The minister of Youth and Sports, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has urged corporate entities and philanthropists to support horse racing, which he said, would create employment opportunities for the youth.

The minister, who represented the President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at last Saturday’s Independence Day Cup Race meeting at the Accra Turf Club (ATC), near Adjirigano, said his outfit was ready to give support to corporate bodies which were interested in investing in the sport which went into oblivion for many years.

The chairman of Cecil Hunters FC, Alhaji Tanko Abu Seidu Barry, has charged the newly-appointed Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, to come to the aid of the National Sports College and save the facility from further deterioration.

Mr Barry whose club, Cecil Hunters FC, uses the pitch at the facility for their training sessions noted with displeasure the neglect of the Winneba-based College which he said had produced many national stars.

A second half hat-trick by Gabriel Darko last Saturday helped Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to beat Multimedia 3-1 to emerge winners of this year's Standard Chartered-sponsored "Road to Anfield" Trophy. GNPC will later this year represent Ghana at a five-a-side world football competition at Anfield, England.

Liverpool legend, John Barnes, yesterday took pupils of Mamprobi 1 JHS in Accra through a football clinic.

Barnes, who is in the country for Standard Chartered Bank’s "Road to Anfield" trophy competition, used the opportunity to take the students through the rudiments of the game.

The Ghana Premier League has so far exceeded the expectation of pundits after three weeks of excitement. Great goals and surprises seem to be shifting the allegiance of local soccer fans from the popular European leagues.

This weekend, the premiership action continues in earnest as upstarts Dreams FC host Wa All Stars in a cagey battle for the top spot at Dawu.

Both teams go into this afternoon’s match with high expectations, having amassed seven points each in their last three encounters, with Coach C.K. Akonnor bent on snatching his second home win.

The Accra Turf Club will begin the revival of horse racing in the capital today with a commemorative Independence Day Celebration Cup under the distinguished patronage of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.

The race meeting, dubbed the First Day of the Easter Meeting, will start at 1:30 p.m. at the new race course at Adjirigano, near the Zoomlion Headquarters or Nungua Farms and Legon Farms, according to the secretary of the Board of Stewards, Mr Samuel N. A.Turkson.

Accra Hearts of Oak’s midfield sensation, Samudeen Ibrahim, has been cleared to feature for the Phobians in their Premier League encounter against Bechem United at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday as the Phobians look for the opportunity to grab the summit of the table.

“Being a member of the CAF technical and study groups, as well as one of the 10 FIFA selected resource members in the world assigned to write booklets about football, is something I cherish so much in my life .

These feats indicate that I have served my country, continent and the world at large with much commitment and dedication in terms of football development and it is something I do not only cherish so much, but also galvanise me to be more zealous to what I am doing in terms of football development"

Kumasi Asante Kotoko make a frantic bid to placate their supporters front this afternoon. The supporters have been seething with anger since they stumbled in their maiden outing against WAFA at Sogakope in this year’s Premier League.

Rafael Nadal has denied he has ever used a banned substance to get an edge or to speed up recovery from injury.

The MTN FA Cup Committee (FACC) has urged Medeama Sporting Club to fight hard and secure a good result against Al Ittihad Tripoli in their CAF Confederation Cup first leg tie in Tunis on Sunday.

Kumasi-based 4 Garrison Tennis Club kept their reputation intact with a complete annihilation of Sakumono Tennis Club, trashing them 13-7 in a special 59th Independence Day tennis in Kumasi.

The four-day competition, which started last Thursday, and sponsored by the Royal and Access banks, attracted one of the biggest participation at the 4 Garrison court.

Led by the president of the club, Samuel Ampadu-Kyei (Kyikyiss) and Captain Amereka, the host team took their guests to the cleaners, especially in the singles.

The President of New Edubiase United, Abdul-Salam Yakubu, has assured supporters of the club to stay calm and rally behind the technical team in their quest to produce a winsome side.

He also assured them of a massive victory tomorrow when they encounter Inter Allies at the Len Clay stadium at Obuasi.

“We now have a young team who have started playing together for the first time. In our match against Accra Hearts of Oak, we were the better side but could not take our chances. And against Bechem United, we should have returned home with the three points at stake, but it was luck that eluded us, but there are better days ahead,” Mr Yakubu told the Daily Graphic in a telephone interview.

It does not matter how many times you watch Damien Delaney’s tackle on Christian Benteke during Liverpool’s controversial win at Crystal Palace last Sunday, there is no definitive answer to whether it should have been awarded as a penalty.

Dormaa-based Aduana Stars could resuscitate their winning form this weekend due to the peaceful atmosphere in camp with the reinstatement of their captain Godfred Saka, who was stripped of the captaincy for gross misconduct.