The encounter is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Accra Sports Stadium, with kick-off set for 3:30GMT.

Twanyanyukwa will be assisted by Diana Chikotesha of Zambia as Assistant Referee 1 and Carine Atezambong Fomoof Cameroon as Assistant Referee 2. Fellow Namibian Nuusiku Vistoria Shangula has been appointed as the fourth official.

Off the pitch, Sainabou Cham of The Gambia will serve as the match commissioner, while Faith Uwugiaren Irabor of Nigeria has been named the referee assessor.

The Black Maidens are aiming to secure a positive result on home soil to seal a return to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup tournament.

Credit: Ghana FA

The donation is in response to the fundraising effort launched by President John Dramani Mahama in March to garner corporate and individual support for a targeted $30m to support Ghana’ campaign in North America where the Black Stars play Panama, England and Croatia in Group L.

Presenting the cheque to Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem at the Ministry of Finance in Accra yesterday, Stanbic Bank Chief Executive Kwamina Asomaning said their support is structured in two ways, a participation contribution to address more pressing needs, and an incentive portion to motivate and encourage the team to look beyond the first round and go all the way. Uniquely, the performance incentive package which is allocated all the way to the grand finale, will still be made available to be given to a charity of the Black Stars choosing in case they don’t get that far.

“We feel that structuring it this way strikes a very fine balance between providing for the immediate needs of the team and at the same time giving them an incentive to look beyond just showing up and strive for the top prize,” Mr Asomaning said.

“It’s a great pride for us to come together to support the Black Stars. As a bank, we have been inextricably linked to sports in Ghana. We have sponsored table tennis, armwrestling badminton tennis, hockey, basketball, swimming, the list goes on,” he noted.

“Soccer has not been left out so we are quite excited today to be in a position to contribute to our participation in this global event.”

The amount as usual has already been deposited into a dedicated World Cup account at the Bank of Ghana to ensure transparency and proper allocation toward the team’s preparations, with the World Cup now barely 34 days away.

Other donations received on Thursday were $500,000 from Newmont Ghana and Gh¢250,000 from OmniBSIC Bank, bringing the total donations received so far to GH¢17,181,500 and $2.5 million, following earlier contributions, including $2m and GH¢5 million tranches from Engineers & Planners and KGL Group.

“We are grateful for the response and as we’ve said already, we’ll meet here every Thursday to receive donations,” said Deputy Minister Ampem who is also Chairman of the Black Stars World Cup Fundraising Committee.

“We already have signals that a number of other banks and institutions are also coming. We are grateful, we thank you sincerely for responding to the national call to support our national team,” he added.

He scored a handicap of 8 with 44 points, while Elisee Sezan took the second place with a handicap of nine with a score of 42 points. Isaac Asante placed third with a handicap of 10 with 39 points.

The Men’s group B was another interesting competition which was won by Esukis Esukise Martin who scored handicaps of 24 and 46 points, with Kingsley Ayesu taking the second position with a handicap of 24 and 42points. The third position John Djiedjorm Jaja got a handicap of 15 and scored 41 points.

Floria Hurtubise took the first position in the Ladies Group A category with a handicap of 14 with 40 points, followed by Vastie Amoafo-Yeboah who scored a handicap of14 with 37 points, while Mary Prempeh who placed third score a handicap of 8 and 36 points

The Ladies Group B was taken by Marlene Tonyigah who scored a handicap of 28 and 42 points, Princess Nkansah-Boadu placed second with a handicap of 23 and 41 points, while Kous Louanges Mang took third position with a handicap of 25 and 39 points.

With the auxiliary prizes and awards, closest to the pin (hole 18) went to John Yankah for men, while Yaba Ehomah took the ladies prize.

Longest drive (Hole 17) went to Frederick Duvor and Angela Bamford respectively.

The special guest of honour at the tournament was HE John Dramani Mahama, who celebrated his 67^th birthday and exhibited his golf skills. He participated in both the tee-off and the awards ceremony.

Minister of Sports & Recreation, Hon Kofi Adams was also in attendance.

Frédéric Feraille, Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, presented one of the evening’s awards at the 2025 Head of State Invitational Golf Tournament. Wendy Shay, a popular female musician was one of the guests.

The sponsors of the HOS Tournament include Vivo Energy Ghana, Guinness Ghana Breweries PLC, Blue Skies Products, Appolonia City, and Royal Senchi.

