The Ministry of Youth and Sports has welcomed yet another political head as the country starts its countdown to election 2016. Indeed, the recent reshuffle should be largely seen as part of the ruling party’s strategy to reassign and realign its men for the assignment ahead. That is the way I see it and there is nothing wrong with it, although it has increased the turnover of ministers at the Ministry.

And so, the long-time friend of the sports lovers media, Hon. Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has become ‘Minister Number Eight’ for the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the last eight years. Although he might not have won any top national sports award like Abedi Pele, Azumah Nelson or Ohene Karikari, Nii Lante has been involved in many sporting activities, although he was better known as a sports commentator to most of us.

William Gallas, a former Chelsea and Arsenal star, has confirmed his participation for the 2016 Unity Match to be staged in Ghana.

The match is being organised to provide a platform for campaigning for Peace and Unity ahead of the 2016 General Election

The Ghana Immigration Service mens’ table table tennis team last Saturday defeated their Prisons counterparts 3-0 in the final of a special knockout ping pong ahead of the new league season.

 An exciting event staged at the D.G.Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Stadium, it saw a record participation of 16 ping pong clubs nationwide.

Black Stars coach Avram Grant has reportedly rejected a winning bonus paid to him in local curency for Ghana’s 3-1 win over Mozambique in a Nations Cup qualifier two weeks ago.

A source at the Ministry of Youth and Sports disclosed to the Graphic Sports that the coach rejected the bonus because it was in local currency and instead demanded to be paid in dollars which had been the practice in the recent past.

Rowdyism by some irate supporters of Accra Hearts of Oak nearly marred an otherwise exciting league clash between the Premier League’s top sides, as a tactically disciplined Wa All Stars side ended the unbeaten run of Hearts with an emphatic 3-1 defeat at the Accra Sports Stadium last Sunday.

The victory not only left All Stars as the only undefeated side in the league, but also lifted them to the summit on the league log.

But at Dormaa-Ahenkro, Aduana Stars deepened the woes of Kumasi Asante Kotoko with a 1-0 victory which handed the team their third defeat of the season.

Daniel Opare's FC Augsburg career hangs in the balance after the German club admitted they are 'working on a solution' to the Ghana defender's current situation.

The 25-year-old was suspended from all club activities after turning up late for training last month.

High-flying Accra Hearts of Oak have yet another task to silence northern heavyweights Wa All Stars as the two teams gear up for a showdown tomorrow at the Accra Sports Stadium in a week six top fixture.

The two teams have been trading positions at the top, with the Phobians currently perching comfortably, leading with 13 points, while All Stars follow hard on their heels with 11 points.

Zone 1 league leaders, Berlin FC, last Wednesday suffered a surprise 0-1 loss  to bottom-placed Mighty Royals, while Real Tamale United also lost 1-2 at home to Mpausoman.

FC Tanga beat Bofoakwa United 1-0 to move to the third position on the log, while Bawku United recorded a 2-1 victory over Tamale Utrecht.

The national female women’s senior team, Black Queens, left Accra for Tunisia for an African Women's Nations Cup first leg qualifier next Wednesday.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the sports authorities to rename the ‘lesser-known sports’ tag placed on less-resourced sporting disciplines and be prepared to invest in all the 37 sports associations if Ghana’s impact is to be felt at international events.

He said it was sad sports authorities had still not realised that some individual sports and other group sports had brought more laurels to Ghana than football.

It was Tuesday, March 29. 2011, just five years last Tuesday, when Ghana hugely stormed the famous Wembley Stadium in London for something historic and special — a friendly international football match with their colonial masters, England. 

African and Ghanaian boxing lovers, will on April 29, 2016, witness one of the most spectacular bouts in the history of Ghanaian boxing as Joseph King Kong Agbeko and Joshua “The Hitter” Clottey, two former world champions will be headlining the night with their opponents from Brazil and Philippines respectively.

Inter Milan are prepared to offer Yaya Toure the chance to work again with Roberto Mancini - but only if he accepts a massive wage cut. 

The General Manager of Wa All Stars, Mr Seth Panwum, has served warning that they will descend on the nation’s capital to hand league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak their first defeat of the season on Sunday as they did two seasons ago.

It is exactly a year ago when supporters of Kumasi Asante Kotoko called for the immediate signing of former Accra Hearts of Oak technical head, David Duncan, to help arrest the declining fortunes of the porcupine warriors.