Black Queens defender Blessing Shine Agbomadiz has completed the double with FAR Rabat after adding the league to the Throne Cup.

The Ghanaian footballer played a pivotal role as the Moroccan giants sealed their tenth national league triumph.

The Moroccan giants swept aside their opponents in the league to emerge champions one again.

"Words are not enough to say thank you Lord .. From the beginning of the season to the end it been a great time and God has been so good CHAMPIONS of Morocco yeeesss we made it again another medal," wrote an excited Blessing on Twitter.

She was also part of the team that won the Moroccan Throne Cup early this year.

Rabat will be competing in the Women's CAF Champions League.

Football Ghana

Ghana international Osman Bukari has achieved the double this season with Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade after their triumph over FK Cukaricki in the Serbian Cup on Thursday.

Red Star staged a remarkable comeback to claim a 2-1 victory in the final of the Serbian Cup at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade to complete their double for the 2022-23 season.

The Red and Whites have already won the Serbian Super Liga and have added the Serbian Cup, which they have won for the third consecutive time, having won the previous two editions.

Midfielder Marko Docic scored the opening goal of the match in the 21st minute to put Cukaricki ahead.

Serbian forward Aleksandar Pesic restored parity in the 61st minute before netting the winning goal moments later to complete the comeback for Red Star.

The Black Stars winger played the full throttle of the match for Red Star while compatriot Samuel Owusu was brought on as a second half substitute for Cukaricki when he replaced Luka Adzic.

Bukari has been immense for Red Star this season, having scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 37 appearances across all competitions.

GhanaSoccerNet

President of the Ghana Football Association, Kurt Edwin Simeon Okraku remains hopeful of retaining his seat ahead of the 2023 elections.

Mr Okraku was elected president of the Association four years ago following the collapse of the Kwesi Nyantakyi administration.

The FA boss believes he has done enough to convince delegates to retain him as president.

“Football will speak just like it did in 2019,” Okraku told Super Sport.

“What I know for a fact is that we have served football to the best of our ability. We were told in the classroom that there’s 24 hours in a day, but football has taught has that there’s more than 24 hours in a day.

“And we have worked more than 24 hours in a day.”

The date for the upcoming elections is yet to be announced but Nana Jantuah, a member of Berekum Chelsea is reportedly interested in the GFA job.

Former vice president of the Association, George Afriyie is also set to announce his candidature.

GhanaSoccerNet

The long-discussed welterweight showdown between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. is seemingly closer than ever to becoming a done deal.

Their representatives have been negotiating terms for their 147-pound title unification fight for months. Their much-anticipated clash, which has tentatively been scheduled for July 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will become a reality if both boxers sign their contracts.

BoxingScene.com has confirmed that neither Crawford nor Spence had signed contracts as of Tuesday night. The date of their fight could change if they don’t finalize their deal in time to properly promote what will be a high-profile Showtime Pay-Per-View main event.

ESPN.com’s Mike Coppinger reported Tuesday night, however, that Crawford and Spence have agreed to terms and will finally fight nine weeks from Saturday night. According to Coppinger, whoever loses can activate a rematch clause within 30 days of their fight as part of Crawford’s two-fight deal with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

The immediate rematch, Coppinger reported, would have to take place prior to the end of 2023.

Barring a draw or no-contest, their fascinating fight would crown boxing’s first fully unified welterweight champion of boxing’s four-belt era.

Crawford and Spence expected to fight in November, but it infamously fell apart in October following months of negotiations.

Crawford contended that it had taken too long to finalize a deal, thus he made an optional defense of his WBO 147-pound title against David Avanesyan. Crawford (39-0, 30 KOs) knocked out Russia’s Avanesyan (29-4-1, 17 KOs) in the sixth round of their December 10 bout at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, the 35-year-old Crawford’s hometown.

Spence (28-0, 22 KOs), of DeSoto, Texas, hasn’t fought in 13 months. The IBF/WBA/WBC champ defeated former WBA champ Yordenis Ugas (27-5, 12 KOs) by 10th-round technical knockout in his last fight, which took place in April 2022 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Spence, 33, planned to fight rival Keith Thurman (30-1, 22 KOs, 1 NC) in his first fight of 2023 before he and Crawford began speaking to each other directly earlier this year regarding their fight. Spence and Thurman, a former WBA and WBC welterweight champion from Clearwater, Florida, had agreed to move up to the 154-pound division for what would have been a non-title fight.

