Ghana superstar Kudus Mohammed has met a West Ham United fan who made a shocking journey from United Kingdom to Ghana just to watch him in action.

Kudus recently joined West Ham from Ajax Amsterdam and made his debut in the victory over Brighton and Hove Albion as he came on very late on the game.

Since he could not have enough time in the game, a West Ham United fan opted to travel from London to Kumasi just to see the new player his boyhood club has signed.

Fortunately for him, he had a wonderful experience as Kudus scored a spectacular goal from free kick to level the scoreline for Ghana after they had conceded a goal in the first half.

Ghana went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to a late Nuamah’s goal and that sealed their qualification to participate in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations to be staged in Cote d’Ivoire.

Kudus is expected to be in action at that Accra Sports Stadium when Ghana play Liberia in an international friendly on Tuesday before he heads back to join West Ham.

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Also in the squad are Elisha Owusu and Baba Iddrisu who make a return to the squad after recovering from injuries. Baba Iddrisu missed the FIFA World Cup in Qatar while Elisha Owusu who picked up an injury in February, has yet to play for Ghana since the FIFA World Cup finals in November last year.

Another player who returns to the squad is South Africa based goalkeeper Richard Ofori who hasn’t played for Ghana since September 27, 2022 when Ghana beat Nicaragua 1-0 in a pre-World Cup friendly in Lorca, Spain.

Arsenal ace Thomas Partey is left out of the squad due to injury. According to his club, the player picked up an injury in training and could be on the sidelines for a while, however the Black Stars medical teams is monitoring the situation.

Ghana will host Central Africa Republic in their final Group E game at the Baba Yara Sports stadium on Thursday, September 7, 2023.

The squad:

Goalkeepers

Lawrence Ati-Zigi, Abdul Manaf Nurudeen, Richard Ofori

Defenders

Alidu Seidu, Kingsley Schindler, Stephan Ambrosius, Joseph Aidoo, Alexander Djiku, Nicholas Opoku, Baba Abdul Rahman, Gideon Mensah

Midfielders

Abdul Samed Salis, Baba Iddissu, Andre Ayew, Elisha Owusu, Edmund Addo, Mohammed Kudus, Ransford Koningsdorffer

Forwards

Inaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Ernest Nuamah, Osman Bukari, Joseph Painstil, Jonathan Sowah

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Ghana midfielder Kudus Mohammed has joined West Ham in a five year deal from Ajax, the two clubs have officially confirmed.

The fee is reportedly a €45m package and the deal includes a sell-on clause for the Dutch club amid other interests from Chelsea and Arsenal.

Kudus, who touched down in London with his mother and two brothers, could not hide his joy and admitted that he has been dreaming to play in the Premier League since childhood.

“I’ve been dreaming to play in a league like this since I was a kid.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment and I’m so happy to be here. But it doesn’t stop here, I want to keep going.

“I try my best to entertain the fans as I think that’s what football is all about. I’m just here to do my best and help the team.

“I’m really happy to be here. I will fight for the badge. I can’t wait to get started.”

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Amo-Dadzie, a latecomer to the sport who has had to take annual leave from his job, was second in his heat while Zharnel Hughes won his and the third Brit in action, Reece Prescod, also made it through to the semis.

The 31-year-old Amo-Dadzie first learned he was speedy by running for the bus and has been swarmed by messages of congratulations from his fellow accountants, although no new job offers as yet.

“I’ve had a lot of support from all the different accountant bodies,” he said. “They’re like ‘yo, you’re putting accountants on the map’.

“We’re not just these boring stiff squares sat at the office typing away. We’ve got a bit of something about us you know. There’s probably accountants out there who are probably wrestlers, F1 drivers, who knows. I was sat in an office so who knows?”

Amo-Dadzie raised eyebrows when he became the latest British sprinter to run sub-10seconds this season and looked at ease in his heat as he eased up well before the line to clock a time of 10.10s.

He admitted he had aspirations to make the final on Sunday night but said: “Me being here is already a victory for me so anything that happens is kind of a bonus.”

