Category: Athletic

Ghanaian football legend, Asamoah Gyan, recently held a meeting with Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the President of Zimbabwe.

Gyan used his social media platform to broadcast his encounter with President Mnangagwa, highlighting their dialogue on African youth welfare.

“I’ve dedicated the last few days to fostering significant partnerships in Southern Africa, aiming to enhance the welfare of the youth in Ghana and beyond.

“Meeting President @edmnangagwa at the State House in Harare to deliberate on the future of Africa was a privilege. I’m elated to have had this chance,” Gyan expressed in a tweet dated Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

The news of Asamoah Gyan’s Zimbabwean visit was initially revealed by media figure and ex-Asante Kotoko management member, Dentaa Amoateng.

She divulged that the Ghanaian footballer journeyed to Zimbabwe bearing an assortment of Ghanaian meals.

Amoateng, through a TikTok post, displayed the extensive selection of dishes Gyan and his companion, Franklin sent to Zimbabwe.

The variet
y encompassed traditional Ga kenkey, fiery shito, sardines, corned beef, fried fish, loaves of bread, canned milk, and gari, ensuring a homely flavor while overseas.

Gyan’s status as Ghana’s most formidable forward is well-established, boasting a remarkable count of 51 goals at the international level.

His World Cup feats stand out, having scored six goals-a pioneering record for an African player.

Over the past few days, I’ve spent my time in Southern Africa building meaningful partnerships to advance the well-being of young people in Ghana and beyond.

Source: Ghana Web

Head coach of Ghana’s U17 side, Laryea Kingston has expressed his dissatisfaction with his side’s style of play despite clinching an emphatic 5-1 win over Ivory Coast in the opening game of the 2024 WAFU Zone B Under-17 tournament at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.

Joseph Narbi’s brace and goals from Godfred Sarpong, Harve Gbafa and Mark Mensah sealed the win for the Black Starlets.

Speaking after the game, the ex-Black Stars player said he wanted the Black Starlets to take control of the game and dictate play.

Kingston said, ‘Throughout the preparation for this tournament, we’ve dominated play. In our last tournament, we lost against Russia, first 15 minutes we were down by 3-0 but we dominated the game. Against Serbia and a friendly against Niger, we dominated play as well.

‘This is the first time some of my players are playing on home soil and I felt they were a little jittery. We have to manage play and do our best. Sometimes we try to play 1,2,3 passes but for me, as a technical person I’m no
t satisfied with the way we played,’ he stated.

‘We did not dominate play today, we just got the results and in the upcoming game you will see our style,’ Kingston said.

Ghana’s next group game will be against Benin on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

Source: Ghana Web

Premier League clubs will vote on whether to scrap video assistant referees (VAR) from next season at their annual general meeting next month.

Wolves have formally submitted a resolution to the Premier League which will trigger a vote when the 20 member clubs meet in Harrogate on 6 June.

The club said VAR was introduced “in good faith” but has led to “numerous unintended negative consequences that are damaging the relationship between fans and football”.

VAR was introduced in 2019 to help support on-field officials with key match decisions, but there have been a number of controversial incidents involving the technology this season.

“The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game,” read a Wolves statement.

The Premier League said it “acknowledged the concerns” about VAR but “fully supports” the technology and will continue to work with referees’ body PGMOL to make improvements.

Any rule changes need a two-thirds majority – 14 of of the 20 clubs – to vote
in favour.

Premier League clubs have already voted for semi-automated offside technology to be introduced for the 2024-25 season.

Source: Ghana Web

England midfielder of Ghanaian heritage, Kobbie Mainoo, netted the first goal for Manchester United on Wednesday evening, propelling the team to a 3-2 victory over Newcastle United.

The promising young player was in the starting eleven for the Red Devils in their notable Round 34 clash with the Magpies.

At Old Trafford, Kobbie Mainoo scored in the 31st minute, providing Manchester United with the lead after receiving an assist from Amad Diallo.

This goal gave Manchester United the advantage going into halftime.

In the second half, Anthony Gordon scored for Newcastle United in the 49th minute, bringing the score level once again.

Nonetheless, subsequent goals from Amad Diallo and Rasmus Hojlund enabled Manchester United to secure a hard-earned 3-2 win.