BoxingScene

Former Black Stars skipper, Asamoah Gyan, has launched this year’s Baby Jet U-16 African football tournament featuring 32 teams from various African countries to showcase their talents before international scouts and potentially earn professional contracts.

The week-long competition kicks off on June 6 at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium.

In addition to competing for honours and also catch the eye of the scouts, Gyan and other football icons will also offer mentorship and guidance to the young footballers during the June 6 -- 13 tournament.

At the launch of the tournament in Accra on Monday, Gyan said the competition was one of the various ways to give back to society for what he achieved during his playing days.

Ghana’s all-time leading goal scorer explained that he was keen on juvenile football development since that was the only way to solve Africa’s problems at under-17 and under-20 tournaments.

“Society has done a lot for my career and this is the only way to give back to the numerous young and upcoming footballers in Ghana and beyond.

“African countries have continuously failed to make significant impact at youth level because we don’t take juvenile football serious and I believe this tournament can help eradicate that,” said Gyan whose moniker is ‘Baby Jet’.

The CEO of Baby Jet Foundation, Samuel Anim Addo, said the tournament was a major investment in the future of African football as it provided a platform for young talents across the continent.

Mentorship by legends

He added that the tournament had been given a big boost from African football legends such as Gyan, Stephen Appiah, John Paintsil and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu who would offer mentorship and guidance to the young footballers.

“This year’s competition is going to be an improvement of what we have been able to achieve in the past, and we will also bring the legends to these youngsters to inspire them as well,” noted Mr Anim Addo.

“We expect this year’s competition to be fun, educative and the best will surely be awarded and to their own benefit, get scouted and give them a career uplift”.

For his part, Anthony Baffoe, president of the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana, lauded the initiative by Gyan to offer opportunities to young and talented footballers within the continent.

He called on upcoming footballers who fell within the age bracket to take advantage of the tournament which he believed had the potential to change their destiny.

From Sammy Heywood Okine

Swiss company Fortius has launched its portal for reserving hospitality at Paris 2024 ©Fortius

A hospitality package with a ticket to watch the men's 100 metres final at the Stade de France has been advertised at €8,500 (£7,500/$9,000) on the official portal launched by Swiss-based company Fortius.

For the athletics session on August 4, a "Gold" package with "first" seat category invites guests to "Enjoy an international gourmet menu featuring French regional signature dishes, engage with Olympians and sporting event specialists and enjoy live musical entertainment."

Other packages start at €1,250 (£1,000/$1,300) for a ticket and hospitality with Clubhouse 24, a category including reception outside the venue.

Fortius, which operates from Zurich, has been appointed by Paris 2024 hospitality rights holder On Location as a sub-distributor for the packages in over 50 countries.

In Europe these are Austria, Germany and Switzerland, but the company will also distribute to over 30 Asian nations, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and countries in South America, including Brazil and Argentina.

There are 716 hospitality packages displayed on the Fortius Portal which will soon offer options in other languages ©Fortius

The Fortius website invites customers to "celebrate like never before and create your unforgettable moments with world class hospitality and travel packages."

"There is a real excitement in our markets about the Olympic Games and the flair and enthusiasm that Paris and France will deliver," Fortius chief executive Max Mueller said.

"Our platform uses the best available and most robust technology, but with an intuitive and seamless buying experience for customers."

There are currently 716 different offers displayed on the Fortius site with packages for events throughout the Olympics.

A place at the opening day of skateboarding at the Place de la Concorde on July 27 with the "Silver" level of venue hospitality is advertised at €350 (£30/$375) per person which includes champagne on arrival.

"Included is a crafted buffet-style menu with chef-attended food stations and live entertainment,the Fortius website said.

"Enjoy a live DJ spinning a curated set list."

Clubhouse 24 category packages for the sport are priced from €95 (£83/$100) to €150 (£130/$160) depending on the type of ticket.

Gold level hospitality tickets to watch the men's 100 metres final at Paris 2024 are advertised at €8,500 per person ©Getty Images

Prices for men's qualification events in artistic gymnastics range from €495 (£430/$530) to €1,450 (£1,260/$1,560) with "Gold" category hospitality and "A"  seating.

Prices for first night of swimming, including four finals, start at €850 (£740/$910) with Clubhouse 24.

The most expensive hospitality package for the night is priced at €6,750 (£5,865/$7,260) at "Gold" level with a Category "A" seat.

