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After masterminding the transfer of Joseph Paintsil from Tema Youth to Ferencváros and to Genk in Belgium and also Jonah Osabutey from Tema Youth to Werder Bremen in the German Bundesliga, Emmanuel Gyasi and his partners are set to launch the next big thing in terms of football development in Ghana.IMG 20190314 WA0007

Gyasi, a football enthusiast and a top FIFA intermediary will be in Ghana to supervise a talent hunt event set to start in April this year.

The young and visionary FIFA Intermediary seeks to use the platform to unearth raw talents and place them in the best development centers across the world to help them realise their dreams.

His partners are seeking to set up an ultra-modern academy in Ghana with the name GoldCoast Football Academy from the top talents they will identify from the talent hunt exercise.

Starting in Kumasi, the Opoku Ware Senior High School (OWASS) Park will witness the first exercise which starts on April 27th 2019.

With free entry for every young player and the only qualification being one’s talent, the OWASS Park is expected to bleed with a lot of exceptional talents when the exercise finally starts.

In the video below, Emmanuel Gyasi explains the vision and mission of Gold Coast Academy as well as the modalities of the exercise slatted for next month.

https://youtu.be/XIxifHs5HFE

Source: Football made in Ghana

The favorites have proved their way into Group D: Egypt and Ghana reached the quarter-finals at the African Cup
Recruiters Egypt and Ghana were the last teams to reach the quarter-finals at the Africa Cup in Gabon. In group D, the seven-time Cup winner beat 1-0 (1-0) against Ghana. Egypt's Mohamed Salah of AS Roma was the scorer. The tournament has been concluded for Uganda and Mali, who lost 1: 1 (0-0).

The first quarter-finals will be held on Saturday, Burkina Faso and Tunisia, as well as Senegal and Cameroon. Ghana is the second in Group D on Sunday against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Hosts Gabon with Borussia Dortmunds striker star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had already been eliminated in the preliminary round. Also title defender Ivory Coast with Salomon Kalou of Hertha BSC had failed.

Source: http://www.spiegel.de/

Substitute Lionel Messi scored a sublime 89th-minute equaliser as leaders Barcelona came from 2-0 down to preserve their unbeaten La Liga record. Sevilla looked set to inflict a first league defeat on Barca for 11 months after goals by Franco Vazquez and Luis Muriel.

Luis Suarez pulled a goal back from close range in the 88th minute before Messi equalised moments later.

Barca's leading scorer curled home his 26th league goal from outside the area.

Messi had missed both of Argentina's friendlies during the international break because of a hamstring injury and was left out of the starting line-up for this game.

Barcelona are 12 points clear at the top of the table although Atletico Madrid will cut the gap to nine if they beat Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday (19:45 BST).

Sevilla, who are sixth in the table, wasted a string of chances to seal victory when 2-0 up.

They have not beaten Barcelona since October 2015 although they will get another chance to overcome Ernesto Valverde's side when the teams meet in the Copa del Rey final on 21 April.

The teams could also still meet in the Champions League.

Barcelona are chasing a European and domestic treble and host Roma in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, while Sevilla entertain Bayern Munich the day before.

 

US Open champion Sloane Stephens beat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 to win her first Miami Open title. American Stephens looked tense at the start and there were eight breaks of serve in the first set before the home favourite prevailed in the tie-break. The 25-year-old world number 12 relied heavily on her defence before putting her foot on the gas in the second set.

World number five Ostapenko, 20, was left to rue an unforced error count of 48 which cost her a first win in Miami.

It was the first meeting between the pair, both Grand Slam winners in the past 12 months, and their nerves showed in the opening exchanges as the first four games went against serve.

Stephens had beaten three former Grand Slam champions - Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka - to make the final, but she struggled initially against an aggressive Ostapenko.

Stephens hit just three winners in the first set, relying on 29 unforced errors from the Latvian to scrape through the tie-break.

French Open champion Ostapenko had not dropped a set all tournament until that point, and immediately broke the American in the second set.

Florida native Stephens showed her improved speed as she continued to return Ostapenko's hits, before finally coming alive in attack at 3-1 with a deft drop-shot and a brilliant cross-court winner as the finish line came into sight.

The American ramped up the tempo and swept through the final games to win in one hour 31 minutes.

Having lost eight matches in a row following her US Open triumph, Stephens has now responded to that slump with a sixth WTA title that will move her into the world top 10 for the first time when the rankings are released on Monday.

"There were pre-match jitters but once I won the first set, I was able to settle," she said. "I have wanted to be in the top 10 for so long. It's very exciting."

BBC

 

Three-time champion and eighth seed Venus Williams has been knocked out of the Miami Open in the quarter-finals by qualifier Danielle Collins.

The 24-year-old, ranked 93rd in the world, needed only one hour 29 minutes to come through 6-2 6-3 against fellow American Williams, 37, a seven-time Grand Slam winner.

It was Collins' first victory against a top 10 player.