Credit: Sammy Heywood Okine

The Ghanaians hold a commanding 3-0 lead from last Thursday’s first leg in Ismailia but had initially boycotted training since arriving back in Accra on Friday, demanding that bonus arrears owed them be paid.

It took the intervention of Sports and Recreation Minister, Kofi Iddie Adams and Ghana Football Association President, Kurt Simeon-Okraku to convince the players that their money will be paid for them to return to training after a 2-day standoff.

Coach Lars Kim Bjorkegren led the team intense drills on Monday afternoon in readiness of an expected routine win on Tuesday to seal Ghana’s place at the 2026 tournament in Morocco which serves as a direct qualifier to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Below are some photos from Monday’s training session at the Accra Sports Stadium:

The Minister first visited Asante Kotoko at their training ground, where he inspired the players to restore the club’s historic glory on the continental stage.

Addressing the team, he emphasised the need for discipline, teamwork, and determination, urging them to rise to the expectations of millions of fans in Ghana and abroad.

He later met the Bibiani Gold Stars team at their hotel, where he encouraged the players to believe in themselves as they make their maiden appearance on the continental stage. He called on the team to seize the opportunity to write history and prove that their consistency in the domestic league can be translated into success in Africa.

As a mark of his personal support, Hon. Kofi Adams donated GH¢10,000 each to Asante Kotoko and Bibiani Gold Stars to aid their preparations.

The Minister reiterated government’s commitment to creating the right environment for clubs to excel internationally through policies, infrastructure, and technical support. He further assured the teams of the nation’s backing as they fly the Ghana flag high on the continental stage.

Credit: Ministry of Sports & Recreation

The Minister, after delivering his opening remarks, had the honour of serving as Start Referee, ceremonially flagging off the 5KM and 21KM races featuring thousands of people that coursed through the heart of Accra. His presence highlighted government’s continued support for initiatives that promote preventive health, youth empowerment, and sports tourism.

In his keynote address, Hon. Kofi Adams highlighted the remarkable evolution of the Millennium Marathon over the past decade, celebrating its international recognition and consistent impact since its inception in 2015.

He applauded the organisers for their vision and resilience in building a platform that has not only promoted healthy living but also unearthed exceptional talents like William Amponsah.

The Minister described Amponsah’s rise from a local participant to a silver medalist at the African Games, as a testament to what Ghanaian athletes can achieve when given structured opportunities and national support.

Hon. Adams went further to challenge organisers and stakeholders to extend the marathon’s reach across all regions, ensuring broader participation and deeper community engagement.

He used the platform to reinforce government’s renewed focus on sports as a development tool, citing key pillars such as the revival of school sports, investment in infrastructure, and the establishment of a School Sports Agency.

He stressed that sport is no longer just about competition, but a catalyst for job creation, youth empowerment, and economic growth and must therefore be fully integrated into Ghana’s national development strategy.

The Minister also took the opportunity to spotlight the soon-to-be-launched National Recreation and Wellness Programme. This initiative, set to kick off later this month, aims to institutionalize monthly fitness events across all regions promoting wellness, eco-tourism, and community bonding.

The 10th Millennium Marathon served as a powerful prelude to this vision; affirming that wellness is not just personal, but national.

Credit: Ministry of Sports and Recreation.

The groundbreaking deal was revealed during a colourful ceremony at MTN House in Accra on Thursday attended by bigwigs of Ghana football including GFA President Kurt Simeon-Okraku and Executive Committee members, new Chief Director at the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Wilhemina Asamoah representing the Minister, Black Stars legends and football fans.

Revealing that his allegiance to the Black Stars stretches back to Ghana’s quarter final run at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in his native South Africa, MTN CEO, Stephen Blewett hailed Ghanaian love and passion for football, evidenced by his first hand experience after arriving in Accra last year.

“I had a good idea of how passionate Ghana was about football before coming here. But one memory stands out after arriving in Ghana, during a Black Stars match, the streets were empty and the country came to a standstill,” Mr. Blewett said.

“It became clear to me that football is not just a sport, it is part of the national heartbeat. The pride, passion and unity football ignites in the country is a testament to its unmatched power to connect and inspire people,” he said.

Mr. Weblett expressed MTN’s pride at being the biggest corporate supporter of Ghanaian football as headline sponsor of all four national teams namely Black Stars, Queens, Satellites and Starlets for two years from September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2027.

This is in addition to their already existing sponsorship of the MTN FA Cup since 2011, with a national MTN elite U-19 team also on the horizon to scout players for the national U-20 team.