The platform is only displayed in English at present, but Fortius have pledged that the portal will soon be available in additional languages, including French and German, and extended to include services such as accommodation, flights and merchandise.

By Philip Barker / insidethegames

Ghana U23 assistant coach, Godwin Attram has stressed that qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games is a priority.

The Black Meteors of Ghana will be playing at the 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled to kick off in Morocco on June 24.

At the tournament, Ghana will be fighting not only to lift the Cup but to also secure qualification for next year’s Olympics in France.

Speaking to Radio Gold, Coach Godwin Attram argued that qualification to the Olympic Games is non-negotiable.

“The country needs this tournament to qualify for France, it is very important, we haven’t been able to qualify for the tournament [for a long time] and it is very bad for a country like Ghana,” Godwin Attram said.

The Black Meteors assistant coach is hoping that some of the eligible Black Stars players will play for the Black Meteors at the U23 AFCON to increase the team’s chances of qualifying for the Olympic Games.

“So we hope that calling them to come and join, they will give their hearts out, play very well, listen to the technical team, and make something good out of it because it is good to be an Olympian,” Godwin Attram argued.

The U23 AFCON will be staged in Morocco from January 24 to July 8.

Ghana is in Group A with Morocco, Guinea, and Congo.

footballghana

Executive Council Member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Dr. Randy Abbey says the introduction of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Ghana Premier League will be very important.

The Heart of Lions President adds anything that will help minimize mistakes in the local game should be encouraged.

He said this will give referees a second chance to see incidents they have made decisions on in split seconds.

Abbey, however, adds that the VAR will not completely eradicate refereeing controversies in the league as it can be seen in the Premier League.

“Anything that would be introduced which is capable of minimizing the mistakes must be encouraged.

“At least for some key decisions, there would be a second eye but that alone can’t eradicate controversies like we’ve seen in other competitions like the English Premier League.”

There were reports earlier in the year that FIFA had rejected a proporsal from the GFA to use the technology at some specific venues.

footballghana

Registration for the 2nd Edition of the Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon (AICHM) will open on Thursday, June 1, 2023.

Mr. Henri Senyo Penni General Manager of Medivents Consult, organisers of the race announced this at the launch of event on Tuesday.

He said, athletes and participants would have to use a special short code to register to participate in the race, fixed for Saturday, July 29, 2023.

The short code *380*21# is the only platform that would be used by all participants to register for the race.

According to Mr. Penni, apart from the regular 21-Kilometres, they have also introduced 10-Kilometres and 5-Kilometres to ensure mass participation.

He said registration fee would be required to complete the process, adding that participants would have to pay GHC 50.00 for 21-Kilomtres, GHC 30. 00 for 10-Kilomtres and GHC 20.00 for 5-Kilomtres.

Mr. Penni added that, each registered participant would be entitled to a running vest, refreshments, an insurance cover of GHC 1,000 from Serene Insurance as well as finish medals for all those within the first 100.

He noted that, there would also be attractive prizes both cash and kind for athletes, especially those who would excel in the day.

The Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon is part of activities marking the annual Homowo festival and also part of activities marking the 125th Anniversary celebration of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

It will be held on Saturday, July 29, with the start point at the Accra Sports Stadium and finish point at the Mantse Agbona, James Town.

Source AICHM

   Ghanaian forward Bernard Tekpetey has won the Bulgarian Cup competition with PFC Ludogorets Razgrad following their victory over CSKA 1948 Sofia in the final on Wednesday.

Ludogorets claimed their third Bulgarian Cup triumph after recording a 3-1 win over CSKA at the National Stadium Vasil Levski in Sofia.

Brazilian forward Caio Vidal Rocha scored the opening goal of the match as early as the 8th minute to put Ludogorets ahead.

Vidal Rocha scored again to double the advantage of the Bulgarian champions two minutes to the interval break.

CSKA pulled one back to reduce the deficit in the 59th minute through forward Ivaylo Chochev.

Ludogorets wrapped up their triumph to lift the Bulgarian Cup after Argentinian forward Mattias Tissera scored the final goal seven minutes from the full-time whistle.

Tekpetey, 25, lasted the entire duration of the match for Ludogorets, contributing to their third cup glory after the 2012 and 2014 triumphs.

Ghanaian midfielder Carlos Ohene was an unused substitute for CSKA.

Ludogorets are chasing a double this season as they currently lead the Bulgarian Parva Liga by one point.

A win on the weekend will see them crowned champions of the league again.

NewsGhana