“This is not what we agreed Rico. Rest in peace,” Alex tweeted.
Tobi on the other hand shared a picture of himself and Rico, with the caption: “This is how I will remember you brother.”
Recall Nigerian entertainers launched a fundraiser for the late housemate following his accident. Tobi made the announcement on the fundraising via his Twitter page on Wednesday.
Sharing a picture of hospitalised Rico, Bakre tweeted, “Please help save Rico. He had a really bad car accident.
“We have to keep him on life support and continue to pay the rising medical bills while we pray for God’s miracle. “(We) can’t do it alone. Please click on the link to donate at ricoswavey.com.”
Meanwhile, many on social media are expressing their condolences to the bereaved family.
Leaving your house and going home safely is such an underrated blessing🥺
RIP Rico🕊️🕊️🕊️
Mohamed Salah made a piece of Champions League history with his quickfire hat-trick in Liverpool’s 7-1 thrashing of Rangers on Wednesday, scoring the fastest ever treble in the competition.
Just six minutes and 12 seconds separated Salah’s first and third goals in Liverpool’s comeback win, the shortest timeframe ever recorded in the Champions League.
Salah’s hat-trick saw him eclipse the efforts of former Bayern Munich hero Robert Lewandowski, who has scored two of the five fastest trebles in Champions League history.
Lewandowski required 11 minutes and seven seconds to hit a treble against Red Star Belgrade in November 2019, an achievement he bettered against Salzburg in March this year, when he scored three times in 10 minutes and 22 seconds.
Other than Salah, only Bafetimbi Gomis and Mike Newell have scored a hat-trick in quicker time than Lewandowski, while Cristiano Ronaldosits just outside the top five after managing an 11-minute treble against Malmo for Real Madrid in 2015.
Salah scored his hat-trick over two minutes faster than previous record holder Gomis, who took eight minutes and 45 seconds to do so against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011.
Salah brought up his treble with a trademark strike, latching onto Diogo Jota’s pass before cutting in from the right wing and bending a fine finish into the top-left corner.
Jota assisted all three of Salah’s goals as Liverpool returned to form in emphatic fashion, which represents the first time a player has assisted a team-mate’s Champions League treble since March 2012, when Franck Ribery teed up Mario Gomez’s strikes for Bayern against Basel
Meanwhile, Salah has now scored 38 Champions League goals for Liverpool, the most managed by any player for an English club in the competition.
The Egypt talisman had previously trailed former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, who each hit 36 goals for their respective clubs in the competition.
Simone Inzaghi admitted he left Camp Nou feeling regretful but hailed Inter Milan’s performance at Barcelona as the Nerazzurri took a significant step to the Champions League knockout stages.
Robin Gosens seemed to have secured qualification for Inzaghi’s visitors on Wednesday, scoring to make it 3-2 in the 89th minute, only for Robert Lewandowski to equalise three minutes later.
It was not the first time Inter had squandered the lead, though, having been pegged back earlier by Lewandowskiafter second-half goals from Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez followed Ousmane Dembele’s 40th-minute opener.
Despite twice relinquishing the advantage, Inter need just one win from their last two games to progress from Group C, though Inzaghi wishes his side could have sealed qualification with victory in Spain.
“There is regret, for what we have created and for the last chance, with a victory we would have qualified with two games to spare,” the Inter head coach said.
“But we have played two games of great application against Barcelona. In my opinion, they are a very, very strong team.”
Barcelona 1-0 Inter
Barcelona 1-1 Inter
Barcelona 1-2 Inter
Barcelona 2-2 Inter
Barcelona 2-3 Inter
Barcelona 3-3 Inter
While Inter ultimately settled for sharing the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw, the stalemate proved a marked improvement as it ended a five-game losing streak at Barcelona in the Champions League.
With just one win needed against either Viktoria Plzen or Bayern Munich, who have already progressed, Inzaghi aims to deliver qualification for the second season in a row to appease the Nerazzurri faithful.
Asked whether the result at Barca could prove a turning point for Inter’s somewhat underwhelming season thus far, Inzaghi responded: “Maybe, but as I said before we miss the last step.
“We have to give the qualification to our fans as we did last year after eleven years, it would be the second year in a row. We missed the last step.”
Inter caught Barca cold with three second-half goals, the Blaugrana conceding three or more times in a single half of Champions League football for just the fourth time in their history.
Inzaghi acknowledged his plan was to attack by starting with Edin Dzeko and Martinez, while he suggested another strong performance against a European heavyweight will help his side to improve.
“Yes, we played it openly, I thought about whether to play the two forwards because they have been playing for the last three games,” Inzaghi added.
“Instead, Dzeko and Lautaro were very good together and played a very good match against an opponent that we have managed to limit.
“We have faced Real Madrid and Liverpool. Now we have faced Barcelona twice in two very good matches, which have put us in a very good position. Now it is up to us to grow.”
The French Institute, a major cultural hub in Ouagadougou, has been vandalized by protesters in Burkina Faso.
Windows and doors were broken, security guards’ room was set on fire, computer equipment were burnt and looted after the attack on October 12, 2022.
The French Institute was attacked after the coup in early October, that ousted Burkina Faso’s Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, who had seized power only in January 2022.
Artist Kantala laments the destruction, saying that the arson will “set us back a bit”. “People don’t know, but the French Institute welcomes more Burkinabè artists than foreign artists […] it’s for Burkina so let’s not confuse politics and culture” he added.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has directed traditional healers to stop treating people during the ongoing Ebola outbreak that has so far killed 19 people in the country.
The president also directed security officials to arrest people suspected of having contracted the virus if they refuse to go into isolation.
In a televised address to the nation, during which he switched to the widely spoken Luganda language to address them directly, he told traditional healers and herbalists not to treat people suspected to be infected with the viral haemorrhagic disease.
It follows the death of a 45-year-old-man who was listed by health teams as having been exposed to the Ebola virus.
The man, who died in a hospital in the capital, Kampala, had fled his village in Mubende district, the outbreak’s epicentre.
He sought treatment from a traditional healer elsewhere before turning up at the Kampala hospital and died hours after being admitted there, authorities said.
Some of the man’s family members have been put under quarantine, while others have gone into hiding. The president urged them to report to health facilities.
Although Mr Museveni said there were currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Kampala, he warned the public to continue being vigilant, assuring that health workers would bring the outbreak under control.
It has been almost a month since Uganda confirmed the outbreak of the Sudan strain of Ebola, which has now spread to five districts.
There have been 54 confirmed cases so far. Some 20 people, including five medical workers, have recovered.
African health ministers attending a high-level meeting following the Ebola outbreak in Uganda want two regional health bodies to set up an Africa Ebola co-ordination task force.
They said this would oversee preparedness and response to the current outbreak as well as other epidemics in the continent.
Acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, Ahmed Ogwell, says Africa needs to stop seeking international assistance, as it is on its own during pandemics.
“This is not the first outbreak of the Sudan strain of Ebola virus here in Africa and particularly here in Uganda,” he told the gathering in the Ugandan capital, Kampala
“As Africa, we must now do things differently, appreciating that for the most time we will be on our own. Knowing that we are on our own, though, needs to motivate us so that we can do things on our own but not alone,” he added.
The Africa CDC says the continent is dealing with 11 different public health outbreaks. They are monkeypox, cholera, flooding, influenza, lassa fever, measles, yellow fever, hepatitis E, and the Crimean – Congo haemorrhagic fever.
Heung-Min Son’s link-up with fellow Tottenham star Harry Kane is purely a “pay-off for hard work”.
Son scored twice on Wednesday, either side of a Kane penalty, as Spurs ran out 3-2 winners over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Antonio Conte’s side moved to the Group D summit after coming from behind to defeat the Europa League holders at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Kane set up Son for the equaliser after the hosts fell behind to Daichi Kamada’s early strike, meaning the pair have now combined to score on 50 occasions for Spurs across all competitions.
Kane has teed up 24 goals for Son, who has supplied 26 assists for the England captain. Since the start of last season, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, the scorer of a record-setting hat-trick in Liverpool’s win over Rangers elsewhere on Wednesday, is the only Premier League player with more strikes in all competitions (39) than the Spurs pair (Kane has netted 36, with Son scoring 29).
The South Korea captain paid tribute to his fearsome partnership with Kane, telling BT Sport: “We just understand each other really well. I know what he likes to do, and he’s the same.
“The relationship, it’s always hard work and good effort. It’s always been a pay-off for hard work. [There will be] many more [combinations] to come, I hope.”
Son’s second goal was the pick of the bunch as he put Tottenham 3-1 up before the break.
Connecting with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s pinpoint cross, the forward unleashed a thumping volley that would eventually prove decisive after Faride Alidou’s late header ensured a nervy finish for Spurs.
“The ball was just really clear to me and there was only one option; to take the volley,” Son added. “I hit it really clean, I was very happy.
“The last five minutes were really tough. In the Champions League, you never know what will happen. It was uncomfortable sitting on the bench and watching. The most important thing was the three points.”
