 2022 after his contract expired.
Henry Asante Twum, a representative for the GFA, stated in a recent interview that the FA will name a new coach by the end of January 2023.
“I think it will be this month. From the conversations going on it is very likely a new head coach of the Black Stars will be appointed this month. There will be an ExCo meeting soon and everything will be finalized there,” he told Asempa FM.
He also noted that the GFA has received over 60 applications for the Black Stars coaching role.
“Maybe over 60 applications. The Black Stars is very attractive. You cannot have Mohammed Kudus in your team and think the Black Stars are not attractive. It is an attractive brand, no doubt about that,” he said.
A necklace that belonged to Princess Diana has been acquired by Kim Kardashian.
Wednesday’s Royal and Noble Sale at Sotheby’s in London included the auctioning off of the Attallah Cross.
The US reality TV star won the auction after a five-minute bidding war between four participants.
Princess Diana frequently wore the amethyst cross pendant by opulent jewelry designer Garrard in the 1920s.
The princess most notably wore it in October 1987 to the London charity banquet for Birthright, an organization defending the human rights of pregnant and postpartum women.
Large amethyst stones are set in the cross-shaped pendant, which is encircled by 5.2-carat diamonds.
It was initially purchased by businessman Naim Attallah in the 1980s, and because of his acquaintance with Diana, he frequently lent it to her over a long period of time. The item was auctioned off by his estate.
In contrast to Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate of £80,000 to £120,000, reality TV star Kardashian paid a total of £163,800 for the cross.
IMAGE SOURCE,SOTHEBY’S Image caption, The Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate for the piece was £80,000 to £120,000
It was first bought by businessman Naim Attallah in the 1980s who, as a result of his friendship with Diana, loaned it to her several times over many years. It was his estate that put the item up for auction.
Reality TV star Kardashian paid a total of £163,800 for the cross, far higher than Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate of £80,000 to £120,000.
Head of jewellery at Sotheby’s London Kristian Spofforth said: “Jewellery owned or worn by the late Princess Diana very rarely comes on to the market, especially a piece such as the Attallah Cross, which is so colourful, bold and distinctive.
“To some extent, this unusual pendant is symbolic of the princess’s growing self-assurance in her sartorial and jewellery choices, at that particular moment in her life.”
It is not the first historic fashion item Kardashian has shown an interest in.
Image caption,Kardashian revealed she lost 16 pounds (7kg) to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress
At last year’s Met Gala, she wore a Marilyn Monroe gown that was loaned to her from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum.
The dress was worn by Monroe during her performance of Happy Birthday to US president John F Kennedy in 1962.
Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has disclosed plans to deal with the ongoing problem of Accra’s Odaw River pollution.
When it rains heavily, the river canal that leads to the sea has turned into a huge issue since it causes flooding in the city’s core.
Mr Agyapong bemoaned the fact that whereas other regions of the world enjoy the benefits of the sea, Ghana has not yet properly utilized that resource. He mentioned several locations that profit from the sea, including Dubai, Cape Town in South Africa, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the Bahamas, Antigua, and Trinidad and Tobago.
On the matter of the Odaw, he said: “Look at the Odaw River, the amount of dirt seeping into the sea, I will be like Donald Trump, I will build a long wall on both sides, so that nobody from his home will throw refuse into the Odaw which will end up in the sea.
“We will prevent it and clean the whole Odaw River and put boats on it, so that people will ride from Circle all the way to the sea, Jamestown,” he stressed.
He also spoke about plans for other tourist sites like Cape Coast and Elmina Castles.
While on a recent tour of the Central Region, where his constituency is located, he spoke with a number of journalists and discussed his goals for the tourism industry.
Mr Agyapong has emphasized mechanized agriculture and tourism as the two key tools he will use to transform the economy throughout his campaign for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearership.
He has served as the Assin Central MP for more than 20 years, and he has made it clear that he will not run for reelection.
Though his campaign for president has only been underway for a year, along with that of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen, it is thought that his is one of the most well-liked.
The minister of education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has stated that his department is coordinating with the leaders of higher institutions to phase out any unnecessary programs.
He asserts that several tertiary-level programs fall short of the needs of the labor market.
The sector minister cited the lack of programs with connections to the labor market as the reason for the high unemployment rate in the nation while speaking at the 74th Annual New Year School at the University of Ghana.
As a result, he underlined the government’s plans to improve the situation.
“So many students have enrolled in diploma in education. They’re being trained for jobs that do not exist. Thousands and thousands are graduating for jobs that do not exist … I’m fully aware and we’re engaging the Universities”, he said.
“I think we need to focus on courses that have relevance to that particular student and to the nation.
“We need to change course. Because unemployment invariably comes from the fact that we’re training the graduates for courses that don’t exist”, Dr Adutwum added.
The minister’s opinions support the need for policymakers to focus education more on employment.
Every year, Ghana’s unemployment rate rises as more recent graduates struggle to find meaningful employment.
The situation has led to thousands of unemployed youth, some of whom have become depressed due to their state of idleness.
Others have also been comepelled to abandon their certificates for menial jobs just to survive.
Steve Smith will play three County Championship games for Sussex as he gets ready for the Ashes and Australia’s potential appearance in the World Test Championship final.
Prior to facing Marnus Labuschagne, a teammate from Australia, the prolific hitter will take on Worcestershire and Leicestershire in a Division Two encounter against Glamorgan in May.
Smith is thus anticipated to play in the World Test Championship final at The Oval in June, with Australia having almost certainly qualified. Smith is now ranked as the second-best Test hitter in the world, behind Labuschagne.
The former captain of Australia will be hoping that a brief stint with Sussex keeps him in excellent form by the time the first Ashes Test against England begins at Edgbaston on June 16.
Smith told Sussex’s official website: “I am excited about joining Sussex for a few games in May and hopefully making a contribution to a successful season.
“I am particularly looking forward to working with the younger players in the squad and hoping I can provide some guidance to them.”
IMAGE SOURCE,SOTHEBY’S Image caption, The Sotheby’s pre-sale estimate for the piece was £80,000 to £120,000
