The continent’s football governing body has confirmed the appointment of the Algerian referee to officiate the Black Stars second group game
Caf has confirmed that South African referee Victor Gomes will not officiate the Black Stars game against Gabon in second Group C game of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.
Earlier on Thursday, reports were rife that Gomes will be in the centre of action which raised a lot of concerns particularly from Ghanaians as a result of recent legal tussle between Ghana FA and South Africa Football Association.
CAF has now confirmed that Algerian referee Lahlou Benbraham will officiate the clash in Yaounde.
The 36-year-old, who became a FIFA referee in 2017, has been ever present in Caf inter-club competitions.
He is not new to Ghana national teams but whenever he officiated a game involving Ghana, the West Africans fails to win.
He was in charge when Ghana shared the spoils 1-1 against Cameroon in 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations in 2019.
Also, Benbraham was in the centre of affairs when Ivory Coast defeated Ghana 3-2 to progress to the next stage of the competition.
With Ghana in dire need of three points against Gabon, the Black Stars would be hoping the jinx will break against Gabon.
Another defeat to Ghana will mean that the Black Stars will likely exit the competition earlier than expected.
The new academic calendar for the Basic School has been released by Ghana Education Service
Ghana Education Service has announced that basic school education has moved from three terms to two semesters ahead of the start of 2022/23 academic year and each semester will last for 20 weeks.
Following the New Common Core Programme Curriculum started to be enrolled into the system, teachers have been taken through an in-service training to be abreast with the new methods of teaching.
The new academic calendar
The first semester of the new academic calendar begins on January 18 for KG, Primary and JHS and ends on June 9. However, there will be a mid-semester break between April 12 and April 18. Meanwhile, there will be a vacation from June 10 to July 25.
The second semester is expected to begin on July 26 to December 16 with vacation starting from December 17 to early January of 2023.
Meanwhile, there will be a one week mid-semester break between September 30 to October 9.
The 38-year old, who has been a FIFA/CAF Elite Referee for the last ten years, will be in the centre when the Black Stars face Gabon in the cliffhanger encounter on Friday
South Africa’s best referee Victor Gomes has been appointed by Caf to officiate Ghana’s make or break encounter against Gabon in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday, AshesGyamera.com understands.
The 38-year-old, who was in the centre of action when Ghana were eliminated from 2019 Afcon by Tunisia in the round of 16, after he disallowed Andre Ayew’s goal which could’ve sent the Black Stars through to the next stage of the competition.
With Ghana in dire need of three points now, Gomes is expected to fairly handle the game, although a lot of Ghanaians are harbouring fear that he may be blinded with revenge since the Black Stars were controversially qualified ahead of South Africa in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers after Senegalese referee Ndiaye Maguitta awarded them a penalty.
A defeat for Ghana against Gabon will likely end the Black Stars’ journey at the tournament earlier than expected.
Gomes has always believed that refereeing is a passion for him because he has been officiating since he was 14 years.
“For me, this is not a job but it’s a passion and I am very passionate about it. I love refereeing and it makes it very easy for me. It is a life time commitment,” Gomes says, speaking to CAFOnline.
In 2016, Gomes hogged the headlines in South Africa when he sent off a ball boy for unintentionally throwing a ball on the pitch in a game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Cape Town City FC at in the Premier Soccer League.
Although, Gomes has been very successful, he insists that he wouldn’t have reached this far without the support of his family and friends.
“It is definitely not easy but I am happy because I am blessed with a very good support structure. I have family, friends and workmates who play an important role in supporting me. If you are to succeed you must have a very good foundation,” he explains.
“In my business, I have a partner who does things when I am not around and also thanks to technology, you can always make things move when you are not around. With refereeing comes a lot of travelling and you are away for so much time, but having people to support you is important,” further adds Gomes.
“It has been a very interesting journey and I am really happy with how things have gone for me. I am grateful for the people who have supported me to be here today,” Gomes says.
In spite of the controversies surrounding Gomes, he has also attracted good headlines. In 2018, Gomes seized the headlines worldwide after he rejected a $30,000 bribe to manipulate a CAF Confederation Cup match.
Gomes was reportedly approached to fix the first leg play-off encounter between Nigeria’s Plateau United and Algeria’s USM Alger which Plateau went on to win the encounter 2-1.
The lower-tier side’s problems have been compounded with yet another ban following unpaid fees from transfers they have made in the past
Former Ghana Division One League side Phar Rangers have been banned by Fifa from transferring or registering new players in the new season, AshesGyamera.com can confirm.