She will now face French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the semi-finals.

The 20-year-old Latvian saw off world number four Elina Svitolina over two tie-breaks, winning 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5).

"The first time I saw Venus in the locker room I nearly cried," Collins admitted. "She has been my favourite player so I am finding it difficult to wrap my head around this."

Victoria Azarenka will play US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the other women's singles semi-final.

 

Anthony Joshua unified the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles with a controlled performance in a unanimous points win over Joseph Parker at a tense Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The Briton, 28, used his left hand to telling effect throughout an intriguing affair, in which New Zealand's Parker displayed swift hands, movement and impressive durability.

But his WBO title always looked like it would end up round Joshua's waist as a significant points gap opened up, with the favourite landing a hard left uppercut in round eight and two stinging left hooks early in the 10th.

Parker tagged his rival to howls of concern in the 11th and he deserves immense respect for becoming the first man to take Joshua to the scorecards, which read 118-110 118-110 119-109.

Joshua becomes unified world champion - with three major belts, along with the IBO crown, and only the WBC title left to claim

'Finesse' - How the night played out

Joshua raised his right hand on ring announcer Michael Buffer's reading of the cards and he now holds three of the four recognised world titles. Parker looked to the sky.

But the 26-year-old New Zealander played his part in a compelling evening and brought colour to an intriguing build-up.

Never before had two world champions from the glamour division met to unify titles on British soil. For the away fighter this was a whole new level of scrutiny; for Joshua, it was a third consecutive stadium fight, with a cumulative 250,000 seats sold in the process.

Each fighter walked to the ring to an accompaniment of strobe lights, flames and fireworks, with the estimated 78,000 in attendance providing a glittering background as smart phones lit up the tiers.

When the bell rang, Parker looked sharp, flicking his left jab to keep his opponent at bay and maintaining a guard with just his right hand, compared with two high hands from Joshua.

Referee Giuseppe Quartarone kept the fighters apart on several occasions

Afterwards, Joshua pointed to a bout he felt came down to "boxing finesse" and there is no doubt he used the jab and repeated left hooks tactically to stave off his opponent's threat.

It took until the halfway stage before either man truly began to load their shots, as early respect gave way. Parker, stung early in the sixth, gave chase and landed his own left hand from a crouched position.

The beaten man admitted he lost to a "better champion" but he at least showed the "granite chin" his camp had built much of their hope on beforehand.

Unlike Joshua, Parker has never been dropped as an amateur or a professional and he showed his durability in sucking up two hard left hooks early in the 10th.

This was a more chess-like Joshua. The knockout artist Britain has grown to love was forced to show us poise over 36 minutes, although the result never really looked in doubt.

Wilder clash edges closer

Joshua celebrates after his 21st straight victory

Those close to Joshua describe his tendency to return from a fight with improved knowledge of what he wants to change about his preparation next time.

This time, weight was an issue and cutting his lightest frame since 2014, he looked more comfortable than when he stopped Carlos Takam at this stadium in October.

He maintained a healthy pace late on and his two-inch height advantage was expertly deployed as the "glass chin" Parker's camp claimed to believe the home fighter possessed never really came under substantial threat.

There were forays from Parker but each time he was forced to dive in, leaving him exposed to a couple of left uppercuts and hooks.

Some on social media criticised the officiating for preventing either man from fighting at close quarters. The frustration was understandable but, with Parker repeatedly diving in, his attacks often produced a grapple that needed breaking up.

Joshua seemed to care little, as he took the chance to call out WBC title holder Deontay Wilder - who turned down an invitation to be ringside. The already loud calls for them to meet will grow louder. Can either really turn down the chance to become the first man in history to hold all four titles?

Only boxing politics, purse splits and ego can get in the way. Wilder will probably point to the fact his rival failed to score a stoppage. But Joshua's camp might just as well feel going the distance is a positive if such a landmark bout is to come next.

The knockout run has ended. But Joshua's rise to supremacy looks increasingly difficult to stop.

Joshua claimed a unanimous points victory over Parker

'Wilder might be encouraged' - Analysis

BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello

I thought it was an assured performance from Joshua. He clearly thought early on that he may be going the distance and adjusted his pace to suit.

I feel he could have made more potent use of the left jab, as when he did throw it frequently it set up his power punches with the right hand and left hook.

We also have to consider that Parker for long periods, as game and as resilient as he was, appeared to be in damage limitation mode.

I can imagine Wilder and his camp will have taken much confidence from tonight's showing by Joshua, but a look at Joshua's history as an amateur and a pro suggests he will learn much from this display and he is highly likely to return a better fighter.

Indeed, the performance might have encouraged Wilder to put pen to paper quicker than he might otherwise have done.

'I want Wilder...or Fury' - what they said

Russia's Alexander Povetkin is Joshua's next mandatory challenger

Anthony Joshua speaking to Sky Sports: "This was about boxing finesse - I stuck to my word. I know what it takes to be a champion. Joshua Parker said he wanted a war, but it was all about boxing finesse. The main thing we cannot forget is that I am the unified heavyweight champion of the world."