Meanwhile, head coach Contesaid “it would have been a disaster” had Spurs surrendered their lead in the closing stages, with Kane missing a stoppage-time penalty to put them home and dry. The 29-year-old has missed two of his last four penalties in all competitions for Tottenham, having previously scored 21 successive spot-kicks for the club.
“We started in a very difficult way, conceding the first goal,” Conte said. “We scored three goals and had big chances. In the end, we are leading our group.
“Until the end, we had to stay focused. It would have been a disaster if we drew a game like this.”
It’s back-to-school time in Sudan, but nine-year-old Zahra Hussein is doing chores at home. Like millions of Sudanese children, she had to leave school because her parents could not pay her school fees.
In first grade, “I was the third in the class,” the girl proudly tells AFP in her home in the village of Ed Moussa, in the eastern state of Kassala.
Two years later, she even managed to climb to first place despite the difficult learning conditions, with cracked walls, rickety tables, and often waterless toilets in her school.
But in the middle of third grade, she had to stop everything.
“My father didn’t have enough money, so he took me out of school,” she says in disappointment.
In Sudan,seven million children do not go to school, particularly in rural areas where nearly two-thirds of the 45 million inhabitants live, a “catastrophe for an entire generation”, according to NGOs.
Already during the 30-year dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir, who will be removed from office in 2019 following a popular protest movement, families withdrew their children from school to cope with the economic crisis.
The political and economic stagnation that followed a coup a year ago, recurring ethnic conflicts, and prolonged school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic have only worsened the situation in this country, one of the poorest in the world.
And every year, heavy rains destroy schools: this summer, 600 schools were damaged.
As a result, Sudan and its 12.4 million students are the second most vulnerable country in terms of schooling, according to the Risk Education Index.
“At the age of 10, seven out of ten children are unable to read and understand a simple sentence,” laments Arshad Malik, director of the NGO Save the Children in Sudan.
A symbol of the distress that reaches even the teachers, the latter regularly demonstrate to demand better salaries or denounce a military power incapable of raising the country.
– No meal, no school –
Zahra knows that she will only return to school “if we find the money to pay for meals and school books”.
In the village next to hers, Wad Charifaï, the school canteens closed down two years ago even though they often provided the only meal for the children, made of lentils, vegetables, and cookies.
Since these free meals disappeared, Othmane Aboubakr, a day laborer, has had to drop seven of his nine children from school.
Unable to pay for meals in addition to transportation and school supplies, he chose another option: to have the older children work.
“Now the children can help bring money home,” he says.
Abdallah Ibrahim also sends several of his seven children to work. Some help out in his café, while others have found work in a bakery.
“Making the children work is not good but we have to, at least to pay for their meals every day,” says Ohaj Souleïmane, a 43-year-old day laborer.
But not all children are equal when it comes to dropping out of school, points out Malik of Save the Children.
“A family is more likely to take their daughters out of school to marry them off or to involve them in domestic chores,” he says.
He says four out of 10 girls have dropped out of school compared to three out of 10 boys.
Without action to get them back into school, “poverty and inequality are likely to increase, and with them families’ vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters,” Malik warns.
Wildlife enthusiasts in South Africa have shared footage of a honey badger fighting off a mother leopard and her two cubs.
The encounter happened at the Kruger National Park.
Outsized and outnumbered, the honey badger lived up to its reputation of being among the most fearless animals.
In the video, it was seen wrestling all the three leopards in turns. Following this, the Honey badger was “trotting off as though nothing had happened”.
Field guide Dan Fiser and business consultant Paola Murguia shared the story with LatestSightings.com – a website that shares footages of wildlife sightings and experiences.
“The honey badger was fighting back, instead of trying to run away, actually turning the tables at times.”
Twenty-six African countries have voted in favour of a UN resolution rejecting Moscow’s contentious referendums in four Ukrainian regions that it declared part of Russia.
Nineteen countries abstained, including Eritrea that had previously voted to reject a UN resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s perceived allies, including Mali, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Republic of Congo, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda and Zimbabwe are also among other African countries that abstained.
Three of these countries hosted Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov when he toured the region in July.
Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome were absent from the assembly.
Earlier this month, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba toured Africa to counter Russia’s apparent hold on the continent and persuade leaders to support Kyiv.
He was forced to cut the visit short after Moscow heightened bombardments on Ukraine.
Xabi Alonsorefused to be downbeat after losing his first Champions League game as Bayer Leverkusen head coach, describing Wednesday’s 3-0 reverse to Porto as a “lesson”.
Alonso led Leverkusen to a 4-0 Bundesliga win over Schalke in his first match in charge on Saturday, but endured a more chastening experience against the Portuguese outfit.
It was a tale of three penalties at the BayArena, as Porto’s Mehdi Taremi added to Galeno’s opener with two second-half spot-kicks after visiting goalkeeper Diego Costa denied Karem Demirbay from 12 yards.
Leverkusen have now failed to score any of their last three Champions League penalties, two of which have come against Porto this season (also Patrik Schick on October 4).
Despite the result, the Bundesliga outfit managed 64 per cent possession and 17 attempts in a front-foot display, leaving Alonso to describe the defeat as unjust.
“We have to analyse the game, come back tomorrow and move on. Today there is pain, but that’s football. Today is a lesson for us,” he told UEFA.com.
“We could see today that the small mistakes can be fatal in the Champions League. It’s hard for me to talk about the result because I think we didn’t deserve it.”
The former Spain midfielder became the seventh different Leverkusen coach to lose his first Champions League match in charge, but the first to do so by a three-goal margin.
Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky also thought Leverkusen were hard done by, adding: “It was an unlucky game. It started in a bad way for us and ended in a bad way.
“Shortly after the break we lost the second goal. Small details were decisive. At this point we have to work hard for success. It’s a hard time for our club, but we will work on it.”
Leverkusen remain bottom of Group B following their third defeat in four Champions League games this campaign, three points adrift of second-placed Porto.
Will Jacks is the new face in England’s Test squad as captain Ben Stokes recalled a host of old hands to the fold for December’s tour of Pakistan.
The Surrey all-rounder, already capped at white-ball level, is the lone maiden call-up to a 15-man party headlined by the return of Mark Wood for the first time since March.
Keaton Jennings and Ben Duckett return for the first time since 2019 and 2016 respectively after superb domestic campaigns with Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.
There is no Stuart Broad, however, after the bowler opted to remain at home for the birth of his first child. Paceman Jamie Overton is included following a Test debut against New Zealand earlier this year.
Liam Livingstone will be chasing a first cap, having last been included in a Test squad in 2018, while form batsman Jonny Bairstow is absent through the injury that has ruled him out of the T20 World Cup.
Former captain Joe Root, alongside James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope and Ollie Robinson, make up the rest of Brendon McCullum’s party.
An exciting, 15-strong squad for our Test series in Pakistan in December!
“We are looking forward to touring Pakistan as a Test team for the first time since 2005,” ECB director Rob Key stated. “It will be a historic tour and a compelling series against a good side. The selectors have picked a squad for the conditions we can expect.
“There is a strong blend of youth and experience and players who will adapt well to the types of pitches we are likely to get across the three-match series. I wish the players every success, especially those new to the squad and those returning after a period of time away.”
England squad; Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
A half-century knock from Dawid Malan steered England to an eight-run victory in their latest T20 World Cup warm-up against Australia on Wednesday.
The Yorkshire top-order batsman posted a superb 82 off 49 balls, and combined with Moeen Ali for a fifth-wicket stand of 92 at Canberra’s Manuka Oval against the world champions for a total of 178-7.
The hosts looked to threaten a successful chase throughout, with Mitchell Marsh (45) forming the bedrock of their pursuit, ably supplanted by Tim David (40) following his dismissal.
Pat Cummins supplied a late burst of pyrotechnics too, smashing a six at the start of the final over into the scoreboard to set up a nerve-jangling last act.
But Sam Curran’s taut bowling, with figures of 3-25, ultimately kept any resistance at bay, to make it two wins from two for the tourists ahead of this month’s tournament as Australia finished with 170-6.
Victory hands England the three-match series, with a dead rubber third encounter to come on October 14, before they play their last warm-up against Pakistan on October 17.
Having bowled the final over in the first T20I to keep Australia out at the death, it was more of the same from the Surrey left-hander, who dismissed Marcus Stonis, Glenn Maxwell and David.
If there is any doubt about his position now, it looks to have been mostly eradicated, with the 24-year-old likely to make the cut for their opener against Afghanistan on October 22.
Finch reinforces position
Back at the top of the order after Cameron Green partnered David Warner against the West Indies, Australia captain Aaron Finch appears to not be moving from his spot now.
The 35-year-old played his part in claiming the T20 World Cup last year and will do so again from his preferred position, despite a lacklustre 13 off as many balls.
Tyson Fury’s promoter Frank Warren revealed the Gypsy King is set to face Derek Chisora for a third time in December after talks over a bout with Anthony Joshua broke down.
