Former Chelsea star, John Obi Mikel has secured a surprise move to Kuwait Sporting Club in the Kuwaiti Premier League.
The 34-year-old ex-Nigeria captain mutually cancelled his one-year contract extension with English Championship club Stoke City on Thursday, July 1, 2021, to complete a move to the Asian country.
The 2013 Afcon-winning midfielder agreed to a new one-year contract with Kuwait SC. It includes an option to extend.
After the conclusion of the deal, he said: “I am very happy to sign for Kuwait SC, I thank the President of Kuwait SC for the trust that he has given to me to come to Kuwait,” Mikel said in a video posted on Kuwaiti’s Instagram page.
“I promise to be on my best level to help the team to make sure that together as a team we can achieve a great season next year and hopefully we can be successful.”
The deal takes Mikel back to Asia where he spent two years with Tianjin Teda after he joined the Chinese side following his departure from Chelsea in January 2017.
Since leaving Chelsea, Mikel had spells with Championship side Middlesbrough and Trabzonspor in Turkey before signing for Stoke City last summer.
He made 41 appearances and provided one assist for Stoke City as they finished 14th in the English Championship last season.
Asante Kotoko have to do without the services of three key players when they host city rivals King Faisal in a Ghana Premier League match-day 32 derby clash at Len Clay Stadium on Saturday.
The Porcupine Warriors, in a pre-game update Friday, announced that two players – Habib Mohammed and Christopher Nettey – are nursing injuries from their defeat to Hearts of Oak last weekend while left-back Patrick Asmah has also taken ill.
— Asante Kotoko SC (@AsanteKotoko_SC) July 2, 2021
Fit-again Kwame Adom Frimpong, Samuel Frimpong and Imoro Ibrahim are expected to step into the starting line-up as coach Mariano Barreto looks to lead his charges to a positive response to the blow to their title quest.
A win for Asante Kotoko against relegation-threatened King Faisal will move them level on points with league leaders Hearts of Oak who play guests to Ebusua Dwarfs in the last fixture of match-day 32 Sunday night.
Tema Youth moved back to the top of the table following a 2-0 win over Accra City stars on Sunday to leapfrog Accra Lions who lost to Nania by a goal to nil.
The Harbour Warriors have been consistent all season – winning 15 of their League matches – drawing 10 and losing one.
They play Agbozume Weavers on match day 27 of the Division One League on Sunday. Weavers lie in 14th place with 14 points – 41 points behind the League leaders.
Accra Lions thrashed Okyeman Planners 4-0 on Friday while Accra City take on Mighty Jets at MATS Park on Saturday.
Venomous Vipers will test the might of Bibiani Gold Stars at the Robert Mensah stadium on Saturday. The match day 27 fixture pits the League leaders against the mid table club.
Gold Stars lead Zone two with 60 points while Vipers sits in 13th place with 26 points. With just four games to end the season, the Bibiani based club have a great chance of making their first Premier League appearance.
Gold Stars have shown dexterity and character all season winning 18 – drawing 6 and recording two defeats. Prince Kwabena Owusu is the leading scorer in the Zone with 18 after 26 League matches. Vipers need the points badly to avoid relegation as they sit in 13th place – only one point above the relegation zone.
At Nana Gyamfi Park at Bekwai – New Edubiase United will host second placed Skyy FC on Saturday. Seventeen points separate the two teams – Edubiase are in 4th place with 36 points – while Skyy FC is are in second place with 53 points.
Elsewhere at Azulealanu – Nzema Kotoko will host FC Samartex 1996 in the Western derby.
Zone One leaders Real Tamale United will trek to Sunyani to face B.A United on match day 27 of the Division One League at the Coronation Park on Sunday. The match is of significant importance to Real Tamale United as they push for their first Premier League appearance in 8 years.
RTU sit at the top of the table with 53 points – one point ahead of Boafoakwa Tano and 19 points richer than B.A United who have amassed 34 points and sit in 9th place in the League table.
