Team Ghana arrived on Wednesday evening after completing their training in France ahead of the championships.

Joseph Paul Amoah, James Dadzie, Isaac Botsio, Edwin Gadayi, and Deborah Acquah are currently with the team in Budapest while Sarfo Ansah and Rose Yeboah, who were expected to be with the team, have been denied visas to Hungary.

Yeboah is the African Champion in the women’s high jump and just won gold at the World University Games in China with a new national record of 1.94m.

Ansah is a late replacement for the injured Benjamin Azamati and was expected to join Ghana’s 4x100m relay team.

Both athletes’ applications were submitted two weeks ago, following the late confirmation of their participation.

With accreditation from competition organizers, World Athletics, the visa issuance was expected to be a routine process, but on Monday, the Hungarian Embassy in Accra communicated to the team that visas for the two athletes had been refused.

Ghana will compete in the women’s long jump, men’s 200m, and men’s 4x100m.

The rest of the team, however, is in Budapest.

Ghana’s contingent for the 2023 World Athletics Championships has arrived in Budapest.

GH will compete in the women’s long jump, men’s 200m, and men’s 4x100m.

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Konkoni has signed a two-year deal with the club which will see him stay in Tanzania until 2025 with the option for another.

Since joining Bechem, Konkoni has been a staple in the Ghana Premier League, scoring 34 goals in 97 games over four seasons.

He was outstanding in the 2022-23 season, scoring 15 goals in 29 games, earning him a call-up to the Ghana national team ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar in June.

Hearts of Oak and Sudanese giants Al Hilal SC were both interested in signing the prolific scorer, but he has chosen to continue his career in Tanzania.

Yanga will compete in the CAF Champions League in the coming season, and they have bolstered their team with the addition of some foreign players including the Ghanaian.

Yanga reached the finals of the CAF Confederation Cup last season, losing to Algerian side USM Alger.

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It is not yet clear how much the Embassy has committed to the team, but the team will camp in France for at least two weeks ahead of the Championships.

Deborah Acquah automatically qualified to Budapest after her national record-breaking and bronze-winning leap at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Three other athletes; Benjamin Azamati, Joseph Paul Amoah, and Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah, have tentatively qualified through their world rankings and as ‘area champions’.

“Something which has always been missing is the period – a few weeks towards a major competition – we always have problems camping athletes so they could at least practice the 4x100m to get the baton exchange perfectly done.

“But this time around, thank God we have an agreement with the French Embassy through the French government. They have agreed and almost finished the process of sending our national team to camp in Paris,” Bawa Fuseini, Ghana Athletics said on JoySports’ Gold Chase.

Raymond French and Edwin Gadayi are local athletes selected to complement the team’s preparation in France from the 6th to the 16th of August.
Sarfo Ansah will be part of Ghana’s 4x100m team in Budapest.

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Australia scored first when Emily van Egmond converted Caitlin Foord’s pass.

But Nigeria equalised soon afterward with Uchenna Kanu’s calm finish before Osinachi Ohale’s header made it 2-1.

Asisat Oshoala scored after a mix-up between Australia’s Alanna Kennedy and Mackenzie Arnold and Nigeria held on, despite Kennedy scoring late on.

Australia face Olympic champions Canada in Melbourne and may need a victory to guarantee a place in the knockout stages, while Nigeria play already-eliminated Republic of Ireland at the same time in Brisbane.

Australia, ranked 10th in the world, would have secured a place in the knockout stages with a victory, but in the end, they were desperately trying to force an equaliser against a side 30 places below them in the rankings.

The Matildas saw Kennedy head in a corner from Kyra Cooney-Cross in the 10th of 11 additional minutes at the end of the second half as the majority of a crowd of 49,156 at Brisbane Stadium willed them on.

But Australia did not have enough time to get a dramatic equaliser as Nigeria clung to their narrow lead, with some of their players in tears at the final whistle.

The competition is being staged by Australia and New Zealand and the two co-hosts have won one and lost one of their opening two matches. Both are likely to need to win their final group games to stay in the tournament, although draws could still be enough depending on other results.

For Australia, they will be wondering how they slipped up against a Nigeria side who did not have a shot on or off target in the opening 40 minutes.