Fury U-turned on a decision to retire following April’s win over Dillian Whyte and appeared set to meet Joshua after offering him the chance for a WBC heavyweight championship fight last month.
Warren said that fight was “90 per cent” finalised in mid-September, but talks have since broken down, with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn declaring he would not “play a game” with Fury last week.
With Oleksandr Usyk prepared to wait until 2023 for his next fight, Fury now appears set for a trilogy bout with Chisora, whom he defeated in July 2011 and November 2014.
Asked about the breakdown in talks with Joshua’s camp, Warren told iFL TV: “Obviously that caused a big problem, it went on for three or four weeks and we’ve been struggling to get an opponent.
“We’ve got the highest-ranked opponent now, which is Derek Chisora. That’s where we’ll be going and that will be on December 3.
“What it’s all about is, Tyson will have had one fight in one year, and we were expecting the fight in December would be Usyk, but Usyk wasn’t available.
“Now that looks like – I hope – going on at some time in February, so Tyson wants a fight before then and wants to get out, that’s where we’re at. If he fights Chisora and comes through that, then he’s got the big one.
“Tyson’s head and shoulders above them all anyway. Derek might give him more of a fight than Anthony Joshua – I’m not being disrespectful, I just think he [AJ] is more vulnerable.”
While the fight is yet to be formally agreed, Fury has long desired another meeting with Chisora, saying in August: “I’d always said I’d fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career, and here we are, breaking all records again, setting precedents.”
Conor Benn is expecting an apology from his critics as an investigation into his failed drugs test continues.
Benn’s scheduled bout with Chris Eubank Jr was postponed last week after it emerged the 26-year-old had tested positive for the banned substance clomifene last month.
The British Boxing Board of Control subsequently prohibited the fight from taking place, despite promoters from both sides attempting to force a U-turn.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is investigating Benn’s test, though his father and former WBO middleweight and WBC super-middleweight champion Nigel Benn has insisted he is a “clean athlete”.
In a story posted to his Instagram account on Wednesday, Benn wrote: “I hope the apology is as loud as the disrespect.”
Nigel Benn, who famously twice fought Chris Eubank Sr in the 1990s, declared his son’s team will “get to the bottom of this” following the fight’s postponement.
If found guilty of an anti-doping violation, Benn could receive a lengthy suspension from boxing – potentially lasting between two and four years.
Draymond Green has been fined but avoided a suspension over an altercation with Jordan Poole that Steve Kerr described as “the biggest crisis” of his time as Golden State Warriors coach.
Footage emerged last week of the two team-mates pushing one another before Green escalated the incident by throwing a punch at Poole.
Green, a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, has consequently been spending time away from the team and training in isolation ahead of the new season where Golden State are preparing to defend their championship.
The Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in preseason on Tuesday, after which head coach Kerr announced Green would return to the fold for their final warm-up against the Denver Nuggets on Friday, and their season-opener against the Los Angeles Lakerson Tuesday.
Kerr confirmed the decision had been taken following extensive conversations among several parties, including general manager Bob Myers, superstar Steph Curry, and after talks between Green and Poole themselves.
“We feel like we have a great feel for our team. We’ve got a lot of continuity on this team, so Bob and I know our players extremely well,” Kerr said.
“We feel like this is the best way after assessing everything for us to move forward. It’s never easy no matter what decision you make in a situation like this. It’s not going to be perfect. This is the biggest crisis that we’ve ever had since I’ve been coach here. It’s really serious stuff.
“We have spent the last week in deep discussions with all of our key figures in the organisation, including Jordan and Draymond of course, Steph, all of our players, Bob, myself, and I can tell you there have been a lot of conversations, individual, one-on-one discussions, players-only discussions.
“Everything that you can think of, all the different combinations that are possible to have in a conversation, we’ve had them. It’s been an exhaustive process.”
Kerr noted all possibilities were “on the table” over the ugly incident, and confirmed investigations are taking place into how the footage was leaked to TMZ.
He also accepted the final decision may come under scrutiny but felt Green has earned a chance to atone for his actions.
“Any criticism that we face here is fair,” Kerradded.
“He broke our trust with this incident but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt because I think he’s earned that, and I think our team feels the same way.”
As well as his title wins, Green is a four-time NBA All-Star and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Red Bull have been found to be in breach of Formula 1’s budget cap regulations for the 2021 campaign, the FIA have confirmed.
However, no punishment has yet been handed down to the constructor for their offense, with the governing body stating they are “currently determining the appropriate course of action”.
A day after Max Verstappen took his second drivers’ championship crown at an incident-strewn Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA revealed the Dutchman’s team broke financial regulations during his first title-winning season last year.
The 25-year-old is unlikely to face serious sanctions, though, with the breach under five per cent, meaning it is considered “minor” and is likely to carry less severe penalties.
FIA completes review under the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Financial Regulations https://t.co/ShX1dIuttZ
Fellow constructor Aston Martin, also thought to have potentially breached the cap, have been found to have merely made only a “procedural” mistake in their financial report.
“The FIA Cost Cap Administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the Financial Regulations with respect to Aston Martin and Red Bull,” said a statement on Monday.
“Further information will be communicated in compliance with the regulations.”
Calls from Ferrari and Mercedes for Red Bull to face harsh sanctions if found in breach are only likely to increase over the close of the season, presenting F1 with more off-track drama after last year’s denouement.
Red Bull have reacted with “surprise and disappointment” after the FIA found the team to be in breach of Formula 1’s budget cap regulations for the 2021 season.
One day after Max Verstappen claimed his second world title at the Japanese Grand Prix, the FIA announced Red Bull were guilty of a “minor” breach of the rules in his first championship-winning campaign.
Monday’s FIA ruling was not accompanied by any punishment for the team, with the governing body stating they are “determining the appropriate course of action”.
Although Red Bull – who currently hold a 165-point lead over Ferrari at the top of the constructors’ standings – are unlikely to face serious sanctions, the team remain confident in their submitted financial reports.
A statement released by Red Bullsaid: “We note the findings by the FIA of ‘minor overspend breaches of the financial regulations’ with surprise and disappointment.
“Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount.
“Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA, which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was bullish in response to accusations Red Bull had overspent last month, declaring the team were “absolutely confident” they had not fallen foul of the regulations.
Aston Martin, who were also thought to have breached the cap, were found to have merely made a “procedural” error in their reports.
Anhelina Kalinina progressed to round two of the Transylvania Open after opponent Eugenie Bouchard retired injured in Cluj.
Ukrainian world number 45 Kalinina took the opening set 6-3 before a hip injury prevented Bouchard from continuing.
The Canadian revealed she had retired as a precaution having undergone an MRI on Monday, and did not wish to aggravate the issue any further.
“I’m just disappointed to have ended my tournament in Romania this way because I really loved being here in Cluj,” she said. “I pulled my hip flexor a few days in practice. I tried everything to be ready for this match.
“I got an MRI yesterday, and didn’t show anything too bad, so I thought I could play. But it was getting worse as the match went on. To avoid a big injury, I figured it would be best to retire.
“I absolutely hate retiring, I wish I could’ve done better here, but I hope to be back.”
Fourth seed Anastasia Potapovabeat Ann Li 6-2 7-6 (7-5) to set up a clash with Viktorija Golubic, who overcame Diane Parry in straight sets.
Seventh seed Xiyu Wang advanced in straight sets against home favourite Jaqueline Cristian, while Harriet Dart required just 64 minutes to wrap up a commanding 6-2 6-0 victory over Oceane Dodin.
Andy Murray recovered from a break down in the first set to surge into the second round of the Gijon Open with victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The three-time grand slam champion trailed 4-2 and 30-40 in the opener, but he saved break point with a brilliant volley before going on to hold and take command.
Murray won 10 of the next 13 games thereafter to claim a 7-5 6-2 win, and the former world number one felt Davidovich Fokina’s frustration played a key role in the turnaround.
“He had a lot of chances to get the second break of serve, and I managed to stay tough in those moments. At the 4-3 game, he played a bad game to give me the break back, and after that I started to play a little bit better.
“I think he was a bit frustrated, and then in the second set his level dropped a little bit, but the end of the first set was very important because he was playing very well and it was a difficult first set.”
Murray will face either Pedro Cachin or qualifier Alexey Vatutin in the second round. Davidovich Fokina’s fellow Spaniards Feliciano Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas lost to Ilya Ivashka and Marcos Giron respectively. There was victory for one home hope, though, as Nicolas Alvarez Varona moved into round two.
At the Firenze Open, Alexander Bublik secured his 100th Tour-level win with a straight-sets victory over Cristian Garin, while Mikael Ymer thrashed Tim van Rijthoven 6-1 6-2.
Oscar Otte and Brandon Nakashima were also victors in Florence on Tuesday.
Donna Vekic produced a spectacular second set to shock world number seven Maria Sakkari 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in the first round of the San Diego Openon Tuesday.