The Rainham-born athlete has relished the tag bestowed upon him since emerging on the scene this season.

He added: “It was a nice touch for the world’s fastest accountant. You didn’t have to do that. But I’m on the world stage. I say to people who don’t really know track and field, I’m at the World Cup of athletics and they’re like ‘ok’.

“For me, that’s incredible because this is beyond a dream. I didn’t grow up dreaming to do this but, by the grace of God, I found myself doing this.”

Amo-Dadzie was born to Ghanaian parents in United Kingdom and began his career as an athlete at the age of 26.

-Thestandard

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Former Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has officially retired from football after making a public announcement on Friday.

The 36-year-old who was tipped to be one of the players to make it to the top in football had a relatively successful career amid injuries and controversies.

Starting his career in Germany, Boateng played for 14 different clubs in England, Germany, Spain and Turkey as well as switching nationality to represent Ghana at the highest stage including Fifa World Cup in 2010 and 2014 respectively.

Until his retirement, he was with his boyhood club Hertha Berlin where his career began and surprisingly ended.

Aside Hertha, Boateng played for Tottenham Hotspur, Borrusia Dortmund, Portsmouth, Genoa, AC Milan, Schalke, Las Palmas, Frankfurt, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Barcelona, Besiktas and Monza.

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• A statement from the Bank says further funding is being frozen until authorities in Uganda provide adequate policy to protect minorities, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other groups commonly categorised as LGBTQ+.

The World Bank has suspended any future funding for projects in Uganda, citing human rights violations from the recent enactment of the anti-homosexuality law.

A statement from the Bank says further funding is being frozen until authorities in Uganda provide adequate policy to protect minorities, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other groups commonly categorised as LGBTQ+.

“Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act fundamentally contradicts the World Bank Group’s values. We believe our vision to eradicate poverty on a liveable planet can only succeed if it includes everyone irrespective of race, gender, or sexuality,” the Bank said on Tuesday.

“This law undermines those efforts. Inclusion and non-discrimination sit at the heart of our work around the world.”

In May, President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Anti-Homosexuality Act, providing penalties as high as a death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality.” It drew condemnations from rights groups and Western countries such as the US who threatened sanctions.

The US is a key shareholder in the World Bank and has almost always produced its president.

The World Bank said it has been prevailing upon Kampala to reconsider the law.

A team from the Bank, it said, have been speaking with Ugandan officials on “additional measures that are necessary to ensure projects are implemented in alignment with our environmental and social standards.”

“Our goal is to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we finance. These measures are currently under discussion with the authorities.  No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested.

Same sex relations had been illegal in Uganda, even before this law, under the old penal code.

But critics charged the new law seals any possible protections for minorities who may now not be able to rent property as the new law promises punishments to those who conceal homosexuals.

It also provides for capital punishment for serial offenders against the law including those who transmit terminal illness like HIV/AIDs through gay sex. Promoters of homosexuality can be jailed for up to 20 years.

Recently, Ghana’s parliament also passed a similar law against LGBTQ and when officially signed by president Nana Add Dankwah Akufo-Addo, who also happens to be a human right lawyer, could see Ghana go head to head with World Bank.

Source: thecitizen.co.tz

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Ghanaian midfielder Mawuli Kwame Mensah has joined Spanish club Real Betis in a three-year deal ahead of the start of 2023/24 season, the club have announced.

The youngster caught the eye of Betis coach Manuel Pelligrini and he is expected to be part of the senior side as Betis hope to improve their performance last season.

Mensah, 19, arrived from Antequera CF and he is expected to be at Benito Villamarín Stadium until 2026 as the club’s top hierarchy are highly tipping him to take the league by storm.

Meanwhile, Betis star Alex Colorado has left the club to join Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Akhdoud FC in a one-year loan deal while Barcelona player Ez Abde has reportedly also agreed to join Betis.