The club, which was recently demoted by Ghana FA due to their decision to opt out of Ghana Division One League, have been slapped with another punishment by Fifa after they failed to pay an unnamed foreign club which they owed.
“FIFA has banned Ghanaian lower league club Phar Rangers FC for failing to comply with a decision of FIFA’s Player Status Committee,” a Ghana FA statement read.
“In the decision, the now Eastern Regional Third Division side was ordered by FIFA to made payment of Thousands of Dollars to a foreign club that the Ghanaian club owes or face sanctions from the world football governing body.
“The Ghanaian lower tier side has however failed to comply with FIFA’s decision. Phar Rangers FC initially made an appeal to the CAS but has since club withdraw their appeal and has also failed to obey the decision.
“Following a request by lawyers for the foreign club for harsher sanctions to be imposed on Phar Rangers FC, FIFA has announced that Phar Rangers FC shall initially be ban from participating in the next Transfer Window which starts on February 1, 2022.
“Should Phar Rangers FC still fail to made good their indebtedness, FIFA may impose further sanctions.
“In light of the foregoing, the said Transfer Window ban shall remain up until the due amount is paid, FIFA reiterated in a letter to both parties and to the GFA.
“The GFA is tasked to ensure that Phar Rangers FC does not trade any player during the ban period.
“The GFA consequently wishes to inform all clubs and stakeholders in order to ensure strict adherence to the FIFA ban. The GFA will update members and stakeholders if the current status changes,” the statement added.
Asante Kotoko chief executive officer Nana Yaw Amponsah is a director of the club as he vied for the Ghana Football Association presidential elections in 2019 on the ticket of the club.
The Serbian manager has refused to shed light on whether the Black Stars captain will play a part in the game against Gabon on Friday
Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has refused to shed light on captain Andre Ayew ahead of the Black Stars game against Gabon in Group C of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Ayew picked up a head injury on Monday after colliding with Morocco defender Saiss and sat out when the Black Stars trained on Wednesday ahead of the game on Friday.
Ayew was not present when Ghana held their pre-match conference as the Black Stars were represented by Milovan and striker Richmond Boakye Yiadom.
“Andre Ayew is in stitches after the injury he picked up against Morocco,” Milovan said.
“But he is doing okay. He will definitely be ready, but I never talk about my selection before the match. We believe that every player can make a difference in the game and we are optimistic to win
“Gabon are a good side but winning this game is our main priority so we are seriously preparing. I will not tell you if Ayew will start or not. I will not talk about whether he will start the game or not because it is not what I do before games,” he added.
Ghan sit bottom of Group C with zero point and a defeat against Gabon could mean the Black Stars will be eliminated from the competition earlier than expected.
Following Ghana Education Service’s new directive to change the curriculum and mode of teaching in all basic schools (government and private) across the country, a new set of materials to be used for teaching and learning have been made available.
As a result, AshesGyamera present to you all the New Common Core Programme Curriculum Syllabus, Lesson Notes and Training Manuals For Junior High School Teachers ranging from BASIC 7-10, previously known as JHS 1-3.
KINDLY DOWNLOAD THE ONE WHICH BEST SUIT WHAT YOU TEACH BELOW:
The Gabon captain was spotted training with his teammates this morning as the Panthers’ fine tune to meet Ghana
Gabon captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been tested negative of Covid test result and will likely start the game against Ghana in Group C of 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon on Friday, AshesGyamera can confirm.
The Arsenal striker missed Gabon’s opening game against Comoros after testing positive for coronavirus upon his arrival at Yaounde airport having spent time in Dubai.
Gabon, who were short of several key players including Lemina, Aubameyang, Axel Meye and Kevin Mayi, in the first game pipped tournament debutants Comoros to pip their first win thanks to Aaron Boupendza’s 16th-minute goal.
Another victory by Gabon on Ghana in Friday will means that the Panthers have booked their place in the nex stage of the competition.
Ghana, on the other hand, have their own issues as they are racing up to have skipper Andre Ayew fit after he had a head collision with Morocco defender Saiss.
Ayew sat out of Ghana’s training on Wednesday and may not play part of the game on Friday. Also, Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Kudus Mohammed is yet to arrive in camp due to injury concerns.
The youngster has now been cleared by his club and he is expected to arrive in Cameroon this week and maybe ready to play in the last game against Comoros next week.
Another defeat to Ghana could end the Black Stars’ stay in the competition earlier than expected.
The young man has reportedly taken his life and rumours suggest it was a result of frustrations he has been facing recently
Former popular Ghana goalkeeper Robert Mensah’s son, Kofi Antoh has been confirmed dead by his family on Wednesday, AshesGyamera understands.