After a hard-fought first set where both women were able to convert one of their four break point opportunities, Vekic took control in the tie-breaker and carried that momentum in the second set.
Vekic won 65 per cent of her service points in the second set, while Sakkari could only muster a 47-per-cent success rate, despite having a significant edge in first-serve accuracy (79 per cent to Vekic’s 53 per cent).
The Croatian only had two break point opportunities, and that is all she needed, taking both to run away with one of the biggest wins of her career.
Vekic will play Karolina Pliskova in the second round after the Czech defeated America’s Caroline Dolehide 6-3 6-4.
Pliskova, ranked 22nd in the world, had no issue with the world number 181 in one of Tuesday’s biggest mismatches, nabbing a break-to-love in the first set before taking a quick double-break to begin the second.
World number 11 Daria Kasatkina was too strong for Leylah Fernandez, cruising to a 6-2 6-2 victory in exactly one hour.
Sloane Stephens earned a shot against world number five Aryna Sabalenka in the second round after getting the better of Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-1 7-6 (7-2).
World number 13 Garbine Muguruza was clearly not at 100 per cent, retiring hurt after losing the first five games of her match against China’s Qinweng Zheng, and Coco Gauff will resume her contest against Robin Montgomery leading 6-3 3-2 after rain halted the action for the day.
Former Ghana international, Laryea Kingstonhas opened up on his dream to coach to the highest level in football.
According to him, although he never had the chance to play at the FIFA World Cup, he is confident he will coach a side at the global tournament one day.
“I know I did not go to the World Cup as a player but I believe deep in my heart that I will be at the World Cup as a coach one day,” Laryea Kingston told Radio Gold Talk Sports in an interview.
The now trained tactician continued, “I have educated myself well. I have my style and I believe if I preach my style to my squad Ghanaians will see something different.”
During his playing days, Laryea Kingston played in several World Cup qualifiers but was excluded from the final squad for the tournament in 2006 and 2010.
Former Ghana international, Laryea Kingston has expressed optimism in his ability to succeed as a coach.
According to the former Hearts of Oak and Black Stars midfielder, he has educated himself well to ensure he enjoys a successful coaching career.
“I have educated myself well. I have my style and I believe if I preach my style to my squad Ghanaians will see something different,” Laryea Kingston told Radio Gold Talk Sport in an interview.
In his interview, the retired footballer also opened up on his ambition to go to the World Cupas a coach.
Although he has always admitted missing two world cups during his playing days was tough for him, he is aiming to coach at the global tournament to make up for the disappointment.
“I know I did not go to the World Cup as a player but I believe deep in my heart that I will be at the World Cup as a coach one day,” Laryea Kingston added.
Ghana international Mohammed Kudus has reacted to winning the Goal of the Month award at Ajax for the month of September.
The talented forward last month displayed excellent form for his club and country as he scored several goals and chipped in with a couple of assists as well.
Amongst the many goals he scored, the strike from Mohammed Kudus at Anfield against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League has been voted the best goal of September by fans of Ajax.
Speaking to the media team of the club after receiving the award, the versatile forward gave credit to his teammates.
According to him, the award will motivate him to work harder to do more for the club.
Fikayo Tomori was unlucky to be sent off and concede a penalty during Milan’s Champions League defeat to Chelsea, so says Mason Mount.
The Milan centre-back, a former Chelsea player, was given an 18th-minute red card after he was adjudged to have pulled Mount’s shirt in the penalty box as the midfielder went through on goal.
Jorginho converted the penalty before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 34th-minute strike wrapped up a comfortable 2-0 win for the Blues in Group E.
Mount, however, believes Chelsea were fortunate.
In an interview with Chelsea’s official website, Mount said: “I was probably a bit surprised [with the decision] at the time because I’ve still gone through and had a shot.
“I felt him [Tomori] trying to pull me back but I was running to goal so I wasn’t going to go down. I carried on going, didn’t score and then obviously the ref blew up and gave a pen straight away.”
Tomori and Mount are both products of Chelsea’s academy. The duo both spent time on loan at Derby County, under Frank Lampard, in the 2018-19 campaign and went on to play together for the Blues first team before the defender departed for Milan in 2021, helping the Rossoneri win the Serie A title last season.
“He’s obviously my mate, I’ve known Fik for a very long time, and I felt for him in that situation, I was gutted for him. I don’t think it was a sending-off,” Mount added.
“You still want to be playing 11 v 11 and going at it with two good teams, so it maybe ruined the game a bit. It was massive for us and we obviously wanted to win the game, which we did,” he added.
Tuesday’s game was poignant for striker Aubameyang, who played at San Siro for the first time. His half-brothers Willy and Catilina both played for Milan.
On Instagram, Aubameyang said: “Big dream achieved!! I used to come to this stadium to see my brothers playing and never had the chance to play at San Siro myself, now it’s done.”
Chelsea are top of Group E after four games with an away trip to Austrian side Salzburg next, as Graham Potter’s team look to secure qualification to the knockout stage.
Sergio Aguero has compared Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland to the likes of Lionel Messi and Ronaldo Nazario, backing the Norwegian to continue breaking records with Pep Guardiola’s team.
Haaland has scored 20 goals in just 13 appearances since joining City from Borussia Dortmund, sending records tumbling during an incredible start to life in England.
The 22-year-old set a new Premier League record in August by scoring nine times in his first five outings, and he became the first player to score a hat-trick in three consecutive home games in the competition by starring in a 6-3 win over Manchester United this month.
Haaland’s spectacular start in Manchester has earned him lofty praise from City legend Aguero, who has compared him to two South American greats.
“There’s been many strikers worthy of awe I can think of,” Aguero told Stake.com. “One of my favourites was Ronaldo Nazario, who time and time again proved to be the full package as a player, and a menace before the goalposts.
“Each era usually has two or three players with that ability – and usually with different styles.
“Diego [Maradona], Romario, [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, and Leo, of course! Each had their own flair, but they were all tremendous scorers to a fault.
“Speaking of Haaland specifically, he’s got potency, athleticism, and a particular instinct for goals, which makes him very dangerous.
He’s got everything to keep racking up amazing stats, especially being part of an offensively-minded team like City. That in turn means plenty of opportunities to score.
“He’s young and has a lot of potential to continue breaking records. Key to this, of course, will be consistency.”
Aguero – City’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals for the club in all competitions – believes Haaland, supported by the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, is the ideal man to lead the club into a new era.
“When I left City, I shared how proud I was to have been part of a generation of players that made it one of the top clubs in the world,” he added.
“That was a re-foundational period, with many big changes, that allowed City to become a force to be reckoned with.
“I also said it’d be up to a new generation to maintain this status and reach new heights. I think this new team is ready for that.
“Kevin [De Bruyne] has an amazing record as a player, Haaland is on the right path. But it’s not just the two of them. Phil Foden – my own favourite, Bernardo [Silva], [Ilkay] Gundogan, Rodri, [Aymeric] Laporte… each of their contributions make the team stronger.”
Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof believes increased competition for places is helping to improve the Red Devils’ fortunes.
Lindelof missed United’s poor start to the season with injury but has since fought his way back into the defence, starting the past two matches alongside Lisandro Martinez, who recently signed from Ajax.
Martinez was brought in to bolster a backline that includes the likes of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, both of whom have featured this season alongside the Argentina international, who is the only centre-back to have started every league game so far this campaign.
United have improved of late, winning seven of their past nine fixtures in all competitions, and Lindelof believes a battle for places partly explains their upturn in form.
“Obviously, I had a tough start to the season,” Lindelof told reporters ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie with Omonia Nicosia.
“But it’s always very important for this team to have good players in the squad and competition for places.
“It’s not a problem for me. I am always available if the manager needs me and if I have the opportunity, I will do my best.
“I always want to push myself and play games. I think everyone in the squad wants that.”
Christophe Galtier hailed the performance and focus of Kylian Mbappe against Benfica after “very surprising” reports emerged that the forward again wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe gave PSG the lead at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, converting from the penalty spot in the first half to become the club’s leading scorer in the Champions League.
Joao Mario subsequently responded with a spot-kick of his own after the interval, though the result seemingly paled insignificance after reports suggested Mbappe had demanded an exit from PSG.
The World Cup-winning 23-year-old only signed a new three-year extension in May but has reportedly become unsettled once more after a failure to meet his demands both tactically and in recruitment.
“We talked a lot about him this afternoon. I didn’t talk about it with him, the objective is to stay focused on the match,” Galtier told RMC Sport after PSG were held to a 1-1 draw in the Group H encounter.
“He gave a lot, he showed that he is a great player, focused on the game and the competition. We were all focused on the goal and on the match.
“From the rumour, we make information and from information, we make a statement. I find that very surprising a few hours before a very important match…”
Mbappe’s goal was not enough to secure progression to the Champions League knockout stages, though Benfica and PSG sit four points clear of Juventus and Maccabi Haifa at the Group H summit.
