World football governing body, FIFA, has announced that this year’s Annual Congress will take place Online from Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday, 18 September 2020 at 15:00 (CET).
The 70th FIFA Congress was initially scheduled to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on June 5 but FIFA decided to reschedule the event for September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Concerns over the health and well-being of participants, as well as travel restrictions in many countries, have resulted in the cancellation or postponement of many such events in various parts of the world”, FIFA said after it rescheduled the Congress.
The following are among the items on the agenda: – the approval of the FIFA Annual Report 2019; – the revised budget for 2019-2022; and – the detailed budget for 2021.
The Congress will be streamed live on FIFA.com and will be followed by a press conference
The Ghana Football Association has adopted the revised FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations (FIFA-ADR).
On November 27, 2019, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board approved the new World Anti-Doping Code (the “Code”) which will come into force on 1 January 2021.
FIFA being a signatory of the Code consequently revised the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations (FIFA ADR) prompting Member Associations of FIFA to adopt the revised Regulations.
The Executive Council of the GFA at its meeting held on Monday, August 17, 2020 adopted the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations following recommendations by the GFA Medical Committee for full adoption.
The GFA adopted the FIFA ADR directly by reference and consequently the provisions of the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations shall apply fully in Ghana Football from January 1, 2021 when it comes into effect.
Members of the Association, Players, Referees, Coaches and other stakeholders can access the new FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations on the Integrity page of the GFA Website.
Copies have also been sent to members of the Association through their official email.
IT was five years ago this month that Serge Gnabry signed for West Brom on a season-long loan from Arsenal.
But Tony Pulis gave the young German just 12 minutes of Premier League action before cutting the deal short and sending him back to the Emirates.
Bayern Munich will play PSG in the Champions League Final on SundayCredit: EPA
Serge Gnabry’s first half double helped down LyonCredit: AFP
Serge Gnabry’s rocket got Bayern off to a flyer in LisbonCredit: Getty Images
Last night Pulis was left squirming with embarrassment as Gnabry fired Bayern Munich into the Champions League final with a magnificent two-goal performance.
And it’s not only Pulis who should be feeling shame-faced considering Arsenal sold him the following summer for just £5million.
How the Gunners could do with a player of Gnabry’s class right now as they contemplate a fourth successive season out of Europe’s top competition.
Instead the 25-year-old winger will be lighting up Sunday’s showpiece final against Paris St.Germain.
And what a mouth-watering match that promises to be after a seemingly unstoppable Bayern extended their incredible winning run to 20 games.
It might not have been as easy as it was in last Friday’s 8-2 quarter-final humiliation of Barcelona.
Gnabry grabbed his second from close-range just after the half hour markCredit: Getty Images
Memphis Depay missed a glorious chance while the game was goalless for Lyon Credit: AP:Associated Press
But it was still comfortable enough for boss Hansi Flick as his all-conquering team survived a couple of early scares before turning Lyon tamers.
The only previous time Lyon reached this stage of the competition was back in 2010 when they were beaten 4-0 on aggregate…by Bayern.
They kicked off in the Stadio Jose Alavalde as such rank outsiders that some bookies were offering odds of 12-1 against them making it an all-French affair in Sunday’s final.
After all, Rudi Garcia’s men had already lost three times in this season’s competition and didn’t even top their first round group.
But no team which can see off both Juventus and Manchester City could ever be taken lightly and Bayern certainly weren’t going to fall into the trap of counting their chickens.
So it was no surprise that the Germans stuck with the same team which had left Barcelona so utterly humiliated last week.
What came as something more of a shock was that Lyons also named an unchanged team, which meant that two-goal quarter-final hero Moussa Dembele was back on the bench.
And Garcia’s faith in his team almost paid off in the fourth minute when Memphis Depay raced beyond keeper Manuel Neuer but just couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball with the goal beckoning.
There was an even bigger left off for Bayern in the 17th minute when Toko Ekambi went past Alphonso Davies but smacked a glorious opportunity against the base of the post.
Trouble is that when you show mercy to a team as ruthless as Bayern, you immediately regret it.
And within a minute of that Ekambi miss Lyon were handed a chastening lesson in finishing by Gnabry.