Indeed, the Matildas created 28 opportunities in all, compared to only 11 from Nigeria, and had 15 corners with only two from their opponents.

Australia, again without injured Chelsea striker Sam Kerr, took the lead in first-half injury time, but the advantage only lasted five minutes as Kanu provided a calm finish after Rasheedat Ajibade’s cross deflected into her path.

Ohale’s brave header, which saw her accidentally kicked in the ribs by Kennedy as she headed in from close range, put Nigeria ahead before Barcelona striker Oshoala scored expertly from a tight angle.

That came after Kennedy inadvertently headed the ball past her own goalkeeper and into Oshoala’s path.

Australia piled on the pressure as Kennedy headed over and Alex Chidiac shot too high. With goalkeeper Arnold up for a corner, Kennedy then scored to give the home side hope, but Nigeria hung on for the three points.

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Juliana Storey, lead consultant at the 360 Education Consultancy has been elected the organization’s First Female President.

Daniel Oko Djanie has been elected vice president, with Edinam Afi Yengbe as General-Secretary and Richard Tony Kweku Borsah as the organization’s treasurer.

Other board members are Augustine Amissare, Senior Assistant Registrar at the University of Ghana Sports Directorate, and Robert Oram, managing director of PIL Ghana Ltd.

“As the newly appointed president of the RLFG, I am honoured to collaborate with my esteemed fellow board members to spearhead the growth and development of rugby league in Ghana,” said Storey.

“We are set for an exciting future, embracing the opportunity to harness the full potential of the sport within the nation,” Storey.

“The recent success of the men’s 13s Championship emphasizes the immense potential of the game in Ghana. It showcased tremendous sportsmanship, respect, and camaraderie, exemplifying the core values of rugby league,” she added.

Her election is a significant step towards fostering greater inclusivity and gender diversity within the federation and the RLFG board has confirmed in its mission statement that it is now well-positioned to embrace growth, encourage active participation, and elevate the popularity and success of rugby league in Ghana to unprecedented levels.

The board will be overseen by a board of trustees who initially helped develop the sport in the nation, namely Kareem Captan, its chair, Remond Safi, Ibrahim El Hajji, Nana Farouk Premeh, and Andy Gilvary.

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The 36-year-old calls time on a career during which he won the World Cup with Spain, the Premier League twice at Chelsea, and La Liga with Barcelona.

“It is with great sadness that the time has come for me to hang up my playing boots,” Fabregas posted on Instagram.

He ends his career one year into a two-year contract with Italian club Como in Serie B.

Fabregas says he will now move into the dugout by coaching Como’s reserve and youth teams.

“It’s not all sadness, though, as I’m now going to cross the white line and start coaching the B and Primavera teams of Como 1907,” he added. “A club and a project I couldn’t be more excited about.

“This charming football team won my heart from the first minute and came to me at the perfect time in my career.

“So after 20 incredible years full of sacrifice, dedication, and joy, it’s time to say thank you and goodbye to the beautiful game.

“I loved every minute.”
Fabregas joined Barca’s La Masia Academy aged 10 in 1997.

Having progressed through the La Liga giants’ youth set-up, he played 212 Premier League matches and won the FA Cup with Arsenal between 2004 and 2011 before moving back to Barcelona.

Following three years at the Nou Camp, he returned to the Premier League in 2014 with Chelsea, where he played just under 200 games.

He made 68 appearances in three and a half years with Monaco but his playing time was limited by injuries before he moved to Como.

Fabregas won 110 caps for Spain and also won the European Championship twice, in 2008 and 2012, either side of lifting the country’s first World Cup in South Africa.

“From my first days at Barca, Arsenal, Barca again, Chelsea, Monaco, and Como, I will treasure them all,” he continued.

“From lifting the World Cup, and the Euros, to winning everything in England and Spain and nearly all the European trophies, it has been a journey that I’ll never forget.”

Source: BBC

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The outcome can be attributed to their superb record under Chris Hughton. Since April 6, 2023, when the last ranking was released, the Black Stars have played a single match which was against Madagascar in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The match which ended goalless enabled the team to accumulate vital points following their dominance throughout. Despite it being an unwanted result per the standard of the West Africans, it was enough to march them up to 59th place.