They travel to an enemy’s territory on Sunday for one of the most difficult games in the season – knowing that a slip will tilt things in favour of Bofoakwa who play Crocodile Stars 24 hours earlier.
The title race in Zone One will go down to the wire following the consistent display of the first three clubs in the League log.
Aside RTU (53) and Bofoakwa Tano (52), Berekum Arsenal (50) also have a chance of making it into the Ghanaian top flight next season.
Third placed Berekum Arsenal will face Wa Suntaa at the Golden city Park on Sunday.
Portuguese Primera Liga outfit CD Santa Clara have secured the services of Ghanaian defender Kennedy Boateng on a free transfer.
The central defender joins his new e loyers in a two-year contract with an option to extend.
Boateng left Austrian Bundesliga side, SV Ried, after his contract expired at the end of the 2020/2021 campaign.
The 24-year-old made 22 appearances for Ried in the Austrian top division, providing one assist in the process.
“I’m very happy to be able to be in CD Santa Clara and in Portuguese football. It’s a huge challenge and I’ll try to match the trust they placed in me,” Boateng expressed after sealing the move.
Boateng moved from WAFA SC to LASK Linz in August 2016 before signing for Ried on loan in July 2017.
He moved permanently to Ried in July 2019 in the Austrian second-tier and helped them to secure promotion to the top-flight in the 2019/2020 season.
KGL Group has responded to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s appeal by signing a One Million dollars ($1,000,000) support package with the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the support of the National Football Teams.
According the company, the package is in fulfillment of their commitment and support towards sports development in response to the call on corporate institutions to support the Sports Ministry and will be specially focused on augmenting the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) efforts in preparing the national football teams, especially the Black Stars, to partake in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Present at the official agreement signing event were Youth and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif (Hon.), President of the Ghana Football Association Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, Executive Council Member Samuel Anim Addo, General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo (Esq.), Director of Marketing Jamil Maraby and Henry Asante Twum, Director of Communications.
Alex Dadey, Executive Chairman, Ken Mpare, Director of Corporate Affairs, Ato Williams, a Director, Christian Salamouni, Technical Director and Clyde Gaze, Marketing Director represented KGL Group at the ceremony.
Speaking at the event Corporate Affairs Director of KGL Group, Ken Mpare expressed pleasure at the official agreement signing signifying the start of the partnership.
“KGL’s social accountability goes beyond just giving back to society or charity cases, but encompasses the complete integration of KGL’s business divisions and operations to impact all aspects of society economically, socially, and environmentally.” he said.
He reiterated KGL Group’s continued support to the GFA and the Ministry of Youth and Sports in exploring areas of collaboration towards the collective goal of sports development including social impact across sports through the group’s CSR wing, the KGL Foundation.
In receiving the presentation, the Minister for Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif expressed his delight about the collaboration towards developing sport especially with the support geared towards the national teams.
The Sports Minister promised that the resources will be managed appropriately and channeled towards fulfilling the intended objective and to achieve the expiration of Ghanaians.
President of the GFA, Mr. Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku added that “this move will go a long way in helping the institution’s quest towards repositioning Ghana football as the nation’s premier sports and to prepare very well for the intended assignments. Mr. Simeon-Okraku further stated that it is his hope that the step taken by KGL would energise other institutions to also heed the call of the President of the land.
KGL Group, with its subsidiary operational wings, KEED, KGL Technology and KGL Foundation, is a full-fledged digital services provider operating *959# online lottery under the mandate of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) as its legally licensed online lotto marketing company.
KGL and the KEED consumer brand have been at the forefront in helping the Government to successfully implement the digitalization programme at the NLA for revenue generation national development.
The GFA Disciplinary Committee has dismissed Accra Hearts of Oak’s protest against Great Olympics in relation to their Ghana Premier League Matchday 28 match.
The two city rivals locked horns in the Mantse derby at the Accra Sports Stadium few weeks ago with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Joshua Rhule
After the clash, the Phobians claim the Dade boys’ left-back, Joshua Rhule was unqualified to feature in the duel and reported him to the Ghana Football Association’s Disciplinary Committee.