PSG will aim to secure qualification with two games left to play, sitting level on eight points with Roger Schmidt’s side, though Galtier may be concerned after having to withdraw Mbappe in the closing stages.
“He took a nasty tackle, he has a knock. I preferred to make sure to bring on a fresh player,” Galtier added.
“We can regret the penalty we conceded because the action was not dangerous. We lacked verticality in the final third.
“We have played high-intensity matches, obviously that generates tiredness, but fatigue is in everyone, it’s not an excuse.”
The stalemate left Benfica winless in away six Champions League games against French sides (D3 L3), scoring just two goals in these six games, though the Portuguese side deserve credit.
Schmidt’s men are the first team to avoid defeat in both group stage games in the competition against PSG since the Ligue 1 side were twice held by Napoli in the 2018-19 season.
“It makes me proud, of course. The way the players are playing in these difficult games, we never gave up, we always believed in ourselves,” Schmidt told Eleven Sport.
“When you can’t win, you have to take a point. I said it after the first game and I repeat it now. I think it was a fair result, again. Playing two games like this against Paris says a lot about the quality and attitude of the players.”
Maurizio Sarri has aired his frustration over the consistent speculation on Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and his future, amid frequent links with a move to Serie A rivals Juventus.
The Serbia international has been one of the form players of the campaign in the Italian top flight, with three goals and six assists for a total of nine involvements so far this term.
That form has not gone unnoticed, and Milinkovic-Savic has been subsequently mooted as a major transfer target, with La Gazetto dello Sport running a splash page on a potential Bianconeri switch.
It is not the first time the playmaker has been the subject of intense speculation, but the feverish nature has irked Sarri now, who believes too much hyperbole is being spun about his player.
“I think there is too much noise around him,” he stated ahead of his side’s UEFA Europe League clash with Sturm Graz.
“The day after our 4-0 win [over Fiorentina] a paper put his name on their front page [about] transfers.
“Milinkovic-Savic, he has room for improvement. You can see that from how many balls he loses.”
Lazio’s president Claudio Lotito previously warned potential suitors that Milinkovic-Savic would cost a minimum of €120million for any interested party to pry him away from the capital.
Celtichead coach Ange Postecoglou believes “a lot of missed chances” were to blame for his side’s ill-fated Champions League season.
After losing 2-0 to RB Leipzig at home on Tuesday, the reigning Scottish Champions will not be able to progress beyond the group stage.
Even their hopes of dropping into the Europa League look slim, needing four points from their games against Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid, as well as favours from elsewhere.
Reflecting on a disappointing display from his side, Postecoglou said: “I thought we showed all the effort and endeavour to try to win a game of football.
“But as we have found at this level, if you don’t take your chances it’s very hard to convert all of that into a result.
“I’m trying to tell us to play in a certain way to be successful, but we know at this level that if you don’t take your opportunities then it’s going to hurt you at some stage.
“It’s been the story of our campaign so far – a lot of missed chances.”
Celtic’s loss equalled the longest run of home defeats by a team in the competition, previously set by Monaco between May 2017 and December 2018 with seven.
But Postecoglou hopes the experience, while disappointing, will benefit his side in the long term.
“We have just got to keep going. Irrespective of whether we continue or not, we have two more Champions League games that we want to keep using as a platform to improve as a football team and improve our players,” he said.
“The more they have exposure at this level, I think the better equipped we will be at this level.”
Postecoglou and his side will look to get something from their game against Shakhtar on October 25, which follows domestic fixtures with Hibernian, Motherwell and Hearts.
Asamoah made his Black Stars debut in 2009, playing 71 times for Ghana and scoring four goals.
He represented Ghana in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013 and at the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.
Kwadwo Asamoah had a successful playing career, winning 13 trophies and making 279 Serie A appearances with 250 starts, scoring 12 goals and 24 assists.
He holds the record for the most Serie A appearances by an African player, having played for Udinese, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Cagliari.
Ghana international Nana Ampomah has picked up a fresh injury at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The 26-year-old is among the seven players currently injured at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
The midfielder who has been struggling for playing time in the German Bundesliga 2 has sustain a tendon irritation and could be out of action for sometime.
Nana Ampomah is yet to make an appearance for the club in the Bundesliga 2 this season.
He has two goals from one game in the lower-tier league with Dusseldorf.
The former Royal Antwerp star has capped four times for the Black Stars.
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney believes the unity that has characterised the Gunners’ flying start to the new season has been years in the making under Mikel Arteta.
Sunday’s thrilling 3-2 win over Liverpool at Emirates Stadium ensured Arsenal moved back to the top of the Premier League, where they lead Manchester City by a solitary point after nine games.
The Gunners have won eight of their opening nine games in a top-flight campaign for just the fourth time in their history, having also done so in the 1947-48, 2004-05 and 2007-08 seasons.
Meanwhile, the last time Arsenal led the Premier League at a later stage of the season was on December 10, 2016, when they did so after 15 games.
Arsenal’s form represents quite the turnaround for Arteta, who has come under fire at various points during his three-year stint at the club, but Tierney believes recent campaigns laid the foundations for their current run.
Asked about the atmosphere around the club, Tierney told Arsenal’s website: “I’d say it’s the best since I’ve been here and I think that’s a credit to all the fans, and the players and the staff.
“It just feels like it has clicked – everybody has come together. You hear reactions after we concede goals, you very rarely hear that in football.
“Our fans ended up drowning out the Liverpool fans after they scored, just to try and cheer us on, go again and try and get another goal. I think you need that.
“It’s been building, even last season you could see it’s been getting better and better between the players, the staff and the fans, and this season it’s all just come together and we’re one club, one unit.”
Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool – their eighth successive home league win – put them 14 points clear of last season’s runners-up in the early-season standings, but Tierney is refusing to set any targets for his side.
“It’s only been nine games and you can’t say anyone is anything after nine games,” the Scotland international added. “If you look at last year, we were down in the table and we climbed our way up, so there’s a long way to go and there’s no point in even thinking like that.
“You want to stay [at the top] of course. I’ve got a bit of experience at Celtic when we were expected to be at the top and stay on the top as well, so it is familiar in that way for me that the pressure is on you to stay there.
“The other teams are chasing you, and we want to keep that going as long as we can. Progress is the main thing. We’ve progressed every year, so we want to keep progressing well.
“You just want to finish up as high as possible, and we know what we want and we’ll keep working towards it.”
But Mbappe is reportedly once more seeking an exit, citing his unhappiness that the club broke several promises they made when he signed his new three-year contract in May.
But speaking after the stalemate with the Benfica, striker Ekitike said: “I often talk with Kylian [Mbappe], I know that he is happy to be at the club.”
The Prince of Paris 👑
With his penalty against Benfica, Kylian Mbappé becomes PSG’s all-time top goalscorer in the Champions League 🏆
Ekitike, who turned down a transfer to Newcastle United to move from Reims to PSG, came off the bench to make his Champions League debut against Benfica.
He added: “The Champions League is something magical. Last year I watched it on television so participating in it and having those first minutes is something beautiful.”
And looking forward, Ekitike is excited about a potential partnership with Mbappe and the chance to develop.
“I think it [getting to play with Mbappe] would be not bad at all,” he said.
“I came here as a project over several years where I have to progress. I think I’m in the perfect club for that.”
PSG are joint-top of Group H after four games with Benfica also on eight points. They face Maccabi Haifa next week as they look to secure qualification to the knockout stages.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has not agreed a January move to Juventus, according to Lazio owner Claudio Lotito.
The Serbian midfielder has impressed this season with three goals and seven assists in his nine Serie A games, helping Maurizio Sarri’s side climb to third.
Such form is said to have piqued the interest of Juventus, with reports suggesting the Bianconeri will plan to offer up to €60million, including bonuses.
But Lotito told Il Messaggero: “I have no agreement with his agent [Mateja] Kezman to sell him to Juventus or anyone else in the winter.
“On the contrary, he is now worth €120m, not €100m. Every month the price goes up.”
🆕 Most in-form players in Europe’s top 5 leagues:
🥇 Leo Messi – 8.77 form rating
🥈 Erling Haaland – 8.58
🥉 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – 8.30 pic.twitter.com/CmaHNGo46B
The transfer talk emerged after Lazio’s convincing 4-0 win against Fiorentina on Tuesday, with Milinkovic-Savic adding to his tally with two more assists.
When asked about the performance, Lotito said: “I am satisfied with the spirit I saw again. As I have already said, if we continue with this attitude, we will not set ourselves limits and we can go far.”
Lazio face Austrian side Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday before Sunday’s league fixture against fourth-place Udinese.
Reece James is hopeful that an injury sustained during Chelsea’s 2-0 Champions League victory against AC Milan is “not a bad one”, with the World Cup on the horizon.
After an awkward landing, the 22-year-old England international had to be brought off the pitch on the hour mark – raising further concerns for the Three Lions ahead of the tournament in Qatar, after Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up a knock in Liverpool’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
James took to social media to address the worries about his injury and, while unable to offer any decisive updates, shared hope that he will not be sidelined for an extensive period.