Lewis Hall, another emerging talent, scored Newcastle United’s second consolation goal during injury time.

With his goal in the match, Kobbie Mainoo has now tallied three goals for Manchester United in this season’s English Premier League.

Source: Ghana
Web

Ghanaian players Michael Baidoo and Jalal Abdulai were instrumental in Elfsborg’s commanding 6-1 triumph over AIK in the Swedish Allsvenskan match on Wednesday night.

Baidoo demonstrated his skill by scoring and assisting, while Abdulai showcased his striking abilities with a double, overwhelming AIK.

At the Borås Arena, Baidoo’s brilliance was on full display as he initiated the scoring with a superb right-footed strike from a challenging angle in the 51st minute and then provided the assist for Abdulai’s first goal just 6 minutes into the contest.

Abdulai’s impact was just as significant, with a left-footed shot in the 6th minute and a header in the 18th minute, both set up by his teammates, asserting Elfsborg’s early control.

Although AIK had the upper hand in possession and attempts, Elfsborg’s precise finishing was the game-changer, with Ahmed Qasem also contributing to the scoresheet with a header shortly before the break and a penalty kick towards the end.

This decisive win enhances Elfsborg’s hea
d-to-head record against AIK to 8 victories. Baidoo and Abdulai’s performances continue to impress in the 2024 Swedish Allsvenskan season, with Baidoo accumulating three goals and two assists in eight matches, and Abdulai netting twice within the same number of appearances.

Source: Ghana Web

Ghana international Jojo Wollacott delivered a fine performance for Hibernian on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, when the team secured a 3-0 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

The Black Stars goalkeeper was in the starting lineup for his team in their Week 37 fixture.

Guarding the goal for the hosts, Jojo Wollacott made several good saves and maintained a clean sheet at the end of the 90 minutes, helping his team clinch all three points.

Hibernian was ahead by two goals at halftime, thanks to strikes from Myziane Maolida and Martin Boyle.

After the break, Martin Boyle found the net again to complete his brace, sealing a significant win for Hibernian against Motherwell.

Wollacott’s performance in today’s game is particularly important ahead of the June international break.

He needed the playing time to secure a spot in the Ghana squad for the upcoming matches against Mali and the Central African Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Source: Ghana Web

Black Stars striker, Antoine Semenyo, has revealed how he faced several rejections at clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, and others in his early years as a youth player.

Antoine Semenyo, who grew up in the United Kingdom, dreamt of playing in some of the well-established clubs in England but unfortunately, he was never given the chance.

Speaking about the challenges he faced as a young player, Semenyo said, “I think I went to Millwall four times, went to Tottenham, went to Arsenal, went to Chelsea, I went to so many clubs and I just got the same result: never making it. I remember Palace being the last place being rejected.”

The Bournemouth forward noted that at one point nearly he gave up on football to focus on his education after several rejections.

“Being so young I couldn’t really cope with the emotions of rejection. I was like, I felt like I needed to take a break, go back to friends, go back to school, just focus and recuperate, give myself a year to calm myself down because I felt like the re
jection was so much,” the striker said on SuperSport.

Adding, “That was obviously a tough part of my life but yeah, I felt like it built character and the mentality I have now, so I’m grateful.”

Semenyo’s breakthrough in football was at Bristol City where he went through the ranks as a youth player before earning promotion to play in the senior team.

Source: Ghana Web

Premier League clubs will vote on whether to scrap video assistant referees (VAR) from next season at their annual general meeting next month.

Wolves have formally submitted a resolution to the Premier League which will trigger a vote when the 20 member clubs meet in Harrogate on 6 June.

The club said VAR was introduced “in good faith” but has led to “numerous unintended negative consequences that are damaging the relationship between fans and football”.

VAR was introduced in 2019 to help support on-field officials with key match decisions, but there have been a number of controversial incidents involving the technology this season.

“The price we are paying for a small increase in accuracy is at odds with the spirit of our game,” read a Wolves statement.

The Premier League said it “acknowledged the concerns” about VAR but “fully supports” the technology and will continue to work with referees’ body PGMOL to make improvements.

Any rule changes need a two-thirds majority – 14 of of the 20 clubs – to vote
in favour.

Premier League clubs have already voted for semi-automated offside technology to be introduced for the 2024-25 season.

Source: Ghana Web