He charged the Black Stars to not only qualify but target winning the FIFA World Cup and implored Ghanaians to instill a sense of belief and hope in the players.

“By embracing all national teams, we are affirming that every Ghanaian player deserves the opportunity to shine,” he explained.

“Ghana has never lifted the World Cup trophy, but that is a spark, not a scar. It should be the fire that drives us to worker harder and emphatically at MTN Ghana, we want to see Ghana win the World Cup, that’s our dream, mission and commitment,” he said.

GFA boss Kurt Okraku noted that MTN has impacted Ghanaian youth with their investment in Ghanaian football. The MTN FA Cup, he said, encompasses 2nd and 3rd tier clubs in every corner of the country, offering a big platform for young relatively unknown players to rub shoulders against their seniors and showcase their quality and skills.

He pledged judicious use of the resources to yield positive results in order to keep the partnership alive.

“MTN Ghana believes in our today and collective future. They have always shown commitment, leadership and support and with this deal, the biggest problem of Ghana football has been solved by MTN,” Mr Simeon-Okraku said.

“I’m so grateful to MTN for the belief in my leadership, the belief in the vehicle of football and what football can do for the youth and people of Ghana,” he stated.

On her part, the Chief Director of the Sports and Recreation Ministry, Wilhemina Asamoah reiterated that MTN’s commitment to not just football but all sectors is worthy of emulation by other corporate bodies.

She congratulated the GFA for making Ghana football so attractive to a big conglomerate like MTN and hailedv the abilility of sports to impact lives and contribute to economic growth, cultural and social cohesion.

Outspoken sports administrator, Herbert Mensah says Ghana has so much talent to be mediocre in sports, especially football. He called on sports leaders, particularly football, to do the right things to ensure that the abounding talents are well harnessed. I
agree with him. The wizard Public Relations man, made such a huge impact on Ghana football when managing Asante Kotoko and he is fully qualified to make this bold analysis of Ghana football.

Herbert was speaking at the 7th Ghana Football Awards ceremony organised by Football Impact Africa at the International Conference Centre in Accra on Saturday where he was honoured alongside his “chief rival cum bosom friend,” Harry Zakkour of Accra Hearts of Oak fame.

Harry and Herbert are two paddies who decades ago, handled the two great rivals in Ghana football, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko concurrently. And they made the Ghana Premier League tick almost, to a fault the cynics would say.

Matches between Hearts and Kotoko filled the stands to capacity. Standards of play were admirably high and fans of these two glamorous teams really felt a sense of belonging. The two supporter groups, Hearts Chapters and Kotoko Circles, were well organised and contributed financially to the running of the clubs. Football mania was all over the place.

Indeed, Hearts-Kotoko matches were hyped to such an extent that it threatened to be a security problem. No wonder the nation had that explosion of May 9, 2001 where 126 fans were killed in a stampede at Accra Stadium after a typical Hearts-Kotoko league match.

Suffice to say fans had their moneys worth because the players were highly motivated to give of their best. The two stalwart administrators both showed class even though Harry Zakkour really had the upperhand leading Hearts to a record six back to back league titles. Herbert’s troops gave Hearts tough challenge including CAF Cup final but lost at the famous Baba Yara Stadium in the Garden City.

Like some twin brothers, Harry and Herbert teamed up beautifully and showed the nation how to get the fans to the stadium. After making such massive impact, the two talkatives quietly left the front seat more than a decade ago with an impeccable record of raising high interest in the game nationwide.

The situation is just the opposite now. But they are still alive and kicking. Those of us privileged to be at the awards show saw the two gentlemen full of vim and showing concern for the present low state of our football.

And you can trust Herbert. He pulled no punches and told it as it is. Ghana football really deserves better. In my candid opinion, both Herbert and Harry appear to have the energy and passion to contribute to the upliftment of the game.

Let’s sink our pride and tap the knowlege of these men of substance. Bring some of these oldies on board to help steer Ghana football to its expected high level.

Incidentally, I was also honoured for what the organisers described as my contributuon to the development of football through what I will call my unsolicited writings.

The late Zac Bentum, Patron of Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs and GFA Chairman 1982 -1983 said, “you have to blow your own horn at times so others don’t blow and discordant tunes.”