He said: “Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one. Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all.”
Fingers crossed it’s not a bad one 🤞🏾 Love for all the messages, I appreciate you all 💙🫶🏽 pic.twitter.com/2DvHS5r4lM
Graham Potter was unsure as to the extent of James’ injury, stating he was unable to provide an outlook until further tests are done this week.
“We’re hoping Reece will be OK. It will be 24, 48 hours to find out, so it’s too early to give you anything more than that,” he said in his post-match press conference.
The Blues’ win marked an end to a run of seven winless away trips to Italian teams in the Champions League, a record that stretched back to 2003, and leaves Chelsea sat top of Group E with fixtures against RB Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb to come.
Potter added: “To come here and win is certainly not easy, that is for sure. Credit to the players. They were really good, I thought.”
Chelsea travel to face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, beginning a sequence of three league games in six days with fixtures against Brentford and Manchester United on the horizon.
Retail trade in the country could grind to a halt by the close of work on Wednesday as the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) joins their counterparts in Kumasi to close down their shops.
This is in protest of what they describe as the unfair implementation of tax measures by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The shutdown of shops is in its third day in Kumasi and the traders have vowed to sustain the action until the GRA withdraws their personnel stationed at shops, restaurants, and other businesses to record sales of products for tax purposes.
The National President of GUTA, Dr. Joseph Obeng, in this regard urged its members nationwide to close their shops, accusing the GRA of unfairness and high handedness in the implementation of the policy.
“You have a system that does not ensure fairness, you have a system that does not ensure equity, you have a system that runs trade concurrently in the same market that we have the standard rate that one pays 90.25 percent and then we have VAT rate of four percent and then we have those who do not pay the VAT at all and they are all legitimate. What system is this?” he questioned GRA.
The Authority has already shut down major trading franchises including the China Mall, Palace Mall and the Regal Chinese Restaurant in Osu for failing to list.
The officials of the GRA are on the move again saying there are more companies that will suffer closure if they ignore the caution.
Mr. Phillip Acquah, the Assistant Commissioner, VAT Administration, at the GRA urged businesses to cooperate with the Authority to ensure that their systems are onboard the platform.
Meanwhile, an executive member of the Adum Traders Association in Ghana, Charles Appiah Kubi said that until the challenges are resolved, they will remain closed indefinitely.
According to him, as businesses, they are not against the payment of taxes, however the structure of the VAT system is hindering the payment.
“We have not said that we don’t want to pay taxes … our market is so unique that you do not impose taxes that do not sit with the dynamics within the market ..so when you introduce VAT into our system, you have few businesses that have registered for VAT if they have to add the six percent levy on it, their prices go so high that customers do not to buy from them and rather buy from those not registered for VAT with cheaper prices,” he said.
He thus asked persons involved in the menace to take a cue from the prosecution of Aisha Huang.
“This is not a time where we can choose and pick and say this person is a journalist so she cannot be touched or be touched or this person is a politician and therefore, the person is shielded or this person is on government or this person is a businesswoman.
“Nobody will be shielded. We are going to go about without fear or favour and the prosecution of Aisha Huang should be a clear testimony and should send a clear signal to those who are determined to carry on with this menace.
I should call that way that we will come after them and come after them ruthlessly,” he warned.
Mr Jinapor thus asked the Ghanaian people to have full assurance in the government to deal effectively with the canker.
To him, the government will deploy all the arsenal it has at its disposal in this fight.
According to him, this will be done ruthlessly.
“Well, I want to emphasise that the commitment of the government to the fight against this canker [Galamsey] is total and unflinching and all the various tools we have to enable us to come to grips of this illegal mining issue will be rolled out ruthlessly.”
Ghanaian musician professionally known as Samini has warmed hearts with a lovely photo of his gorgeous wife and pretty kids.
In these photos, Samini and his first wife alongside their four beautiful kids all looked very happy and cheerful.
Apparently, Samini has a total of 8 kids– 4 out of the 8 children belong to his first wife whose details on the internet are very scanty but we are aware he’s currently based in Canada with her kids.
His other daughter, Yelisung, for instance, started studying at the Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls (FBA) in the UK not long ago and he took to Instagram to celebrate her.
Take a look at the photos below to know more…
Below are some of the reactions of social media users who are wowed by the alluring picture
@fredblankson wrote: ‘Batio…. osiimu aky3 tan!!!’
@alfred_rockson also commented: ‘Wow, beautiful family ?’
@rvdi_567 added: ‘The child he’s holding is his carbon copy
Former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay says he has no challenges defending the four accomplices of Aisha Huang via his law firm.
He says he feels good about it because it indicates that there is rule of law in the country. He was speaking on Accra-based Joy FM.
Meanhwile, Blay & Associates, the law firm belong to former National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay, has explained its decision to defend four accomplices of Aisha Huang, who was arrested for her alleged involvement in illegal small-scale mining, in court.
On Tuesday, October 11, it came to light in court that Blay & Associates is representing the suspects.
This attracted flak from persons including Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Abraham Amaliba, who indicated that “On this matter of ‘galamsey’, considering the fact that there are accusations and fingers pointing at government officials to be complicit in this ‘galamsey’ issue, if you have government lawyers, already Nkrabeah Effah Dartey is known to be connected with the NPP, now to have the immediate past Chairman of the NPP joining forces to defend these ‘galamseyers’, it gives the impression that yes government, as it were, is not interested in fighting the menace”.
But in a statement responding to these concerns, Blay & Associates said: “It has come to our attention that there has been some misconceptions and the deliberate misconstruction of our decision to represent our clients in the case of the Republic Vs Shi Yang, Shi Meizhi, Li Wei Zuo and another (Our Client), we as a firm will like to clarify these issues.
BLAY • ASSOCIATES
“To us, it would seem that our clients are collateral victims of a matter that is of great national concern. We understand the deep seated anger and sentiment on any story on illegal mining evokes in Ghanaians. Even worse is when those accused are foreign nationals because of the extensive degradation and pollution of water bodies laid at their door steps.
“At Blay & Associates however, we believe in the inviolability of the judicial system. Blay & Associates is a firm that seeks to promote justice, ensure fair trial and seek to give fair representation.
“We as firm believers in our great 1992 Constitution of Ghana agreed to defend these clients having in mind these principles.”
Vice President of the Ghana Football Association [GFA], Mark Addo, says the technical team of the Black Stars will parade a strong squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Otto Addo’s side has come under intense criticism following last month’s international friendly where Ghana lost 3-0 to Brazil and pipped Nicaragua 1-0.
With less than two months to the start of the Mundial to kick off in Qatar, Mr. Addo believes a formidable team will be named for the tournament.
“The team [Black Stars] is restructuring in terms of the way they want to play and all the new players coming in,” he said.
“I am very confident that we will present a very strong team. You can see from the talents that we have a strong talent pool. I am sure we will do well.”
The Black Stars will play Switzerland on November 17, in their final pre-World Cup match, before the tournament starts three days later.
“When we play against Switzerland, you guys will see a very strong team that is prepared and ready to play for laurels.”
Ghana has been paired in Group H of the World Cup with Portugal, South Korea, and Uruguay.
Qatar 2022 starts on November 20, 2022, with Ghana’s first game against Portugal on November 24, 2022.
Hearts of Oak legend, Ishmael Addo says it’s painful to watch the club endure failure during their campaign in Africa.
The Ghana Premier League powerhouse having dominated the African continent in the late 2000s winning the Champions League and the Confederations Cup have failed to perform in recent times.
Hearts of Oak last season were booted out of the Champions Leaguefollowing a 6-2 aggregate loss to Wydad Casablanca.
In the Confederations Cup, the Phobians suffered a disappointing 4-2 aggregate defeat to JS Saoura.
In the second round of the first leg of the preliminary games of the 2022/23 CAF Confederations Cup, Hearts of Oak suffered a 3-0 defeat to Real Bamako over the weekend.
Addo, who was the top scorer in the Ghana Premier League three times with Hearts, isn’t happy with how his former club has regressed.
“It’s painful to watch Hearts of Oak play in Africa these days,” the retired striker said in an interview with Joy Sports.
“It’s really painful because you sit back after putting the team up there. You left with the idea that they would be better than where you actually put the team but you realize that the team keeps coming down and dropping.
“Even though we had our time and left, we still have something towards the team, we still have this passion, we still want the team to achieve better than what we achieved but now they are taking a step backwards.”
Addo was part of the last Hearts side to dominate the continent, having won the treble of Ghana Premier League, FA Cup, and CAF Champions League in 2000.
The Accra-based side also won the maiden edition of the CAF Confederations Cup in 2004 after beating domestic rivals Asante Kotoko in the final on penalties.
Meanwhile, Hearts of Oak will hope to overturn a three-goal deficit when they host Real Bamako at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Deontay Wilder believes a bout with Anthony Joshua is still “the number one fight in the world” as he prepares to make his return to action on Saturday.
