Deputy Black Stars skipper Andre Ayew has offered to buy flight tickets for some of the 23 invited foreign based players of the senior national team to travel to Accra for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda.
This comes after the Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuije recently told Vice President of the Ghana Football Association George Afriyie, that the ministry does not have the needed funds to purchase tickets for the players.
Though most of the Black Stars players are ready to purchase their own flight tickets, Ghana FA Communications Director Ibrahim Sannie Daara feels the decision by the injured West Ham forward to support the foreign based legion with flight tickets is a massive show of patriotism.
“The Black Stars players themselves have decided in a massive show of patriotism that they want to pay for their own tickets to come for the match.
“However, there are some players who are unable to afford the tickets and for that Andre Ayew has decided that he will pay for them to turn up for the game,” Daara told Starr Sports in an interview.
The Black Stars have already booked their place in the tournament after picking 13 points from five games, seven above their visitors and other group member Mauritius.
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Razak Braimah (Cordoba, Spain), Adam Kwarasey (Rosenborg, Norway) Richard Ofori (Wa All Stars)
Defenders: Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Jeffery Schlupp (Leicester City, England), Baba Rahman (Schalke, Germany), John Boye (Sivasspor, Turkey), Jonathan Mensah (Anzhi, Russia), Edwin Gyimah (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Kadri Mohammed (AshantiGold)
Midfielders: Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese, Italy), Afriyie Acquah (Torino, Italy), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain) Samuel Tetteh (Leifering, Austria), Mubarak Wakaso (Panathinaikos, Greece), Frank Acheampong (Anderlecht, Belgium), Alfred Duncan (Sassuolo, Italy), Christian Atsu (Chelsea, England),
Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Shanghai SIPG, China), Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa, England), Ebenezer Assifuah (Sion, Switzerland), David Accam (Chicago Fire, USA)
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Kobina Welsing
staff Picks
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2017 AFCON qualifier: Ayew to fund tickets for Black Stars players
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What the Stars are Tweeting: I’d rather fly mum abroad than friends – Samini
Dance hall king Shatta Wale premiered a new song directed at dance hall rival Samini titled ‘Fly Ur Niggaz’.
n a rebuttal, the ‘time Bomb’ hit maker took to social media and said:
“I’d rather put a smile on my mums face than try please some opportunistic niggaz.”“#?nohype? I’d rather put a smile on my mums face than try please some opportunistic niggaz in return for fake smiles and backstab wounds….
“From the little l’ve seen I choose to keep my circle tight….. ?#?opanaraay?, I’m on that ?#?flyourmother? swag lol ?#?mamaovereverything? ?#?mamasummerfly? ?#?akyesaaaaaa?……?#?miami? ?#?miamiheat? ??# mama
So you have seen it all. Be the judge ……… and continue to watch this space for more on what the stars are tweeting.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5fm/Miriam Hayford -
Some sports ‘impossible without doping’ – Arshavin
With Russia gripped by accusations of doping, former Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin has suggested all athletes competing in certain Olympic sports take performance-enhancing drugs.
In an interview apparently conducted by a Kazakh sports news site, the outspoken Arshavin was quoted as saying that athletic success in “cyclic sports”, those which require constant repetitive movement, was “simply impossible without doping”.
Arshavin’s comments come amid the ongoing scandal in Russia that has seen some of the country’s athletes banned from the Olympic games, following accusations of state-sponsored doping.
He also claims that politics played a role in the decision to bar the country from competing in some disciplines in Rio.
“In my opinion, all cyclic sports are doping. It’s simply impossible without doping. That means swimming, skiing, cycling. I think everyone dopes,” he told prosportkz.kz.
“Russia is paying for its political decisions, including in sport. Is it fair or unfair? Life isn’t fair. Of course, this is a great tragedy for the athletes, especially the Olympians.
“For them, this is the World Cup and European Championship for footballers. We have every two years, with good players, earning good money at clubs, and they have the reverse.
“[They have] almost one or two chances in life to get an apartment, a normal premium…Of course I understand them, they are not in the best condition now.”
Russian officials have consistently denied any state involvement in doping cover-ups and strenuously refute the findings of the McLaren Report, which claimed that the Russian secret service and sports ministry colluded to manipulate samples at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Russian athletes escaped a blanket ban from the Rio games, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowing individual sports federations to determine who should be eligible to compete. Meanwhile, Russian authorities are currently contesting a similar ban for the Paralympic Games.
However, while claiming that some sports are riddled with widespread doping, Arshavin – who as well as Arsenal and the Russian national team also played for Zenit, and currently plies his trade with Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan – insists that in team sports things are different.
“[There is doping] in football and hockey – to a lesser extent. In football, you cannot predict. In team sports, there’s very little doping,” he added.