Joshua Kimmich’s ball over the top allowed Gnabry to hold off three defenders as he cut inside to deliver a left-foot Exocet into the top corner from the edge of the area.
It was as good as any of the 155 goals which Bayern had scored in all competitions prior to this match.
His second in the 33th minute was not quite such a thing of beauty, but no-one in Bayern red was complaining about that.
Once again Gnabry cut inside from the right wing but this time chose to feed the lurking Ivan Perisic out wide.
The Croat’s low cross should have been finished off by 54-goal Robert Lewandowski but when his scuffed shot was blocked on the line by keeper Anthony Lopes, Gnabry was on hand to hammer home from close range.
And that was just about for Lyon. Marcelo and Ekambi missed a couple of decent second-half chances to make things interesting but you always felt that Bayern could score again whenever they wanted to.
And so it proved when Lewandoski made it 101 goals in two seasons for club and country when he headed in from Kimmich’s 88th minute free-kick.
So now it’s PSG’s turn to stand in the way of the big red juggernaut. Bonne chance, mes amis.
CK Akonnor will oversee his first competitive game as Ghana Black Stars coach in November 2020 after the Confederation of Africa Football(CAF) announced the resumption of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers amid the Coronavirus disease.
The continent’s football governing body, on June 30, 2020, suspended the 2021 Afcon qualifiers due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which halted all sporting events across the globe.
CAF has announced that the remaining qualifying round for the Cameroon 2021 will be honoured with a doubleheader in November 2020 and March 2021.
The official statement from CAF indicated that “The CAF Emergency Committee has approved the resumption date for qualifiers of the Total Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 and the group stage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“A busy schedule awaits the participating teams with double-headers from November 2020 through to November 2021 in the battle for spots to the final tournament of the two competitions.
“The schedules for the two competitions have had to be revised in light of the COVID-19 outbreak which halted many sporting activities across the continent and beyond for some time.
“For Cameroon 2021, the qualifiers resume on 9-17 November 2020 with the Day 3 & 4 matches whilst the penultimate and ultimate matches take place on 22-30 March 2021.”
Ghana commenced its qualifications campaign to the 2021 Afcon on a good note with back-to-back victories against South Africa at home and Sao Tome and Principe away in November last year.
Based on the latest date change, Ghana will resume the qualification with a home fixture against Sudan on Friday, November 13 which could be played in Cape Coast before they trek to Omdurman three days later for the return leg.
The final qualifiers – against South Africa at away and Sao Tome and Principe at home – will be played between March 22 and 30.
Ghana currently leads Group C with 6 points after two games.
The top two countries from the group will book a ticket to the Afcon to be staged in Cameroon which has been rescheduled from January 2021 to January 2022 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Danqua Akufo-Addo has finally made known his plans for the resumption of football amid the novel COVID-19 pandemic.
It will be recalled that the government placed a ban on movement and gathering of individuals on March 12 after the country recorded its first positive case. The restrictions prevented many organisations from functioning although there were exemptions.
Football activities were no exception as the Ghana Premier League and other competitions were suspended and subsequently got truncated.
Along the way, the government eased restrictions on non-contact sports but the ban on contact sports like football saw extension.
However, in an interview with Takoradi-based Skyy Power FM, H.E. Akufo-Addo disclosed that football will soon return.
“Everybody knows I love football and the suspension has also affected me but it will be back very soon.. I don’t want to do anything that will hurt Ghanaians. I believe in one step at a time so gradually football will be back”, Akufo-Addo said.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) are currently planning for the 2020/2021 football season.
It is scheduled to hold Ordinary Congress on September 1.
Spanish side Club Recreativo Granada have completed the signing of Ghana Under-23 defender Kingsley Fobi.
Fobi joins the club on loan from English side Watford FC. He is expected to stay at the Segunda Division outfit until the end of the 2021/22 season.
The former Right to Dream right-back spent last season on loan too at CD Badajoz also in the Segunda Division, making 11 appearances, and scoring two goals with one assist.
Fobi has had spells with SD Formentera, CD Ibiza and Badajoz, all of them in Segunda Division
He was part of the Ghana squad for the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup held in New Zealand and also the U23 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt last year where Ghana failed to qualify for the Olympics Games to held in Japan.