Wilder, 36, last fought a year ago and faces Robert Helenius in New York on his comeback.
The heavyweight’s goal is to become world champion again, but Wilder also has big plans for a bout against Britain’s Joshua.
“I would love to do that fight in Africa,” he told BBC Sport.
“It’s still the number one fight in the world for everyone. Everywhere I go, people always talk about me versus Joshua.”
There have been several classic heavyweight encounters in Africa, including Muhammad Ali’s fight with George Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974.
“We both have roots from there,” Wilder explained.
“I think it would be an amazing place to have it, to go back home. To go back to the motherland. A continent full of our people. I can just see that being an amazing fight, win, lose or draw.
“I think we’ll get the respect and love from all the people over there.”
Joshua too ‘cautious’ – Wilder
Wilder seriously considered retirement after suffering successive stoppage defeats to Tyson Fury, but now says he plans to fight for another three years.
Joshua and Wilder were previously in talks about an undisputed fight in 2019 and 2020 when both men were still world champions.
Wilder held the WBC title while Joshua was the WBA (Super), WBO and IBF champion.
Joshua recently failed to reach terms with WBC champion Fury, but Wilder is confident a deal could be struck.
He said: “We’re serious and we just need them to be serious as well. We tried to make the fight and it didn’t happen. It’s a new day and time. All things are possible.”
Joshua, the two-time world champion, will also soon be on the comeback trail after suffering successive defeats to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Wilder believes the fights with Usyk, particularly the rematch in August, showed Joshua has a “stamina” problem.
“I just felt he was very cautious,” Wilder said of the Watford-born fighter.
“For me it looks like he has a real serious stamina problem. I feel like he didn’t want to exchange a lot because of that.
“It allowed him to fall back a little bit and not allow him to throw certain punches and combinations. I think if he fixed that you would see a better Joshua, not just in that fight but fights to come.
“I know if he’s able to get everything together, stamina and all that, I think you’ll see a different Anthony Joshua.”
Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone was emphatic that he has no interest in leaving his post after a decade in charge during his media availability for Wednesday’s Champions League fixture against the red-hot Club Brugge.
Simeone’s side are currently fourth on the LaLiga table, and also fourth in the Champions League’s Group B, trailing Brugge, Porto and Bayer Leverkusen after only scoring two goals total from three games.
A poor result against Brugge could spell the end of Atletico’s Champions League campaign, but with two LaLiga titles and two Champions League final appearances under his belt, Simeone said he understands the ups and downs that come with the job.
“I’m not going anywhere, I’m here,” he said. “I feel I have the same security as always. I was asked the other day if I saw myself somewhere else and my answer was no, absolutely.
“If I imagine that, it is because I am leaving, and I am not leaving, I am here. I hope to convey what I feel and that’s why I’ve been at this club for so many years.
“We know the importance of this game. We need to do well, for that we need to give our best and we need our fans to show up.
“We expected more from the first part of the season, but you always expect that. I see the players with great enthusiasm to improve. This is the way.”
🎙️ Simeone
❝We need to give our maximum on the pitch and we need the fans, because they are an important part of this club❞. pic.twitter.com/FkI9BsaK4T
Simeone also shouldered the blame for the form of Joao Felix, with the 22-year-old forward yet to score this season.
“Everything bad that Joao Felix does, I do it worse because it’s me who is not giving him what he needs to reach his potential,” he said.
“He hasn’t changed at all, his teammates who compete with him are better and the coach understands that.
“Joao is important for the club and for the team. In this campaign he has not found the most important thing for him, the goal, and that causes him frustration.”
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is looking forward to Sunday’s trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool, allowing some key players to rest during Tuesday’s 0-0 Champions League draw against FC Copenhagen.
City were bright early and had chances to take the lead, with a disallowed goal in the 11th minute and a saved penalty from Riyad Mahrez in the 25th, before Sergio Gomez was shown a straight red card that changed the game.
After controlling 66 per cent of the possession in a comfortable first half, that figure dipped to 46 per cent after the break as Copenhagen found a foothold into the game and fought hard for their point.
Speaking after the match, where star striker Erling Haaland was rested and starting midfielders Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva were only used as late substitutes, Guardiola said the compressed schedule with multiple games per week had finally started to catch up to some players.
“Many players didn’t start today because they were really, really, exhausted, tired and fatigued and had some niggles,” he said.
“Erling [Haaland] didn’t feel very good after the game against Southampton, Phil [Foden] had some problems, Bernardo [Silva] was so tired yesterday, he told us.
“The players, they feel better and I of course, didn’t want to take a risk. Of course, it was so important, but when we have nine points already in our pocket, we need one more game to qualify mathematically, ok we took one point, we played for that and we started really well.
“We cannot deny how well we played for the first minutes, knowing that it’s difficult. Their defence is so deep and well-organised and after that, those situations, the goal disallowed, the penalty, the sending off, the game changed, especially playing almost for an hour 10 against 11.”
When asked if this is a perfect time to face Liverpool – coming off a loss to Arsenal and with one fewer day of rest after they play Rangers on Wednesday – Guardiola said form goes out the window in fixtures this big.
“It’s the scale of the fixture when you have to go to Anfield,” he said. “It’s not about how you arrive, good or bad, you have to perform every time.
“We have four days [to prepare] – we travel right now, tomorrow we have regeneration, one day off, clear our minds, because for one or two weeks we’ve not had a day off with a game every three days, and after that we’ll prepare the game against Liverpool.”
Neymar “is boring as hell” with his antics on the pitch but is still one of the best footballers in the world, according to Benfica midfielder Joao Mario.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar had a number of running disputes with Benfica players during Tuesday’s 1-1 draw in the Champions League.
While he was unable to find the net in two appearances against the Portuguese side over the past week, the 30-year-old made an impression on Joao Mario.
“Neymar plays well, but he can be boring as hell on the pitch,” a smiling Joao Mario told TNT Sports Brasil. “But he’s one of the best players in the world, a very talented player.
“I think he needs to bicker with players on the field, and that’s perfectly normal. It’s a pleasure to play against him. He is someone really different, as we have seen.”
Mbappe gave PSG the lead from the penalty spot and moved above Edinson Cavani outright as the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with his 31st goal.
However, Joao Mario converted a spot-kick of his own to score for the second time in three outings in the competition, having failed to net in any of his first 19 appearances.
Benfica are level on eight points with PSG after four matches, with next opponents Juventus five points worse off, meaning a draw in two weeks’ time will send them through.
Rather than settle for second place, though, Joao Mario insists his side are aiming to finish above heavyweights PSG for what should be a more favourable last-16 tie.
“We are two wins away from achieving first place,” he said. “This club and this team have everything to fight for.
“The objective is to pass the group stage and if possible in first place, even better.”
Jurgen Klopp has hit back at criticism by Dietmar Hamann suggesting his Liverpool job could be in doubt.
The Anfield club have made their worst start to a Premier League season under the German boss after picking up just 10 points from their first eight games following Sunday’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.
Hamman, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, said questions may be asked of the manager if results do not improve and added that the Merseysiders need to find a “spark”.
Those comments were put to Klopp ahead of their trip to face Rangers at Ibrox in the Champions League tonight.
He said: “Oh great, he is a fantastic source. Well respected everywhere.
“[Being a former Liverpool player] doesn’t give you the right to say what you want, especially when you have no idea.
“I actually think Didi Hamann doesn’t deserve that you use his phrase when asking a question. Do me a favour and ask your own question. Try to ask the question without the word ‘spark’.”
Reds fighting on
Klopp’s misery was compounded after it was confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip are both out for up to three weeks with injury, while Luis Diaz will be sidelined until after the World Cup.
They add to the list of casualties the Reds are contending with, with Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and summer loan signing Arthur Melo unavailable for the trip north of the border.
While currently up against it, Klopp preferred to see the positive side of the situation and vowed that his team will come out fighting in Glasgow this evening.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury dealt a further blow to Liverpool following their 3-2 defeat to Arsenal
He added: “If you sleep on a problem, sometimes you realise life goes on. I just stood there at Arsenal and we had lost the game. I knew already that we had three big injuries.
“So how can I, in this moment, not feel downbeat? It’s not possible.
“But then you get information on the injuries step-by-step and it’s two or three weeks rather than my fear of eight weeks for Alexander-Arnold. The other injury, for Matip, is not too long as well and the other is out for as long as we expected.
“This is a tough situation but it is also a challenge. We always face challenges but we go for it and I am sorry to all our people that after last season we go again and it’s not the case that we are competing for everything.
“I cannot promise that we will fly tomorrow but we will fight, definitely, until someone tells us the fight is over.
“It hasn’t got easier since Sunday because of the injuries but the team I saw in training I liked a lot. So let’s give it a go.”
Ibrox cauldron
Rangers midfielder John Lundstram wants to use the “aura” of Ibrox to get the better of Liverpooltonight.
