The Black Starlets of Ghana have jetted off to Morocco for a training and development program as part of the Ghana FA’s strategy to ensure transitional development of the young players.
A 36-man contingent including 22 players, 10 technical staff, 2 management members and two media persons left Accra on Saturday morning for the trip.
Ghana will take on the Atlas Lions in a 3-game encounter within the period as the technical handlers keep shaping the side for the future.
Sergio Piernas’ side have qualified for the U17 AFCON by virtue of being hosts and do not want to leave any stone unturned in their bid to host and win.
Ghana failed to qualify for the U17 AFCON after being kicked out of the WAFU Zone B U17 Tournament which serves as the qualification phase for the AFCON.
Despite not qualifying for the U17 AFCON, the Ghana Football Association is determined to keep the team together for a proper development and transition into the U20 and other senior national teams.
The team is expected to return to Ghana on the 12th of February.
Four players have been shortlisted for the Ghana Premier League Nasco Player of the Month award for the month of January.
The winner of the 2020/21 GPL NASCO Player of the Month for January award will be announced on Wednesday February 10, 2021.
Winner will receive a NASCO Television set and a personalized trophy.
The nominated players are:
Diawusie Taylor:
The leading marksman scored his 8th goal of the season in the epic clash between his side Karela FC and Medeama SC at the Anyinase CAM park on Day 11 of the season. Now level on goals with Daniel Lomotey, Taylor is poised to continue his impressive scoring prowess and help his side maintain their lead on top of the league log. In the month of January, Taylor scored a total of four goals with a brace in the game against Berekum Chelsea and a goal each against Elmina Sharks and Medeama. He also assisted his team mates twice in the month and emerged as won one MVP award.
Daniel Lomotey:
Lomotey may not be in the GPL any longer after completing a move to Algerian side ES Setif but the former WAFA forward left a mark in the league in the month of January. After scoring four goals in their match against four goals in their Week 9 game against Medeama, the prolific goalscorer also scored for the Academy side when they hosted Asante Kotoko on Day 9. He also won the NASCO player of the match award in the game against Medeama.
Maxwell Nii Abbey Quaye
Quaye has been a very key player for Great Olympics this season. In the month of January, he helped his side secure 2 wins, one draw with two defeats coming their way. He scored four goals for the Dade boys and helped his side record important wins in the month.
James Bissiu
The experienced Elmina Sharks midfielder scored three goals for Elmina Sharks in the month of January. His impressive performance also saw him win the Nasco Player of the match award twice.
Four men who led their teams to impressive results in November were nominated for the Barclays Manager of the Month award.
or their favourite from the shortlist below.
The public vote was combined with those of a panel of football experts to decide the winner.
Four Coaches who led their teams to impressive results in November have been nominated for the NASCO Coach of the Month Award.
The winner of the 2020/21 GPL NASCO Coach of the Month for January award will be announced on Wednesday February 10, 2021.
Winner will receive a NASCO Television set and a personalized trophy.
Below are the nominees for the Coach of the Month- January:
Bashiru Hayford – Legon Cities
After taking over as head coach of the side Coach Bashiru Hayford saw his team secure three wins out of five games played in January. Two of their wins were secured at home and a vital win away when they beat Inter Allies at the Accra Sports Stadium. Legon Cities however lost two matches within the month. In all the team secured 9 points in January.
Augustine Evans Adotey – Karela FC
As Head Coach of the league leaders, Coach Adotey lead Karela FC to three wins in January. All three wins were secured at the Anyinase CAM park. The team also drew away to Great Olympics at the Accra Sports Stadium giving them a total of 10 points in January.
Johnson Smith – Asante Kotoko
Out of the five games played in January, Coach Johnson Smith’s side guided his side to two wins and 2 draws in January. The Club secured a win at home and one away in the month. They however suffered a defeat to Great Olympics at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Vladislav Viric – Dreams FC
After taking over as head coach, Viric’s men were unbeaten throughout January. Two wins and three draws has seen the resurgence of the side after a torrid start to the season. In all Dreams FC secured 9 points out of 15 in January.
Zone One leaders Berekum Arsenals will trek to Nkoranza on Sunday as guest of Nkoranza Warriors to battle for three points in a match day six fixture.
The former Premier League side will continue their push for Premier League football on Sunday when they play against a side with a very rich home record.
Nkoranza Warriors sit in 7th place with 7 points, six points behind Berekum Arsenals who occupies the first spot in zone one with 13 points after six round of matches.
