Click on any of the links below to watch the game. Kickoff ic 11:30GMT.
Lineups
Brighton XI: Steele; Veltman, Dunk, Van Hecke, Hinshelwood; Milner, Gilmour; Minteh, Joao Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck.
Man Utd XI: Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Dalot; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Mount, Rashford; Fernandes
Leicester City have completed the signing of experienced Ghanaian forward Jordan Ayew from Crystal Palace.
The 32-year-old has agreed to a two-year deal, subject to FA and Premier League approval.
Ayew, who has represented Ghana at two Fifa World Cups and six Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, brings a wealth of experience to the Foxes’ attack.
He made 212 appearances across all competitions during his six seasons with Crystal Palace, scoring 23 goals and earning multiple accolades, including the club’s Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season awards in 2019/20.
Ayew’s career began in Ligue 1 with Marseille, where he made 111 league appearances and scored 14 goals. He later had stints with FC Sochaux and FC Lorient before moving to the Premier League with Aston Villa in 2015. After a successful period with Swansea City, Ayew joined Crystal Palace, initially on loan before securing a permanent move in 2019.
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has strengthened his attacking options with Ayew’s addition as the Foxes gear up for their upcoming Premier League fixture against Fulham.
Jordan Ayew is expected to link up with his new teammates ahead of the match.
The Club Licensing Department of the Ghana Football Association has announced its preliminary Decisions on Match Venues submitted by GPL clubs with respect to the infrastructure criteria for their respective licence application processes.
The decisions were taken based on the inspection reports reviewed after the inspection exercises undertaken at the various stadiums from August 8 to August 21, 2024.
The clubs have all received the detailed reports and decisions of the inspection team and the necessary actions to be taken.
Only four match venues – Dr. Kwame Kyei Sports Complex, Nsenkyire Sports Arena, Dun’s Park, and the WAFA Park were deemed fully approved for the upcoming season.
The rest are grouped into two, those with outstanding issues and those that are not satisfactory.
The Department shall conduct re-inspection for the affected clubs on the 30th of August 2024 before final decisions are taken.
Summary of Decisions:
Leicester City is close to finalizing the signing of Jordan Ayew from Crystal Palace, with the Ghanaian forward undergoing a medical on Thursday afternoon.
The transfer follows a deal between the two clubs, agreeing on an £8 million fee, which is a significant increase from Leicester’s initial £4 million offer that Palace had declined.
Ayew, who will turn 33 next month, has been a key player for Crystal Palace since 2018, with over 200 appearances and 23 goals to his name.
However, under new manager Oliver Glasner, Ayew’s role at Palace has been reduced, leading to less playing time. He came on as a substitute in the second half of Palace’s Premier League opener against Brentford last weekend.
Leicester City manager Steve Cooper, who has previously worked with Ayew’s older brother Andre at Nottingham Forest and Swansea City, is keen to bring the experienced forward into his squad.
Ayew’s extensive Premier League experience is viewed as a valuable addition for Leicester, as they look to bolster their squad for the upcoming season.
The club also hopes to secure two more attacking players before the transfer window closes next week, as they continue to strengthen their forward options.
Should the medical be successful, Ayew is expected to join Leicester’s squad and could play a significant role in their Premier League campaign this season.
Let us be plain. Let us be clear and true. Every organisation or corporate institution not necessarily owned or headed by a politician but then operating in a typical, partisan and polarised political environment like ours would do what Nsoatreman FC did.
Some commentators say, they publicly put their General Manager, Eric Alagidede on a noose. However true that may seem, the club was stating in no ambiguous terms that his personal views on the NPP campaign promise to give buses to Ghana Premier League clubs do not represent that of the club.
It is often difficult to isolate the views of leaders from that of the entities they lead particularly when those views are uncomplimentary in the opinion of the public. Those views would easily make news because like it or not, negative sells fast. At the public square, leaders must always be wary of what they say.
One thing is unmistakably true to me in my analysis of the issue. The Board of Nsoatreman FC are being politically correct, even if we are accepting that their General Manager’s view, that the bus promise to GPL clubs by Dr. Bawumia is superfluous, must not be taken to be that of club especially when the bankroller of the club is of the NPP.
What the club’s Board and Management are not seeing is that their General Manager spoke the language of domestic football fans who know the problems of our club football and can tell that buses to GPL clubs would not necessarily improve their lot.
Nsoatreman, as a matter of corporate practice, can distance themselves from their manager’s views but on the ground, it will change nothing. Football fans across the country, who are voters too, appreciate the reality better. In their political correctness, Nsoatreman are detaching themselves from reality.
Anyway, do not blame Dr. Bawumia for the bus promise. In 2023, the GFA President, Kurt Okraku, in a typical campaign speech, made a similar yet-to-be-fulfilled promise to Division One clubs. At that, even the Kurt diehards knew it was a wild campaign pledge. Some did not believe that it was what the clubs needed.
Therefore, Eric Alagidede’s opinion on the bus promise and whether it is realistic or necessary now, is not new to the domestic football populace. The politicians can make their promises about anything, but the people know which one is necessary to their present state of life.
Nsoatreman can also react any way they want to, either in tandem with organisational practice or political correctness. The reality, over time, will always dawn on all of us. For my friend Eric, known for his frank, assertive views, please next time, be sure your superiors will accept what you say before you go public. You are a good football brain.