In Africa, Ghana remains outside the top 10 lying 11th behind Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, the top five of the continent.
Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Cameroon complete the top ten for Africa.

World Cup champions Argentina have maintained their top spot in the world rankings and are followed by France and Brazil respectively having beaten Australia and Indonesia convincingly during the international break.

Croatia has surpassed the Netherlands in a remarkable achievement while England also succeeded in leapfrogging Belgium to take fourth place. The top ten is completed by Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

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The 38-year-old turned home Goncalo Inacio’s header from close range.

The goal was initially ruled out for an Inacio offside but was awarded by the video assistant referee.

That was Ronaldo’s 123rd international goal, extending his world record.

Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo broke Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa’s 196-cap record in March – and was given a certificate by Guinness World Records before kick-off to mark this latest landmark.

“For me, it’s an unbelievable achievement, it’s amazing,” he said after the match. “And, of course, to score the winning goal, it’s even more special.

“We didn’t play so well but sometimes football is like that but we scored a goal and, in my opinion, we deserved it. I’m so happy because of 200 caps, but this is even more special.”

Ronaldo is in his 20th year of playing for Portugal, having made his international debut in 2003, and is still a regular in the team despite leaving Europe for Saudi Arabia after the World Cup.

The former Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus forward has won the Ballon d’Or five times.

His fifth goal of Euro 2024 qualifying helped take Portugal on to four wins from four games.

Iceland, who have only won once, had Willum Willumsson sent off for two bookings with 10 minutes to go.

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“It is time…that voice has been clear in my ears, and I have succumbed to it, IT IS TIME. IT IS TIME TO HANG THE JERSEY AND BOOTS IN GLORY as I retire officially from active football”.

The former striker began his professional career in 2003 with Liberty Professionals in Ghana. He then went on to play for clubs in France, England, Turkey, China, and the United Arab Emirates.

He is the Ghana National Team, Black Stars’ all-time leading scorer, with 51 goals in 106 matches. He helped Ghana reach the round of 16 of the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

In his statement, Gyan said he plans to continue working in football after his retirement.

Gyan has proven himself as one of the most talented, popular, and successful players in the history of Ghanaian football and beyond.

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The 25-year-old matches the achievement previously accomplished by Arthur Ashe and James Blake.

Speaking to reporters after his nail-biting 4-6 7-6(1) 7-6(8) win over German Jan-Lennard Struff, Tiafoe said he was “super emotional” after moving to 10th in the world rankings.

“I’m a guy who shouldn’t even really be here doing half the things he’s doing,” Tiafoe said.

“And now when you say his name, you can say he’s top 10 in the world. So [that is] something that no one can take from you and I’m going to remember that forever.

“Hopefully, I can ride that for a long time.”

Tiafoe has been heralded as the potential future of men’s tennis in the US and he’s starting to fulfill those expectations.

However, his journey to the higher echelons of elite tennis hasn’t been easy.

His parents met in the US after leaving Sierra Leone and had twins together, Franklin and Frances.

His father, Constant Tiafoe, started working at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in Washington, D.C. back in 1999 and eventually moved into one of its vacant storage rooms while working around the clock.

His two boys would sometimes stay with him, sleeping on a massage table, while their mother worked night shifts as a nurse.

The unusual gateway into the sport gave Tiafoe an opportunity to start developing his skills and, after beginning to train at the facility, he didn’t look back.

He turned professional in 2015, broke into the world’s top 100 a year later, and then started asserting himself on the biggest stage.

Tiafoe reached his first major quarterfinal at the Australian Open in 2019 before a magical run to the US Open semifinals in 2022 – his best grand slam performance to date.

Tiafoe was made to work for his landmark achievement, needing a thrilling final-set tie-breaker to beat home favorite Struff on Sunday.

After finally getting over the line, the American celebrated in style before falling to the floor in disbelief.

He was then handed a bottle of champagne which he popped and sprayed on those around him.

“I just want to start drinking,” he joked during his on-court interview.

Joining Tiafoe in the latest Top 10 rankings is compatriot Taylor Fritz – it’s the first time two American players have been in the men’s Top 10 since Mardy Fish and John Isner in 2012.

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