Berekum Arsenals, are unbeaten in five games in the ongoing League and boosted their chances of making a return to the elite Division following a 1-0 win against Techiman City on Thursday.
Arsenals striker Ansu Kofi Patrick is in red hot form, scoring 5 goals in five matches in the ongoing campaign and will be crucial to their success in this season’s Division One League.
The other match day six fixtures are as follows:
ZONE TWO
Bibiani Gold Stars on Wednesday, crashed to their first defeat of the season after falling 1-0 to Skyy FC at Daboase in an away game, bringing to an end a four-match winning streak.
Gold Stars won their first four matches of the season but their smooth sailing hit a jolt at the Methodist park in Daboase on Wednesday when Francis Gyetuah Oteng scored a screamer to dash their hopes.
The zone two leaders, have the chance of return to winning this weekend when they take on Asokwa Deportivo in a home fixture.
Gold Stars have yet to drop points at home, having won both games at the Dun’s park. Their guest, Asokwa Deportivo have displayed an inconsistent form in the season winning just one in five outings.
They sit in 12th place with 5 points and need to dig deep to pick a point at the Dun’s park.
Elsewhere in Cape Coast, Venomous Vipers will take on Sekondi Hasaacas at the Robert Mensah stadium. The game will be stream live on the facebook.
Here is what to look forward to, in Zone Two:
ZONE THREE
League leaders Accra Lions FC have been simply amazing in the ongoing campaign winning five wins from five matches in the season, keeping a 100% record in Zone three.
Accra Lions have scored 13 goals, four more than third placed Hearts of Lions who have scored nine in this campaign.
The capital based club are not only good at scoring, they also stand tall amongst their contemporaries when it comes to defending as they have conceded only four in five games, an average of one goal per match.
Their striker Evans Etti leads the top scorers chat in Zone three with six goals. The former Karela Unite and Nkoranza Warriors marksman has been prolific all season, making the headlines with his superb touches on match days.
Etti will lead the lines when they play Accra Young Wise at the theatre of Dreams, Dawu on Sunday.
Young Wise sit in 10th place with 4 points, resulting from one home win and a draw after five matches.
They lost their first game of the season to Tema Youth by two goals to one, won 2-1 against Mighty Jets, later got smashed 5-0 by Heart of Lions in Kpando before drawing 0-0 with Nania FC.
Come Sunday, they have an opportunity to turn their season around but have to work off their socks to get the result against a high-flying Accra Lions side. The game will be stream live on the facebook.
Ebusua Dwarfs have yet to lose a match in Accra this season after registering two wins and one draw in their last three trips to the capital.
Dwarfs won 2-1 against Legon Cities, drew 1-1 with Great Olympics before coming from behind to beat Liberty Professionals 2-1 to stick a claim in the capital.
The Cape Coast side are one of the best away performers in the League with two wins, two defeats and one draw in their five away fixtures and have looked formidable on the road in this campaign.
This weekend, they head into their match day 13 tie against Inter Allies, buoyed by the 2-1 win against AshantiGold in mid-week. Their host, Inter Allies have been very unconvincing in the League, winning only two of their home matches in Accra as they have gone five games without a win.
They currently languish at the bottom of the league table with seven points after 12 matches with relegation starring at them.
This is the team’s worst performance in the top flight since joining the division.
Dwarfs coach Ernest Thompson and his players will be heading into the game with a lot of confidence following their good run in the league.
The match is scheduled for 3pm kick off at the Accra sports stadium on Saturday.
Ghana’s Andre Ayew finally netted his first goal in the new year as Swansea City recorded a 2-0 victory over Norwich City to move within two points of the 2020/21 English Championship leaders.
The Swans created the better chances throughout what was a lively encounter at Liberty Stadium Friday night.
After 42 minutes, it was Ayew – the Black Stars captain – who managed to put Swansea in front with his 9th goal of the campaign.
Norwich keeper Tim Krul flapped at Roberts’ corner and Fulton helped tee up Ayew who squeezed the ball in through a crowded six-yard box.
The hosts quickly doubled the lead three minutes into the second half through Conor Hourihane. The Irish midfielder received the ball 25 yards from goal and unleashed a vicious low drive that flashed into the bottom corner.
Swansea held on to the 2-0 lead and claimed all three points to stretch their unbeaten run to 10 matches in all competitions while they moved back into second place in the league table courtesy of what was a stunning display.
Norwich City lead the Championship log with 55 points from 28 games. Swansea are in second with 53 and have played a game less.
Sporting Kansas City II has signed 23-year-old Ghana Under-23 international Ropapa Mensah, the club announced today.