According to the family, Antoh, who has been recently getting media attention and always in the news to talk about his father’s exploits with Ghana’s national team, committed suicide – something that has shocked almost everyone in the family.
Antoh who recently generated a lot of news with regards to his late father’s famous cup is no more with us as he has taken his own life.
He was born in 1971, on the day when his father, a legendary Ghana goalkeeper, was stabbed to death after a misunderstanding at a pub and he would later grow to learn all the good things his dad did for the nation through soccer.
Although, he didn’t inherit a lot of properties from his late father, Antoh paid much attention to his father’s famous cap which he used to play football by keeping the post for Ghana.
Even in one of his recent interviews, Antoh insisted that he will never trade the hat for a million dollars since that cap reminds him of the good works his late father did for the country through football.
WATCH KOFI ANTOH’S LAST INTERVIEW
However, rumours were rife on Wednesday that Antoh had ended his life and it was later confirmed by family members.
Growing up as children there was this popular song we all sang which vividly described the events leading to the unfortunate demise of undoubtedly Ghana’s greatest ever goalkeeper Robert Mensah.
The song which was sang in Twi gave picturesque events leading to the death of Robert Mensah and the aftermath which resulted in her then pregnant wife giving birth prematurely to Robert Mensah Jnr. aka Kofi Anto[ means did not come to meet his father or parents].
“The family said three days ago, Kofi Anto seemed uneasy and asked his son who was playing around him to go out and play and not make so much noise around him,” journalist Blakk Rasta who is closer to the family revealed.
“It was this opportunity he took to hang himself,” he added.
The family is expected to formally make his funeral arrangements known to the public in the coming days.
The Knight of the whistle seized the headlines globally this afternoon for a wrong reason
Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe’s watch failed him in the game between Mali and Tunisia in the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.
Although, the referee has been slammed by almost everyone who watched the game worldwide, his actions seemed not deliberate but rather a state of confusion.
Initial checks are pointing to the fact that his watch was probably not stopped during half-time and it was even running while both teams and the referees were having their rest in the dressing rooms.
Therefore, he was far ahead of time when he restarted the game, something which still surprises a lot of people.
On 79th minute, he thought it was 90th minute & signalled to the fourth referee to add five minutes – reason why he ended the game on 85th minute. He continued the game with a drop ball when prompted by the fourth referee.
However, that wasn’t enough because in his mind, they were now about to play the additional five minutes he earlier prompted the fourth referee to show.
So, clearly, from 85th minute to 89 + 51 seconds was full time plus additional time for him which was obviously not the case in reality.
The VAR officials could’ve helped by constantly telling him through the communication device that the game was stopped by the 85th minute and that the additional time he signalled was not valid.
Sikazwe may have failed himself but his assistants were also poor at a point.
The fourth even could’ve called him to the touch line and clear out things with him before restarting the game.
Although, after ending the game, CA officials wanted the two teams to play the remaining five minutes, Tunisia kicked against it and insisted that their players were not psychologically stable to continue.
Caf is yet to release an official statement about the incident but reports suggest that referee Sikazwe may not officiate any of the remaining games as his punishment.
The defender, who was at a point deemed surplus to requirements, reminded the Phobians what they were missing as his goal ended their five-game unbeaten run
Former Hearts of Oak defender Vincent Atinga helped Medeama to defeat his former club 1-0 in Ghana Premier League matchday six outstanding fixture at the Akoon’s Park in Tarkwa on Wednesday.
The Phobians, who suffered a poor start to the season, went into the game on the back of a victory over Gold Stars last weekend and wanted to add Medeama to their victims.
Kwame Obeng Junior was played through by Afriyie Barnieh by the ninth minute but the striker couldn’t guide his effort on target for Hearts.
Two minutes later, Medeama were presented with their first chance of the game after Prince Opoku Agyemang connected a pass from his teammate but his last ditch effort was saved by goalkeeper Richmond Ayi.
After the break, Burkina Faso striker Amed ‘Simba’ Toure forced a wonderful save from goalkeeper Ayi before Barnieh also threatened Medeama’s goal area moments later.
Medeama finally found a breach in Hearts defence after You’re connected a through pass from his teammate only to be brought down by Mohammed Alhassan in the box.
Former Hearts defender Vincent Atinga stepped forward and perfectly slotted the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Ayi.
Hearts pressed harder for the equaliser but Medeama were resolute at the back and held on to record another memorable victory over the Phobians.
Hearts, who will host Techiman Eleven Wonders on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium, remain seventh on the log with 17 points while Medeama have moved one place up to fourth position with 22 points.