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Champions League Review: City rout Steaua in first leg
In the first leg of Champions League qualifying play-offs, Manchester City all but assured their place in the group stage, thumping Steaua Bucharest 5-0 via Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick on Tuesday.
Goals from Aguero and David Silva effectively settled the match for last season’s semi-finalists before the interval, in Pep Guardiola’s first European match in charge.
Although Aguero missed two penalties in the first 21 minutes, the Argentine forward still bagged his hat-trick in the closing 12 minutes, after Nolito made it 3-0 four minutes following the break at Arena Nationala.
Rostov claimed a surprise 1-1 draw away to Ajax, holding on to give themselves every chance of progressing.
Dmitri Kirichenko’s Rostov claimed a vital away goal in the 13th minute, with Christian Noboa’s free-kick finding its way past a flat-footed Jasper Cillessen.
Ajax got their deserved equaliser 25 minutes later, with Davy Klaasen converting the penalty after Cesar Navas’ handball.
For all of Ajax’s dominance with the ball, ending the match with 72 per cent possession, they could not play their way through a compact Rostov side, who head back to Russia with the tie in their hands.
Dinamo Zagreb continued their inconsistent form under new coach Zlatko Kranjcar, coming from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to Red Bull Salzburg.
After a tight first half in which neither side could create significant openings, Red Bull took the lead just shy of the hour-mark through Jonathan Soriano, his deflected header wrong footing Dinamo keeper Eduardo.
Dinamo had the bulk of possession in search of an equaliser, but eventually equalised from the spot with 14 minutes remaining as Marko Rog dusted himself off to send Alexander Walke the wrong way.
Despite some testy moments in the second half, Borussia Monchengladbach eventually emerged from Bern with a comfortable 3-1 lead over Young Boys.
After a well-worked opener for Raffael in the 11th minute, Miralem Sulejmani’s equaliser for Young Boys nine minutes after the break caused some panic within Andre Schubert’s ranks.
Substitute Andre Hahn restored the lead, and calm, a minute after coming on before an Alain Rochat own goal created breathing room.
In Tuesday’s other match, Andrija Pavlovic gave Copenhagen a 1-0 win at home to APOEL Nicosia.
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Mahrez to only leave for ‘two or three clubs’
Riyad Mahrez admitted that while he would like to remain with champions Leicester City in the Premier League for now, he would be tempted if the right offer came along.
Last season’s PFA Player of the Year was linked with a move to Arsenal early in the off-season, and while Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has remained adamant he will stay, Mahrez says “two or three clubs” could tempt him away from King Power Stadium.
Asked if he could imagine playing anywhere else than England, in an interview with France Football, Mahrez said: “[The Premier League] is a super league and I would like to stay as long as possible.
“Now, there are two or three clubs in the world, that if they come for me, it definitely makes you think, if you understand what I’m trying to say.”
In reaction to reports linking him to Chelsea, after he was seen in the same hotel as Antonio Conte, Mahrez denied any possibility.
“I do not overthink things too much. I am not in that world. I play football, and then I go home. It is true that, in England, they are crazy at that level,” he said.
“Last Sunday [7 August] after a match, we found ourselves in the same hotel as Chelsea and they came up with something about that.
“They find the smallest thing to enter into your life. I know how to deal with it. I am not David Beckham either.”
The 25-year-old was talismanic in Leicester’s historic run to the Premier League title last term, notching up 17 goals and 11 assists.
Despite the English media’s increasing presence, finding comfort in training loads has been welcome for the Algeria international and he credits Ranieri for helping him in this respect.
“[Ranieri] immediately took me under his wing and gave me a lot of confidence. And he has brought me to be more rigorous with my game…In this sense, I have progressed because of the work demanded by the coach,” Mahrez explained.
“At Leicester, I arrive three hours before the match for example. We eat a bit together, and then head to the match. We also have a lot of rest days. We are calmer, it is another mentality.
“But, again, on the pitch, we push ourselves to the limit. They give us the confidence to take responsibility for ourselves. I like that way of managing, there is a sense of liberty that works well with me.”
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Love is a decision
Well, sometimes looking at your string of relationships, you notice that most of them have been more head than heart. That is, you thought your partner was right so you started going steady with them.
What is love then, is it an undertaking you purposively and constantly commit yourself to, or is it just a tidal wave of feelings that sweeps you away?
• First of all, love does not have to be one thing or the other; often times it is a mixture of both emotions and a dogged decision to stay with one person and tolerate all their fopperies.
• Most people will argue that love is a feeling, and that anything less than a maddening desire to be with someone is mechanical. The thing is, deciding to commit to another person regardless of their faults is easier when you feel very strongly about them. Let’s say it is the feeling of love that keeps you smiling even when you feel like whacking your partner’s head with a skillet.
• Thanks to literature and movies, love that is grounded on feelings is more popular than love based on a decision; falling in love, according to a lot of people is more ideal as compared to deciding to love. Here’s the thing though, couple who have been together for a longer time will say that love is more of a decision than a feeling. They say that with time the feelings go away, and only a commitment to stay remains.