Mensah will officially be added to the Sporting II roster pending league and federation approval.
Mensah has spent the last four years in the USL Championship, representing Penn FC (2017), Nashville SC (2018-2019) and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2020).
In total, Mensah has played 103 games, including 61 starts, tallying 26 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for USL Championship teams.
He started his professional career in his home country with Inter Allies, scoring three goals in 19 appearances before heading to Penn FC on loan for the 2017 season.
Mensah enjoyed the best scoring season of his career in Pennsylvania, leading the team with seven goals and two assists as Penn FC finished 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 10-15-7 record.
After impressing during his first season in the USL Championship, another loan was in the cards in 2018 as Mensah joined future MLS expansion side Nashville SC.
During their inaugural season in the USL Championship, Mensah made 34 appearances, recording six goals and six assists in all competitions.
Forming a formidable partnership with former Sporting II midfielder Lebo Moloto, Mensah had five goals and five assists in league play, while adding a goal and an assist in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – with his goal coming against MLS outfit the Colorado Rapids in a 2-0 Fourth Round victory.
Mensah helped Nashville go a respectable 12-9-13 in their first-ever USL Championship campaign, finishing in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Nashville SC opted to purchase Mensah from Inter Allies, making his loan move permanent. Mensah enjoyed another solid campaign in 2019 – Nashville’s final season in the USL Championship before joining MLS in 2020 – tallying seven goals and four assists in all competitions as Nashville went 20-7-7 to finish second in the Eastern Conference and third in the overall standings.
Mensah returned to Pennsylvania to join the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for the 2020 campaign, starting 14 of 17 appearances in the truncated season and scoring six goals to go along with a pair of assists.
Mensah helped the Riverhounds go 11-4-1 and finish second in their group, advancing to the USL Championship Playoffs.
Hearts Of Oak trainer, Kosta Papic has informed striker Danjuma Ademola Kuti that he is not part of his plans, according to a report monitored on Oyerepa FM.
The name of the Nigerian striker was omitted from the club’s 30-man squad registered for the ongoing 2020-21 season.
This was after the Phobians had discovered an injury that could not allow the player to join the side.
The lanky attacker returned to training about three weeks ago.
And according to the Kumasi-based radio station, Papic has communicated to the Nigerian striker he has no place in the current team so should look elsewhere.
The striker will not be registered when the second window is opened February 16.
Hearts have won one, drawn two and lost two in their last five games.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has been Banned from football for 12 months for a doping violation.
Uefa have slapped the ex-Chelsea transfer target, 24, with a year-long ban after banned substance Furosemide was found in his urine in October.
The disciplinary body of the European football association, UEFA, has imposed a suspension of 12 months on Andre Onana for a doping violation.— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) February 5, 2021
The disciplinary body of the European football association, UEFA, has imposed a suspension of 12 months on Andre Onana for a doping violation.
In a statement, Ajax claimed Onana had accidentally take one of his wife’s pills while feeling unwell.
The club have revealed they will appeal the ban.
In their statement, Ajax confirmed: “The disciplinary body of the European football association, Uefa, has imposed a suspension of 12 months on Andre Onana for a doping violation.
“After an ‘out of competition’ check on October 30 last year, the goalkeeper found the substance Furosemide in his urine.
“The suspension is effective from today and applies to all football activities, both national and international.”
Ajax’s statement continued by revealing how Onana came to ingest the banned substance.
It read: “On the morning of October 30, Onana was feeling unwell. He wanted to take a pill to ease the discomfort.
“Unknowingly, however, he took Lasimac, a drug that his wife had previously been prescribed.
“Onana’s confusion resulted in him mistakenly taking his wife’s medicine, ultimately causing this measure to be taken by Uefa against the goalkeeper.
“Furthermore, the disciplinary body of the football association has stated that Onana had no intention of cheating.
“However, the European Football Association believes, on the basis of the applicable anti-doping rules, that an athlete has a duty at all times to ensure that no banned substances enter the body.”
Ajax managing director and Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar threw his support behind Onana – saying the club strongly renounce drugs.
Van der Sar said: “We explicitly renounce performance-enhancing drugs, we obviously stand for a clean sport.
“This is a terrible setback, for Andre himself but certainly also for us as a club.
“Andre is a top goalkeeper, who has proven his worth for Ajax for years and is very popular with the fans.
“We had hoped for a conditional suspension or for a suspension much shorter than these twelve months, because it was arguably not intended to strengthen his body and thus improve his performance. ”