The Gers are participating in Europe’s elite competition for the first time in 12 years but have begun their Group A campaign with three defeats from three and no goals scored.
They head into tonight’s clash with the second-placed Reds as underdogs despite their opponents’ patchy start.
But Liverpudlian Lundstram, 28, insisted the atmosphere may give the home side an extra edge, just as it did during their run to the Europa League final last term.
John Lundstram is eager to harness the Ibrox atmosphere tonight
The boyhood Reds fan said: “There’s something special about Ibrox on European nights. Anyone who has been here will have felt the atmosphere, felt the aura around the place.
“There’s just something that happens underneath the lights here, I don’t know what it is, I can’t put my finger on it.
“It gets everyone and gives you a lift. There’s something in the air and hopefully that can be the same again tomorrow.”
Liverpool were 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture at Anfield last week, with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s outfit struggling to put up much of a fight against last season’s Champions League finalists.
Determined to present more of a challenge this time, the former Sheffield United ace added: “It’s great to come up against these players but they’re on the other team.
“You’ve got to block that out and play your own game and show them respect to a certain extent, but at the same time show them no respect as well.
“We have to try and get in amongst it.
“A lot of players can be great players when you have time on the ball, I think we’re great players when we have time on the ball but when you get up in someone’s face, things change.
“Hopefully if we can do that and our midfield match their midfield, that will be key.
“As long as we’re up against them and laying a glove on them, hopefully we can get something.”
Calvin Bassey made a summer switch to Ajax after a stunning season for Rangers.
The Gers received a club-record £20million for the defender, who formed an integral part of their run to the Europa League final last term.
But Bassey’s heralded arrival quickly turned sour as he was sent off on his debut against PSV Eindhoven in a Dutch Super Cup defeat in July.
Ahead of Ajax’s trip to Napoli tonight, we turn the spotlight on the 22-year-old and his difficult start to life in Amsterdam.
Big move
Bassey had been linked with Premier League clubs as well as those on the continent after his exploits in Glasgow.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s appointment last November saw him utilised in his preferred centre-half position after being used as a full-back by Steven Gerrard.
It allowed Bassey to finally thrive after swapping Leicester for Ibrox in 2020.
He played every minute of their run to the Europa League final once Van Bronckhorst came in and only missed Scottish Premiership action when he was being rested for their European exploits.
That is why Ajax made their move in the summer once Lisandro Martinez’s departure to Manchester United became inevitable.
Brutal assessment
Calvin Bassey’s pass map in the Champions League this term
After thrashing Bassey’s old club Rangers 4-0 in their first Champions League game this term, the Dutch giants’ European form has nosedived, while they sit second in the Eredivisie behind surprise leaders AZ Alkmaar.
A defeat at Liverpool was followed by a 6-1 thrashing at home to Napoli — and Bassey endured a torrid evening.
Ex-Ajax player turned pundit Wim Kieft said: “Calvin Bassey playing football hurts my eyes. Apart from his lack of quality on the ball, he is above all very rash.
“Physically, he is fine, but Ajax cannot play the dominant game they like with him in the team.”
Dose of realism
Bassey is not fazed by the step up in class nor the focus on his performances though.
Speaking last month, before the Napoli humbling, he was fully aware that his game was not yet up to scratch at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
He said: “In terms of learning the game and how to build up from the back, I still have a lot of work to do at Ajax.
“That’s why their interest came as a shock for me because I am a much bigger defender than the type they normally go for — look at Lisandro Martinez, for example.
“English-type players hardly ever go to Ajax or even abroad in general — but it was a no-brainer for me.”
Passing emphasis
The change needed in Bassey’s game is evident when you look at the difference in stats between seasons.
During Rangers’ Europa League run, he was attempting 48.33 passes per 90 minutes. In Europe this year, that has leapt to 86.33.
Defensively he is making more tackles, more interceptions and more clearances than last term and more is expected of the Nigeria international.
Even though his passing accuracy has improved to 92.28%, that is still being picked apart by the Dutch media.
Ex-Ajax and PSV midfielder Marciano Vink said: “From the first moment I watched Bassey on his debut, I was shocked at how bad his passing was.
“I believe that he is very strong and that he is powerful in the tackle, but at Ajax, something more is demanded, especially if you want to play the passing game.
“To blame everything on Bassey is a bit harsh, but I think he is typical of the scouting and purchasing from the club. When he gets the ball, there is no danger to an opponent. He has to improve quickly.”
Promising signs
Calvin Bassey scored his first goal for Ajax at the weekend
It is not all doom and gloom for Bassey though and he scored his first goal for the club in the 4-2 win at FC Volendam last Saturday.
After missing the first two Eredivisie clashes following his red card suspension, boss Alfred Schreuder has picked him for every game.
Bassey has overcome hurdles in his career before and his attitude shows he is willing to do so again.
But it has to happen quickly or Schreuder may feel benching the summer signing is the only option — keeping Napoli quiet tonight would be a good start.
Jim Ratcliffe says he has been told Manchester United are not for sale by the Glazer family and he “can’t sit around waiting” for the club to become available.
Britain’s richest man, chairman of INEOS, stated in August he would be keen to strike a deal should the Glazers be willing to sell up.
There have been multiple protests against the club’s owners from supporters, including one in May 2021 that saw United’s match against Liverpool postponed.
But any hopes fans had of a changing of the guard at Old Trafford have been dampened by Ratcliffe,who met with Joel and Avram Glazer.
“Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family, whom I have met,” Ratcliffe, told the Financial Times. “I’ve met Joel [Glazer] and Avram [Glazer] and they are the nicest people, I have to say.
“They are proper gentlemen, really nice people, and they don’t want to sell it. It’s owned by the six children of the father and they don’t want to sell it.”
Ratcliffe was one of several figures who made bids to buy Chelsea before Todd Boehly’s successful candidacy earlier this year, and the boyhood United fan acknowledged he would have tried to make a bid in the wake of his Blues failure.
“If it had been for sale in the summer, yes, we would have probably had a go following on from the Chelsea thing,” he added. “But we can’t sit around hoping that one day Manchester United will become available.”
The Attorney GeneralGodfred Dame has told an Accra High Court that the state has evidence to prove that some four foreigners charged as accomplices of galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang were indeed engaged in illegal mining activities.
The Attorney General, during proceedings on October 11, 2022, told the court that the evidence gathered by the state against the suspects include five receipts issued to the foreign nationals as proof of purchase of small-scale mining sites.
According to the Attorney General, the suspects were engaged in criminality as the laws of Ghana bar foreigners from engaging in small-scale mining.
The four suspects are made up of three Chinese nationals; Shi Yang alias Philip, Li Wei Guo and Shi Mei Zhi, as well as a Vietnamese national, identified as Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen.
They are all facing a provisional charge of engaging in small scale-mining without a licence, contrary to section 99(2)(a) of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) as amended by Act 995 of 2019.
However, the Vietnamese national is facing a separate charge for remaining in Ghana after the expiration of a permit contrary to sections 20(1) and 52(1)(d) of the Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573).
The three Chinese nationals have all pleaded not guilty to their charge while the court was compelled to defer the plea of the fourth suspect due to the absence of an interpreter.
Responding to the prosecution’s evidence against the suspects, their lawyer, Lucie Ekelebe Blay who was holding brief for Freddie Blay challenged the substance of the receipt.
According to the lawyer for the accused persons, the supposed purchase of mining sites by her clients did not materialise as they were duped in the process.
Her argument nonetheless was deemed as enough grounds to prove the prosecution’s case according to the Attorney General.
In his response to the defence lawyer, Godfred Yeboah Dame maintained that the suspects breached the law by their attempt to own a mining concession as the law prohibits foreigners from engaging in small scale mining.
The court, citing various factors such as the nature of the alleged offence committed by the suspects, their flight risk possibility and the severity of punishment if they are found guilty, denied the four bail till the end of their trial.
The case against the four has been adjourned to Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
The state’s case against alleged galamsey kingpin Aisha Huang was called after that of her alleged accomplices was adjourned.
Presiding Judge Lydia Osei Marfo, during a sitting on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, refused the plea of her lawyer, Nkrabea Effah Dartey, after the latter argued that his client deserved bail.
According to the judge, all arguments previously made against his plea for bail, including his client’s flight risk, remain and will not be changed.
She added that his constant presence in court with his client would be the only way to ensure the case is heard accordingly for the determination of his client’s fate.
State Prosecutor Godfred Dame, on his part, reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring the case is duly heard and that the accused are prosecuted if found guilty.
Aisha Huang is in court over charges of mining without a license and engaging in the sale and purchase of minerals, four other charges, including undertaking a mining operation without a license.
She is also facing four other charges, including undertaking a mining operation without a license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, illegal employment of foreign nationals, and entering Ghana while prohibited from re-entry were filed at the Criminal Division of the Accra High Court on Friday, September 16, 2022.
Her case has since been adjourned to October 24, 2022, for case management.
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)
&w=707&quality=100)