This explains why I am indulging my readers with the citation given to me by the organisers of the football awards. Here we go:

“In honour of a towering figure whose pen chronicled the heartbeat of Ghanaian football long before the digital age, and whose words ignited national pride inspired generations and elevated the craft of sports journalism. Mr Ken Bediako, you are a pioneer, a standard bearer and story teller whose passion for the game have shaped public discourse and preserved the history of Ghanaian football with grace, wit and integrity.

“Your decades of unbroken service to journalism, marked by unmatched clarity, fairness and deep insight have made you not only a voice of the sport but also one of its most respected custodian.

“Through your work, Ghana’s footballing legacy has been recorded for posterity and given the dignity it deserves. For your immeasurable contribution to the growth, understanding and appreciation of football in Ghana, the Ghana Football Awards is proud to confer upon you the Living Legend award.
Ayekoo Mr Ken Bediako. Your name is etched in the annals of Ghanaian football forever.

Sgnd Karl Tufuoh, Board
Chairman, Football Impact Africa.”

This is quite inspiring. As a sign of respect, I will keep writing till my two former editors at Daily Graphic, Cameron Duodu and Elizabeth Ohene lay down their pens.

Cheers everybody. Keep loving sports.

The two talented super lightweight boxers were on The Big Fight Night Show on Omashi TV last Friday together with matchmaker cum coach Augustus Dodoo AKA Onelife.

According to Gideon, he was the one who requested for the challenge because he wants to face the best to propel him to his dream of becoming a world beater.

The product of Christian Methodist SHS said boxing chose him as he was born with the skill.

He thanked the Promoter for giving him the opportunity.

Jessie Lartey aka ‘Water Boy’ said this bout is a make or break to maintain his name and will thrill his fans.

The two boxers showed real respect, professionalism and love at the Omashi Media Studio.

Onelife urged fans to purchase early

bird tickets at 25ghc before it is raised to 50ghc or more on match day.

He hinted that the bill has interesting foreign and Ghanaian boxers who are fighting for fame and redemption, like Michael ‘One Bullet’ Ansah, former national lightweight champion against Bekzod Kholdorov, Ernest Ampah versus Abdul Rasheed Tagoe and Godfred Brown versus Felix Mankattah.

Charles Zimaal, the Redeemer will also feature as well as Tamba Merlin, Michael Dadzie, Kevin Oduro and Rogerlandy Delis.

Credit: Sammy Heywood Okine

Speaking at the balloting for the 2024/25 Quarter Final of the MTN FA Cup his expressed that their goal is to help create an ecosystem where young talents can thrive, where fans can engage more deeply with the game, and where Ghana’s football can continue to shine on the global stage.

“We call on all fans to troop to the various stadia during the quarter finals, Semis and the final match to support their teams and nurture the love for local football. MTN has a line up of surprises for fans who visit the stadia. Do not miss any match day because its going to be fun” he stressed.

He recalled that the MTN FA Cup journey has been an exciting one since it was launched in 2010.

It has lived up to the slogan “obiara nnye obiaa” because since the competition started in 2010/2011, smaller clubs have beaten bigger ones to lift the trophy.

He recollected flashbacks, when Nania FC beat premiere league giant Kumasi Asante’s Kotoko to win the first tournament, New Edubiase beat Ashgold in 2012 and Medeama FC beat Kotoko to lift the trophy in 2013. After two failed attempts, Kotoko lifted the trophy in 2014.

He said the clash between Medeama FC and Asante Kotoko was repeated in 2015 and Medeama made it as the only club to have clinched the trophy twice during MTN’s sponsorship of the FA Cup tournament.

“There have been several winners in the years following and I must say that the FA Cup tournament has contributed immensely to strengthening local Football Clubs and contributed to unearthing talents” he said.

He congratulated Nsoatreman FC, the winners of last year’s edition for their commitment and dedication that contributed to the success of competition and the Ghana Football Association as well as the FA Cup committee for effectively managing the tournament and making it one of the most competitive football tournaments in the country.

This year’s competition has been nothing short of thrilling, showcasing the exceptional skill, determination, and teamwork of our talented footballers.

The ballot produced interesting clashes as True Democracy will meet the winner of Kotoko versus Eleven Wise on Wednesday, March 12 at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.. Berekum Chelsea faces Bechem United in an all Premier Division affair, while Attram De Viser clash with PAC Academy, and Karela United against giant killers, Golden Kick.

He urged all competing clubs to let the spirit of competition drive them to give off their best, and prayed that the fans will enjoy every moment of the journey.

Winner of the MTN FA Cup competition will represent Ghana in the CAF Confederation Cup.

Credit: Sammy Heywood Okine