The DC rules that:
1. That the instant protest is dismissed.
2. That in accordance with Article 28(2)(b) of the GFA Premier League Regulations, Accra Great Olympics FC is not the guilty party in this instant case and the results of the Ghana Premier League match between Great Olympics FC and Accra Hearts of Oak SC shall stand.
3. That the Player Koomson Biney and/or Joshua Kwame Rhule and Koforidua Suhyen SC should be charged by the GFA Prosecutor.
4. That until the determination of the misconduct cases, the registration of Koomson Biney and/or Joshua Kwame Rhule are suspended with Immediate effect.
5. That should any party be dissatisfied with or aggrieved by this Decision, the party has within one (1) day of being notified of this Ruling to appeal to the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association.
Asante Kotoko will aim for all the spoils against King Faisal to pile pressure on leaders Hearts of Oak.
The Porcupine Warriors come into the contest fresh from the narrow loss to rivals Hearts of Oak on Sunday. The defeat left them in second place – three points behind their old foes with three matches to end the season.
The loss to Hearts of Oak ended a nine match unbeaten run – dating back to April 24 when they lost 2-1 to Medeama SC at home.
”We made one mistake in the match and we conceded the goal. We had a great chance with [Augustine] Okrah, easy but we didn’t make it (score). So if you don’t make the goals (score), you accept the result. Congratulations to Hearts,”
”But I award (praise) my players. They fought, they made everything. In the end we have to wait till the end of the league’’ said Kotoko Coach Mariano Baretto in a post-match interview.
The Portuguese trainer is refusing to throw in the towel despite trailing the Phobians and aims to encourage his players to fight to the latter.
On player updates, Razak Ablaora, Yussif Mubarik and Moro Ibrahim who missed the game against Hearts of Oak are back in training and available for selection.
Asante Kotoko have lost 5, drawn 11 and won in 15 after 31 League matches – scoring 35 and conceding 18 goals in the process.
King Faisal have endured a difficult season and would fight to get the best out of the three remaining matches in the fight against relegation. They sit in 15th place with 36 points – only one point ahead of the relegation zone. The Greens have improved tremendously in the last nine games – where they have won 4, lost 4 and drawn one. They head into the game buoyed by the 2-0 win over Legon Cities on match day 31.
Kwame Frimpong, Kwame Peprah, Eric Donkor, Danlad Ibrahim, Paul Aidoo, Atta Kusi and Samudeen Ibrahim have the requisite experience for big matches on the domestic front.
The strife between these city rivals goes much deeper – commercial and cultural disputes stretch back over two decades. King Faisal have always been a bogey side of Asante Kotoko in both the Premier League and FA Cup. Both teams need the points for different reasons – for King Faisal, picking the three points will boost their survival hopes, with three matches to end the season.
The match will take place at Len Clay stadium on Saturday and will be shown live on StarTimes Adepa channel 247.
Aston Villa Under-23 coach, George Boateng has asked Ghanaians to tone down on their criticism of Jordan Ayew and take time to understand his struggles.
The Crystal Palace forward scored only one goal for the Eagles in the Premier League last season, and scored as many in six AFCON 2021 qualifying matches for the Black Stars.
George Boateng has asked Ghanaians to tone down on their criticism of Jordan Ayew
Boateng has explained that Ayew’s struggles are largely down to a lack of supply from the supporting cast that play around him.
“People should be a little bit more helpful and support Jordan rather than criticise him because it’s not easy to play for a team such as Crystal Palace because you don’t have many opportunities to score goals.” He said in a yet to be aired interview on Citi TV’s The Tracker with Benjamin Nketsia.
“When he comes to play for Ghana, it is a whole different ball game. They are not excuses but they are reasons.
“We have to try and support more and try to understand the players.
After bagging two awards in the 2019/2020 season at the club for his outstanding performance, Jordan found himself relegated to the Crystal Palace bench following the return of Christian Benteke.
A new season is approaching and Ayew will be looking to put a disappointing season behind him and make his mark for the team.
