Premier League champions AshantiGold, have put last Sunday's controversial Super Cup defeat to Medeama behind them as Coach Bashir Hayford and his charges count on a good performance, against M.O. Bejaia of Algeria in the first leg preliminary round of the CAF Champions League at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium on Sunday.

Coach Hayford said he was hopeful of a win on Sunday to get their continental campaign off well.

“I don't believe in predictions but I am hoping to have a good performance,  a good day, and a good win,” he told the Graphic Sports after training yesterday at Obuasi.

The minister designate for Youth and Sports, Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has vowed to crush the so-called ‘Mafia’ in the ministry which is believed to have sabotaged the work of previous ministers, as he plans a “revolutionary approach to sports development” if approved by parliament to take charge of the hot seat.

A firebrand politician who has openly voiced his disapproval of some developments at the Kwesi Nyantakyii-led Ghana Football Association (GFA), particularly during the reign of former President J.E.A. Mills, when he was a special aide to the late President,  Nii Lante told the Parliament’s Appointment Committee during his vetting last Monday that he would ensure that no unseen hand or perceived ‘Mafia’ would be given room to  undermine his work.

A veteran taekwondoga, Charles Alex Cromwell, has criticised the leadership of the Ghana Taekwondo Association(GTA) for what he describes as bias in its selection of athletes to compete at  the ongoing Olympics qualifiers in Agadir, Morocco.

The boys under-18 winner of last year’s Ghana’s Fastest Human, Sarfo Ansah, is nurturing an ambitious target of becoming the world’s top sprinter in future and hopefully becoming the first Ghanaian to hold the world sprints record in five years’ time.

Premier League champions AshantiGold have explained that their refusal to receive their runners-up medals at the end of last Sunday’s Super Cup match was as a result of a failure by the organisers to provide the appropriate number of medals for the playing body and technical handlers.

The management, technical team and players of Kumasi Asante Kotoko last Friday paid a courtesy call on one of the clubs sponsors, Herbalife Ghana Limited, at their office in Accra.

While taking the team on a tour of their offices, Country Director of Herbalife, Frederick Amissah described their association with the Porcupine Warriors as great for both parties.

He however, expressed concern about the team’s performance last year and urged them to improve upon it .

The Democratic Republic Of Congo yesterday won the African Nations Championship (CHAN) for a second time, beating Mali 3-0 in the final in Rwanda.

The Leopards, coached by Florent Ibenge, secured the title with two goals from the impressive Mechak Elia and a late Jonathan Bolingi strike.

Dr Abraham Boakye, otherwise known as One Man Supporter, has appealed to the President, John Ibrahim Mahama, to intervene on his behalf to claim some outstanding debts owed him by the Ghana Football Association.

According to him since 2008 when he “single-handedly managed to secure a Glo sponsorship contract agreement for the GFA to the tune of $24 million”, the FA has refused to pay him his side of the bargain.

In a signed petition to the President dated January 12, 2016, Dr Boakye, who is also the president of the Ghana National Supporters Union (GHANSU), explained that $15 million of the $24 million was for the sponsorship of the Premier League for five years and the remaining $9 million was for the Black Stars sponsorship for the same duration.

Chiewah  Ladies from Tumu in the Upper West Region have qualified for this year’s National Women’s League (NWL) and, thus, make history as the first female team from the region to compete in the competition since its inception four seasons ago.

Chiewah, late entrants in the Women’s Zonal Championship, picked up one of the three slots for the northern zone after their 1-0 win over Kumasi Sports Academy Ladies in the final-day matches in Tamale.

Indeed, the final day of the competition produced some thrills as the six teams secured their slots in this year's NWL.

Northern Ladies left no one in doubt about their qualification as they finished on top of their group with a 5-0 win against Obuasi Subayo Ladies in their final game.

Over the past week or so two Chinese Super League clubs have committed more than £100million in transfer fees and £180m in salaries to some of the most accomplished players in Europe.

What is most eye-catching is that Jackson Martinez, Ramires and Alex Teixeira, who was linked with Liverpool but has also made his way to China, are all in their prime.

So what is it about the Chinese Super League that has convinced players to move to the other side of the world to play football? Mind-boggling salaries of £250,000-£300,000 a week?

"You can’t take away the fact that money is the primary factor,’ admitted former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson, now in charge of Shanghai SIPG, following deals that saw Ramires move from Chelsea to Jiangsu Suning for £25million and Martinez swap Atletico Madrid for Guangzhou Evergrande for £31m.

Last season Eriksson led Shanghai SIPG, who are backed by the owners of the biggest port in China, to second place behind big sp

Wonder club, Accra Great Olympics, appeared for another entry into the Ghana Premier division, following the renewal of the committment of their three most experienced players, Godwin Attram, Dan Quaye and goalkeeper Osei Boateng for the club’s campaign for a return to the elite league.

Oly were relegated to the lower tier league last season despite some spirited performances they posted.

Attram confirmed to the Graphic Sports in an interview last Wednesday that “Myself, together with Dan Quaye and goalkeeper Osei Boateng have decided to play in the Division One League and help the team to come back to the premiership but I cannot say the same for Olele”.

Premiership clubs intending to take on Kumasi Asante Kotoko in pre-season friendlies are in for disappointment as the Porcupine Warriors have decided not to play any more high-profile friendlies.

The Operations Manager of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, George Kennedy, disclosed this to the Graphic Sports last Friday when the team paid a courtesy call on their sponsor's, Herbalife at their premises in Accra.

 Kennedy contended that high-profile matches against premiership sides were very competitive and exposed their key players to potential injuries which could put paid to their plans of recapturing the league title even before the season gets underway on February 20.

The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Joe Kpenge, has hinted that if his outfit does not receive financial assistance from government and corporate organisations in the shortest possible time to facilitate preparations towards the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the nation might pull out.

Mr Kpenge made the disclosure in an interview with the Graphic Sports last Wednesday as he reacted to complaints by officials of some national federations that their activities, especially participation in the qualifiers for the Rio games, had been stalled by financial constraints.

According to him, a Tripartite Committee, comprising the NSA, Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and the Ministry of Youth and Sports had held a meeting and were preparing to meet the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports to find a lasting solution to the many financial challenges facing Ghana sports, particularly the Rio campaign.

Come Sunday, Premier League winners, Ashgold, will square up at the Accra Sports Stadium against FA Cup winners, Medeama SC, in their Super Cup match.

The encounter is to serve as a curtain raiser to the commencement of the much-awaited domestic football season scheduled to kick-start on February 20.

In the last season, Medeama, who finished 11th on the log, suprised the Obuasi lads with a 2-0 first-leg win at their favourite T and A park at Tarkwa but lost 1-2 in the return leg at the Obuasi Len Clay Stadium.

That, notwithstanding, Ashgold won the league while Medeama also stunned Kumasi Asante Kotoko to lift the MTN FA Cup to the suprise of many.

The much-delayed Premier League faces another potential legal tussle as Techiman City FC have threatened to place an injunction on the competition if the Ghana Football Association does not give a favourable ruling to their appeal against a decision to demote them over alleged bribery and match-fixing.

Following the FA’s Ethics Committee ruling last Wednesday to demote both Techiman City FC and Wa African United to the third-tier league over their complicity in the alleged bribery case in respect of their Week 22 division one fixture in Wa, Techiman City have hinted they would use every legal means available to overturn the verdict and participate in the 2015/16 Premier League which kicks-off on February 20.