Sports
Dicey duels for Medeama, Kotoko
The Medeama players celebrating one of their wins
Seven weeks into the new Ghana Premier League season, Medeama SC and Kumasi Asante Kotoko have shown a strong desire to dominate and make their presence felt.
The duo share the two top spots on the table after match week seven and would hope to carry on with their impressive start to consolidate their positions.
However, sustaining those runs will be a major challenge as week eight throws difficult games at them and on ‘enemy’ territories.
Medeama will face the biggest test at the Dormaa where they play as guest of struggling Aduana Stars.
The Aduana lads have not been at their best this season and could be considered to be the latest victims of the high-flying Medeama side in the clash.
But despite their struggles, Aduana has kept the Dormaa ground as a waterloo for visiting teams and the visit of Medeama will be no exception.
Kotoko would equally aim to paint the CAM Park in Aiyinase red when they take on Premier League debutants, Basake Holy Stars.
Holy Stars started the season with a bang; upsetting Kotoko’s biggest rivals, Hearts of Oak, in Accra on opening day.
From that day, they have been considered a side to always watch out for. And surely, Coach Prosper Ogum would have one eye on them to terminate what they bring to the table with the other focused on what to do to snatch the maximum points.
One other side fighting hard to join the elites at the top is Hearts of Oak. They endured a very difficult start to the season as they lost the first two games.
But they seem to have gotten their act right, recording eight points so far in their last five games including last weekend’s draw with Dreams FC.
At the University of Ghana (UG) Stadium, the Phobians will welcome GoldStars in a game that would test Hearts’ new form.
The Nsenkyire Sports Arena will also be full of fireworks when defending league champions, Samartex, face Berekum Chelsea.
A similar story would be told at the Kpando Sports Stadium where Heart of Lions take on Nsoatreman just as Bechem United look set to stretch Karela United at the Bechem Park.
At the Ohene Ameyaw Park, Young Apostles could further delay Dreams FC’s quest for a first win with Nations FC battling Vision FC in a game of equals.
Also at the UG Stadium, Legon Cities will slug it out with Accra Lions.
By Andrew Nortey
Ashantigold SC has terminated the contracts of three members of its technical team with immediate effect.
The affected officials are head coach and technical director Abdul Karim Zito, assistant coach Ernest Okyere, and goalkeepers’ trainer Robert Dabo.
The decision was announced in a statement signed by the club’s Chief Executive Officer, Edward Kwasi Akuoko.
According to the statement, the decision was taken following a consultative meeting by the Interim Management Committee on Monday, October 26, 2026.
The club says a caretaker coach has been appointed to steer the affairs of the team until a substantive coach/technical director is appointed.
Management expressed gratitude to the affected officials for their contribution and service to the team and wished them well in their future endeavours.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
England captain Harry Kane says it was extra special to be presented with the Ballon d’Or by one of his childhood idols.
Kane made the comment after receiving the prestigious award from former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario.
“Ronaldo was one of my idols growing up,” Kane said.
The Bayern Munich striker described the moment as surreal, being honoured by a player he looked up to as a young footballer.
Kane was announced as the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium, marking the 70th anniversary of the award and the first time the ceremony was held outside France.
The 33-year-old beat stiff competition from second-placed Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal to win his first ever Ballon d’Or.
He becomes the first Englishman to win the coveted individual award in 25 years since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth Englishman ever after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
He is also the first Bayern Munich player to win the award since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
Kane won the award after a remarkable season in which he scored 61 goals in 51 club matches, the most a Bayern player has ever scored in one campaign.
Including England matches, it was 73 goals plus eight assists in 65 matches. His 73 goals is the second-highest single-season total ever behind Lionel Messi’s 82 in 2011-12.
Despite the goal haul, Kane did not win the Champions League or World Cup, with Bayern losing 6-5 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals and England losing 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final before finishing third.
The award was presented by Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner himself, adding what was described as a special dimension to Kane’s historic achievement.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