What the above points suggest is that love is both a feeling and a decision. Should the feeling be placed above the decision, absolutely yes for me. Love becomes a decision only after people detect a connection to another person. When love is born out of feelings of respect, desire, tenderness and sacrifice, then you can decide how far you are willing to go.
The only catch is, does one fall in love before deciding? Or does one decide to love before falling in love? Every experience is different. What’s your story, and how is it working out for you?
SOURCE:
Author is Dede Williams-Pulse Blogger -
Two arrested police officers escape
The three escaped at Nkawkaw when they were being transferred to Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital.
Sources say the suspects were able to flee when the vehicle transferring them stopped to refill at a fuel station in Nkawkaw.
The three were suspected on August 15, 2016, after an attack of a GCB Bank bullion van at Maame Krobo in the Afram Plains South District of the Eastern Region.
The incident led to the death of the driver of the van. Another police officer who was escorting the vehicle was also wounded in the attack.
The bullion van, however, had no money in it at the time of the attack.
SOURCE: Mildred Europa Taylor
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5 things about your relationship you shouldn’t tell your friends
Have you ever had your dream Christmas present and couldn’t show it to your friends? That’s just about how it feels to shut up about your amazing partner.
There are things about your relationship you can tell your friends, and there others you should not whisper a word of. Here are some of the no-nos:
• You absolutely cannot tell your friends about your partner’s intimate secrets. If you get invited into your partner’s world to share in their fears and vulnerabilities, you cannot share it with a third party. This is because it is your partner’s story to share, not yours; not anyone’s.
• Of course you cannot tell your friends that your partner dislikes them and thinks they are stupid, vain or boring. Ideally, you are to be the bridge between your friends and the people you date. You set yourself up for antagonism when your friends dislike your partner or vice versa because of something you said.
• Who stands to gain if your friends know that your partner has a somewhat unappealing body part? No one, really. If you respect your partner, and want to avoid your friends laughing at you behind your back, you will keep the story of your partner’s imperfections – a hairy bum perhaps – in your bedroom where it belongs.
• Unless your partner is a serial asshole who threatens your physical and emotional safety, keep your fights to yourself. All couples fight, and usually they patch up after tempers are calm. After you are all gooey-eyed when the fight has ended, you may have a hard time convincing your friends that you didn’t mean the terrible things you said about your partner.
• Finally, unless you’re comfortable with unsolicited acts of charity, you may want to hold on till your creditors actually threaten to kick you out of your home before telling your friends about the financial challenges you and your partner are facing.
SOURCE: Author is Dede Williams-Pulse Blogger
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NPP accuses First Lady of vote-buying
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, the acting General Secretary, John Boadu, said “the lavish gifts” being dished out by Mrs Mahama is worrying.
He said: “The wife of the President of the Republic is going around the country, with a fleet of trucks load of goodies, which she is sharing for votes. These run into millions of dollars.”
The NPP has, therefore, called for full disclosure on who is funding her charity programme.
“Ghanaians deserve to know. How much is being spent. Who is paying for it? Where is the money coming from?” he asked.“…Ghanaians also have the right to question the timing of the escalation of the First Lady’s gifts-sharing expedition and the volume and costs of the gifts being shared.”
He said in 2012, “we saw how over the last four months to the polls, some $4 billion dollars that was not budgeted for was taken out of state coffers and spent in a desperate and reckless attempt for Mahama to hold on to power. We all remember the stories of GYEEDA, SADA, Woyome, etc.”
“What is even more worrying is the silence of the President. The NPP argued that to refuse to disclose the sources of funding for the First Lady’s charity work is to add to the perception that the root and head of the corruption overwhelming the country is indeed the First Family.
“The President was silent on why babies are dying in our hospitals because there are no incubators or oxygen. The President did not explain why students in boarding schools are left to starve, whiles his wife, the First Lady can find money to travel across the country giving away election year goodies,” John Boadu added.
SOURCE: Mildred Europa Taylor
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Coach Adepa: I’m disappointed with our results against Hearts
Head coach of Wa All Stars has indicated that the 1-1 draw against Hearts of Oak wasn’t a true reflection of the game, per the performance his charges put up on the evening.
Kofi Yeboah put the Wa lads in the driving seat, before his namesake Sam Yeboah drew level for the Phobians at the Wa Park on Wednesday.
Anos Adepa has stated that his team dominated play and should have earned all the three points involved.
“I am disappointed with the results of the game, because we controlled it and created a lot of opportunities. Hearts of Oak are lucky for walking away with a point,” he said after the game.
Wa All Stars are sitting on top of the Ghana Premier league ladder with 42 points, with 5 matches to end the season.
SOURCE: Thomas Freeman Yeboah