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Bechem United communication director Emmanuel Gyasi Atuahene has revealed that the club sold their talisman Hafiz Wontah Konkoni to Tanzanian giants Young Africans for $100,000.

Konkoni, who bagged 16 goals last season in Ghana Premier League attracted several interest including Sudanese powerhouse Al Hilal and local giants Hearts of Oak.

However, Bechem opted to make business with Yanga since the player could not agree personal terms with Hilal while Hearts of Oak struggled to match up with their asking price.

“I can confirm that Hafiz Konkoni was sold for $100,000 with 20% onwards transfer for Bechem,” Atuahene told Kumasi-based Akoma FM in an exclusive interview on Sunday.

“Hearts of Oak couldn’t have purchased Konkoni because what they offered on the table was just 10 per cent of what Young Africans offered for him.

“Konkoni was initially heading to Al Hilal of Sudan but due to personal terms which couldn’t go well he came back to Ghana and luckily Yanga showed up and they were willing to meet our demands,” he added.

Konkoni has become the second player Bechem have sold to a Tanzanian club in two years after they transferred Augustine Okrah to Simba last season following a blistering campaign in Ghana Premier League.

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Gianni Infantino has made a historic visit to the Cook Islands, becoming the first FIFA President to visit the country where FIFA Forward funds are boosting football development. During his visit, Gianni Infantino stressed that the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, being staged in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia, belongs to the whole of Oceania.

“I am delighted to be in the beautiful Cook Islands, where you see everyone is crazy about football. This is particularly evident as the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is currently taking place, is also the World Cup of the whole of Oceania and a great celebration of football across all of the Pacific Islands,” he said.

As announced at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Congress on 19 July, Mr Infantino, who has already attended FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 matches in every host city in Aotearoa New Zealand, is visiting a number of member associations across the region.

This will allow him to see at first hand the projects supported by FIFA Forward, which is vital for football development in the region. “I am proud to visit these countries that are so passionate about football,” said the FIFA President, adding that “for us (they are) all the same, whether they are big or small.”

Following the first round of visits to the Pacific Islands, The FIFA President will attend FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage matches in Australia before continuing the next leg of visits to member associations in the OFC. Mr Infantino will return to Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia for the remainder of the tournament.

Mr Infantino was welcomed by Moeroa Tamangaro, Acting President of the Cook Islands Football Association (CIFA), and the Minister of Sport Vaine Mokoroa. He visited the CIFA headquarters where two pitches, which are the main ones for the island of Rarotonga and were previously prone to flooding, have been upgraded with support of FIFA Forward. FIFA Deputy General Secretary – Football, Mattias Grafström was also part of the FIFA delegation.

FIFA Forward is also supporting the construction of a natural grass pitch and training facilities on Mangaia, the country’s second largest island and one of the most remote locations for such a project. The success of this project will show that more football pitches can be constructed in the remote areas of Oceania – making football truly global.

Mr. Mokoroa told the FIFA President: “Our country, our people and our government are honoured by your visit, especially since this is the first visit to the Cook Islands by any FIFA President, which makes this occasion truly a special moment in our shared history. We remain grateful for all the assistance the CIFA have received through FIFA. You will see some of the benefits of this for today, but this is not just limited to here in Rarotonga. Developing our sports in our upper islands has also been a priority.”

Moeroa Tamangaro added: “I want to thank you for providing our paradise with FIFA Forward funding to allow us to push football further in the Cook Islands. You can count on us to be 100 percent behind you in supporting your vision of moving forward.”

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Manchester United have confirmed that British-born midfielder with Ghanaian descent Kobbie Boateng Mainoo has been ruled out for at least six months following an injury he picked a couple f days ago.

The 18-year-old suffered the ankle injury in Manchester United’s defeat to Real Madrid in a pre season friendly in the United States and could be back in January.

“Manchester United can confirm that Kobbie Mainoo suffered an ankle injury during the match against Real Madrid on Tour 2023,” a club statement read.

“The midfielder is expected to be ruled out for the first part of the 2023/24 season,” the statement added.

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