Hearts Of Oak General Manager, Frederick Moore has thrown his weight behind new Kotoko Chief Executive Officer, Nana Yaw Amponsah to succeed in his new role.
According to him, his outfit’s rivals are lucky to have such a brilliant football administrator as head of their Management Team.
Nana Yaw Amponsah was appointed CEO of the Porcupine Warriors on August 7, 2020, in a three-year contract. He will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Ghanaian Giants.
Mr Moore – who is a Chartered Accountant – believes that the former president of Phar Rangers has what it takes to lead Kotoko as CEO.
“Nana Yaw Amponsah is a friend. We have met a couple of times so I know what he possesses. Kotoko is lucky to have him as the CEO of the club, ” he told Hello FM.
“I want to wish him well and I know he would be successful, ” he added.
Nana Yaw Amponsah contested in the 2019 Ghana Football Association presidential election but lost to Kurt Okraku.
He is expected to bring some changes to the two-time Africa Champions as they strive to rediscover their glory days.
He is likely to name a seven-member management team soon.
Koeman, who spent six years as a player at Barcelona and was a member of Johan Cruff’s legendary ‘Dream Team’, leaves his role as manager of the Netherlands, which he had held since 2018.
He won four La Liga titles and scored the winning goal in the 1992 European Cup final during his playing days at the Nou Camp, and was the preferred candidate of president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Speaking on Tuesday – before Koeman’s arrival was confirmed – Bartomeu told Barcelona’s website: “We already know how he thinks and his philosophy. We bet on him. He was the first one we called in January.
“It’s a dream for him. As he was in Johan’s ‘Dream Team’, he knows Barca and how we understand football.”
Setien was only appointed in January but left after overseeing Barca’s first season without a trophy since 2007/08.
Sporting director Eric Abidal – also a former Barcelona player – followed Setien through the exit door after leaving his role as sporting director on Tuesday.
Other contenders to replace Setien included Mauricio Pochettino, who was the preferred candidate of director Ramon Planes.
However, there was understood to be resistance towards the former Tottenham manager because of his links with Barca’s city rivals, Espanyol, where he was both a player and a manager.
Other board members were keen on Xavi, who is currently in charge of Al Sadd in Qatar.
Messi to stay, door open for Coutinho
In the wake of the heavy defeat to Bayern, there has been speculation Barca forward Lionel Messi might end his long stint with the club, but Koeman wants the Argentine to stay.
Bartomeu said: “I have spoken with Koeman and the pillar of our project is Messi. He has a contract until 2021.
“I speak a lot with Leo and more regularly with his father.
“He is No 1 in the world. There is no doubt that in Koeman’s new project you can count on Messi.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho has spent the season on loan from Barca at Bayern Munich – and came off the bench to score twice against his parent club on Friday.
The Brazil international has been linked with a possible return to the Premier League but Bartomeu says his Barca stint is not necessarily over.
“The head coach will make the decision,” said Bartomeu. “If he wants him to continue, next year he will play with us.”
Presidential elections in March
Barcelona have also brought forward the date of the next presidential elections, which will take place on the first matchday after March 15, 2021.
Elections have normally taken place in the summer, usually in June, but they have resisted calls for an immediate ballot to be held, saying it is “not feasible”.
“After considering all options, the board consider this to be the most viable date for the aforementioned elections,” a statement read.
“The board understand that an immediate call for elections is not feasible, given that the league season will begin on the weekend of September 12, 2020, and the situation arising from the COVID-19 crisis – both economically and socially.
“Consequently, the club will continue to implement the plan to reverse the sporting and economic situation, based on profound changes to the first team, plus a redefined budget to deal with the new situation caused by COVID-19, before the end of the current mandate.”
Analysis: Koeman in for one year only?
Spanish football expert Graham Hunter explained to Sky Sports News presidential candidate Victor Font wants Xavi in charge, meaning Koeman could head to the Nou Camp knowing he will only take over for a year.
“There’s a clear formula why they are talking to Ronald Koeman, and why he’s the one they want. Number one, it’s absolutely clear within the next year there will be presidential elections. The man who is very well placed to win those, Victor Font, is absolutely committed to bringing Xavi,” Hunter said.