By Jerome Otchere
Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube Channel on Wednesday, with millions of subscribers signing up within hours.
The Portugal international uploaded 19 videos on his ‘UR Cristiano’ channel that features content of himself and his family.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on Instagram.
It was an immediate hit as within 90 minutes, the Al Nassr forward had broken the world record for becoming the fastest channel to hit one million subscribers. He now has 15.4m and counting.
Ronaldo, 39, posted a video on Instagram showing his children a gold “play button” plaque that was given to him from YouTube for surpassing the one million subscribers.
He wrote: “A present for my family ❤️ Thank you to all the SIUUUbscribers!”
While Ronaldo quickly surpassed the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s subscriber count of 2.31m, he still has a long way to reach Mr. Beast, the top-subscribed YouTuber on the platform with 331m.
It’s not the first the former Real Madrid and Manchester United start has set records on social media.
Ronaldo has 170m followers on Facebook, 112.6m on X and a whopping 636m on Instagram.
Source: ESPN
Henok Tesfamikael Zerom is the centre referee for the CAF Champions League preliminary round 2nd leg match between Ghanaian champions FC Samartex and Cameroon’s Victoria United.
The 34-year-old Eritrean will be joined by fellows Sirak Samuel Menghis (Assistant I), Adel Salih Hamid (Assistant II), and Musie Beyene Tewelde (Fourth Official).
Sinko Zeli from Cote d’Ivoire will serve as the Match Commissioner.
FC Samartex 1996 lead in the tie, having secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg in Cameroon.
The return leg is set to kick off at 15:00 on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Lesotho’s Lebalang Martin Mokete has been appointed as the referee for the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round second leg match between Elect Sport from Chad and Ghana’s Nsoatreman FC.
Mokete, 34, will be supported by fellow Lesotho officials Moses Mapoho (Assistant I), Siza Shaun Dlagamandla (Assistant II), and Retselisitsoe David Molise (Fourth Official).
Jean Marie Koyakobo from the Central African Republic will serve as the Match Commissioner.
The match is set to kick off at 15:00 on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaounde – a neutral venue.
Back in 2021, Mokete was attacked by Kenyan giants Gor Mahia in a Caf Confederation Cup playoff against NAPSA.
Elect-Sport suffered a 3-0 defeat in Accra and will need to overturn the result in Cameroon.
The Chad side competes against coach Yaw Preko, who has vowed to produce a better performance than their recent, to qualify for the next stage.
New Medeama SC striker Francis Andy Kumi has revealed that he turned down an offer from Accra Hearts of Oak to join the Tarkwa-based club.
The 25-year-old first made his mark in the Ghana Premier League with Asante Kotoko three years ago, but injuries hampered his progress, leading to subsequent stints with Bechem United and Kotoku Royals. He later moved to Serbian side Radnicki, but his time there was cut short, ending after the 2023/24 season. Now a free agent, Kumi has chosen to return home to relaunch his career, but not with the Accra giants.
Kumi explained that his decision to join Medeama was driven by a desire to contribute to the club’s rebuilding efforts after their inability to defend their league title last season.
“Hearts of Oak had discussions with my agent but I chose Medeama,” Kumi told Kessben FM.
“Joining Medeama doesn’t mean Hearts of Oak is not a good club. It was my personal decision to join Medeama.
“I have been able to play for Kotoko so I think I can equally play for Hearts of Oak very simple,” Kumi added rejecting suggestion that he avoided the pressure that comes with playing for the Phobians.
The Mauves quality
Kumi – who is on a two-year contract – also expressed his admiration for the talent within the Medeama squad, noting the high level of competition and dedication among the players and coaching staff.
“There’s so much quality at Medeama SC, just that players don’t enjoy the hype” he remarked.
“From the technical team to the players, everyone is focused and committed. It’s a great environment for any player who wants to succeed.”
Kumi added that the intensity in training is driving the team to improve continuously, which he believes will be crucial as they aim to reclaim the league title.
“The level of competition in training is intense, and that’s what will push us to achieve more as a team. I’m excited to be part of this group and to contribute to the club’s success.”
Andy Kumi’s arrival is expected to provide Medeama with the attacking firepower they need as they gear up for the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Source: Footyghana
The General Manager of Nsoatreman FC, Eric Alagidede has expressed concerns regarding the proposed sports policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as the 2024 General Elections approach.
During a campaign event in Takoradi, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia outlined plans to enhance football infrastructure, specifically for Ghana Premier League Clubs.
However, some members of the football community, including Alagidede, view Dr. Bawumia’s proposals as unrealistic and not aligned with the immediate needs of Ghanaian clubs.
In an interview on GHOne TV, Alagidede questioned the practicality of the government’s sports initiatives, particularly the idea of providing buses to Premier League clubs.
“I don’t think there is a Premier League club without a bus. These are not the immediate needs of clubs in Ghana, if you ask me.
“We have consistently, government after government, asked for a tax rebate for the clearing of sports goods.”
Alagidede continued: “I went to pick up Nsoatreman jerseys at the airport and was asked to pay GHC9000 in taxes.
“These are things we expect people around the Vice President and have knowledge about sports to be advising him and others who seek to take over power.”
The 2024/25 Ghana Premier League commences early September and the strength of Ghana’s facilities as well as the clubs will be tested once again.