Asked if he would fight in the United States: "I'm not interested in coming to America. All these years, we've gone to the States, people have spent a lot of money following British boxers over there. [But] we can do it in London, Cardiff. We are staying right here.

"I want Wilder. Or Fury. Get him [Wilder] in the ring and I'll knock him spark out."

Joseph Parker: "I want to go back and come back stronger. I have no regrets, we take it on the chin. We'll be back again and we'll work harder to come back. I would love to have another go."

Asked if interruptions from the referee disrupted his tactics: "We could have worked inside more, we can't change it. Of course, I'm young, fit and strong. I'm fit to go 12 rounds, thanks to all the New Zealanders here and back home. He [Anthony Joshua] is a good big man and was better on the day. We'll be back."

London -Former world heavyweight champion David Haye knocked fellow Briton Dereck Chisora to the canvas twice in the fifth round to win their grudge match in pouring rain at Upton Park in east London on Saturday. The pair were involved in an ugly brawl at a news conference in Munich last February following Chisora's defeat by WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. Haye had flown to Germany in pursuit of a bout with Klitschko after losing to his brother Vladimir last year and subsequently announcing his retirement.

Saturday's fight at the home of English Premier League soccer club West Ham United for the WBO and WBA international heavyweight titles had been sanctioned by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation. The British Boxing Board of Control would not sanction the fight because neither boxer held a British licence.

The pair traded blows in a lively opening four rounds with Haye shading Chisora on points after landing a ferocious uppercut in the fourth. In the fifth round, the former world cruiserweight champion unleashed a devastating left-right combination in the space of 10 seconds to win by a knockout.

Haye told talkSPORT radio he had been surprised by Chisora's durability. “At the back of my mind I knew he was tough, I knew he was durable. I really trained hard,” he said. “I knew my conditioning was great and I knew the further this fight went on the more I would relax.”

- Reuters

Danny Garcia stopped heavy favorite Amir Khan in the fourth round to stay undefeated and add another super lightweight belt to his collection on Saturday night. Garcia sent Khan to the canvas in the third round with a left hook, but the 2004 Olympic silver medalist for Britain was able to beat the count. At the start of the fourth, though, Garcia swarmed him with power punches, knocking him down twice quickly. Khan got back to his feet each time, but the referee ended the bout at 2:28 of the round.

The American now has the WBA title to go along with his WBC one.

On the undercard, Fernando Guerrero beat Jose Medina by unanimous decision and Phil Lo Greco, J Leon Love, Daquan Arnett, Jamie Kavanagh and Abner Cotto won their bouts.

Sapa-AP

Oscar Pistorius' Olympic run came close to ending on a sour note. The South African who is the first amputee to compete in track and field at the Olympics didn't get a second chance to run.

Though he was entered in the 4x400 relay, his teammate was injured before the baton was ever passed. However, track's international ruling body said the South African team was obstructed, and allowed them to move onto the final.

In the opening heats of the relay, Ofense Mogatwane became entwined withKenya's Vincent Kiilu. Mogatwane fell to the track, and grabbed his shoulder in pain. Pistorius, who was set to take the baton for Mogatwane, tried to get to his fallen teammate but was stopped by track officials.

Ghana weightlifter Alberta Ampomah hopes to win a medal at the 2012 Olympic Games despite her late invitation to the competition.

Ampomah, who placed third in the clean and jerk division during the African Olympic qualifiers, only received her invitation to the Games three weeks ago after the International Weightlifting Federation granted her a wild card. Speaking to www.liquidsportsghana.com at her base in Plymouth, Alberta Ampomah said she plans to make the most out of the opportunity she has been given by grabbing a medal during the Games. I have the hope that I can get a medal, she said adding that, im having a feeling that by Gods grace I will get a medal at the Olympics but it all depends on how many people will be in my class (75kg +).

Ghana appeared to have lost out on a place in weightlifting when Madagascar beat Team Ghana to fourth place on superior medals at the African qualifiers in March. Alberta admits she was delighted when she received the news about qualification later on. I was very surprised and at the same time very happy because I didnt expect to be at the Olympics. The Olympics is a lifetime dream, so I was very happy.

The Olympic debutant also admitted that her preparation for the Games has not been that ideal saying, its not been easy. Im cool with what we have done though. As a weightlifter you have to be ready for anything at anytime. You have to be prepared always. Im okay with my preparation and everything.

Team Ghana is currently camping at Plymouth to acclimatise to local conditions ahead of the Olympics but Alberta acknowledged that prevailing conditions are tough for her, another weather is very bad. If you have some pains, then the weather will not be good for you because it is going to be very difficult for you to train here. But its a little bit warm where I train so Im okay with it.

Alberta Ampomah first competed on the international scene during the 2010 World Youth Olympics where she won a bronze medal.
Ghanaweb

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