“So this is currently a one-year shot. Koeman is being told he can have a two-year deal, which effectively seems to mean a year of work and almost certainly a year of compensation. The fact is that when the new president comes in, Font is completely committed to Xavi.
“Xavi won’t come in the meantime, so it needs someone of experience, someone who knows the Nou Camp inside out, speaks the language and has a good reputation of coaching younger players – there are players on the fringes at Barcelona.
“That’s why Koeman fits all those boxes, and it would appear Barcelona have fixed this deal with the Netherlands, and that Koeman, who has wanted this job for 20 years, has said ‘I’ll roll the dice, I’ll risk it only being a year’.”
Pique: The club needs change, nobody is safe
Gerard Pique called for wholesale changes at the Nou Camp following Friday’s humiliation against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, even suggesting his own departure to help the club rebuild.
“We can’t compete like that, you can’t play like that in Europe. It is not the first time, the second time or the third time, it’s very tough. I hope it is useful for something,” Pique told the club’s website after the defeat.
“Now everyone has to have a good look at themselves, the club needs change and I am not talking about the coach or the players. I am not pointing the finger at anyone.
“Nobody is safe – I am the first to say that I will go if new blood has to come in, I am the first to leave. We have to have a real look internally about what is best for the club.”
Analysis by Spanish football expert Terry Gibson on the Transfer Talk podcast
“The elections are really prominent now in what happens at Barcelona. Nobody is happy with the current board of people who run it, particularly Josep Bartomeu, the president. He will be voted out. He cannot stay any longer anyway.
“That is the reason why Xavi turned the job down. Xavi is going to be on the ticket of one of the new campaigners to become the president. Therefore, Xavi does not want to go in for a year with this president and not too many other managers want to go in knowing that in a year’s time a new president is going to be announced and when that new president makes his campaign, they will all have their managers that they are putting on the ticket. Xavi – if he backs one – that person will probably win.
“In a year’s time Xavi is going to be the manager of Barcelona.”
Analysis by Spanish football expert Terry Gibson on the Transfer Talk podcast
“Barcelona have to make some changes. Their squad is not big enough. In the second half of the season it was down to 19 senior players. They have struggled to fill the bench in La Liga games with the allowed amount of substitutions.
“The last La Liga game of the season, they had five subs on the bench and two of them were goalkeepers. Three players got injured and were replaced and the next outfield player to come on as a sub was going to be (Marc-Andre) Ter Stegen.
“That’s how short of numbers they were. They had suspensions, injuries and the B team had a play-off match coming up. There’s no way Barcelona should be going into games with only three outfield substitutes.
“They need bodies. They’ve suffered with the fact (Ousmane) Dembele and (Samuel) Umtiti haven’t played enough football for Barcelona this season. Riqui Puig and Ansu Fati have bolstered the squad and that’s been a big plus – in this time of need, two young players have risen through the ranks and shown their worth.”
Telecommunication giants GLOBACOM (Glo)is set to face the law after the Ghana Football Association wrote to their lawyers over outstanding debts of $ 2.12m owed them.
The Nigeria-based Telecommunication Company, with operations in Ghana, was the headline sponsors of the 2012/2013 Ghana Premier League but failed to pay the sponsorship money in full.
Five years ago, GLOBACOM paid the GFA $1.9 million as part of the debt but the company is yet to clear the outstanding financial obligations in spite of reminders by the football regulatory body.
The Daily Graphic can exclusively revealed yesterday that the FA had asked its lawyers to help them retrieve an amount of $2,124m000 from Glo including interest.
The GFA President Mr. Kurt Edwin Simeon- Okraku told Daily Graphic online stressed that the clubs desperately needed the money from GLO to boost their finances which has been hit hard by the suspension of competitions occasioned by the COVOD-19 pandemic.
“Given the big impact of COVID, this is the time GLO should have shown concerns to support our football industry.” Mr. Okraku stressed.
“This would have gone a long way to help the clubs.” He added.
The Ghana Premier League was suspended on March 15 in line with directive by President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo to suspend social gatherings and sporting events to help prevent the entire spread of the virus.
The entire football season was subsequently cancelled by the FA which is currently putting on safety measures and protocols to ensure football returns in the safest environment possible when the suspension on contact sport is lifted by the government.
