Milos Raonic produced an impressive display to beat Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 in the final of the Brisbane International and avenge his defeat in last year's corresponding match.

World number 14 Raonic had won just one of his previous 10 meetings with the veteran Swiss ahead of yesterday's contest.

Yet Federer, who has battled illness this week, came out second best on this occasion as his opponent excelled at the net on his way to a notable scalp.

A solitary break in each set proved enough for the aggressive Raonic, who gave up just six points on his first serve at Pat Rafter Arena.

Excitement is mounting across the footballing world, with lively discussions and intense debates now a daily occurrence in every corner of the globe. The reason for all this anticipation is simple: the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2015 Gala is set to take place at Zurich’s Kongresshaus today.

Last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo faces fierce competition from Lionel Messi and Neymar in the final three-man shortlist to determine the 2015 world player of the year. It seems that everyone has their own view about which of the three superstars is the most deserving of football's most prestigious individual accolade.

The beautiful game’s biggest names have also been speculating and expressing their own opinions about the vote. Over the past few weeks FIFA.com has interviewed former recipients of the award, countless retired stars and several well-known personalities from other sports for exclusive interviews about the FIFA Ballon d’Or, while we have also been asking you to name your pe

The chairman of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Mr Mawuko Afadzinu, has promised his outfit’s support to ensure a befitting funeral for one-time national ping-pong star, Joseph Quansah.

Giving the assurance in the company of his vice, Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, during a visit by the bereaved family at the Graphic offices last Friday, Mr Afadzinu noted that Joe Quansah lifted the flag of Ghana high in his heyday and was an inspiration to many players, hence the need to give him a fitting farewell.

“Joe wasn’t an ordinary person; in his time he lifted the flag of Ghana high and was an inspiration to many table tennis players in the country,” he recalled.

Three of the candidates who will contest in next month's FIFA Presidential elections will be in Accra during the General Assembly of WAFU Zone B tomorrow.

HRH Prince Ali Al Hussein, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Gianni Infantino will be in Accra to present themselves to delegates of the sub-regional football body who will be at tomorrow's congress, while the other two aspirants, Jérôme Champagne and Tokyo Sexwale are expected to send their representatives.

Sheikh Al Khalifa was expected to arrive in Accra yesterday evening, while the two others will be in the country today.

Ghana will tomorrow host the Zone B congress of the West African Football Union (WAFU) at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

The congress will serve as a platform for member countries to take stock of activities of the organisation for last year, as well as chart a course for its operations for the New Year.

The gathering will also witness the election of a new president to steer the affairs of the sub-regional football organisation for the next four years.

The Ivorian captain says it is a ‘shame for Africa to behave in that manner’ after Gabon’s Emerick Aubameyang was named CAF’s best player last Thursday.

Cote D’Ivoire midfielder Yaya Toure is visibly disappointed after he failed to claim a record five-time African Footballer of the Year award last Thursday.

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang beat Cote D’Ivoire Yaya Toure to win the Confederation of African Football's player of the year award.

In a vote of coaches and technical directors of Caf nations, Aubameyang got 143 points, with Manchester City midfielder Toure on 136 and Ghana and Swansea midfielder Andre Ayew on 112.

St Augustine's College and Aggrey Memorial Zion Senior High School (SHS) last Thursday won the boys and girls titles, respectively, at the 2016 Sprite Ball Championship after defeating Mfantsipim School and Accra Wesley Girls SHS in the finals played at the El-Wak Stadium.

Both Augusco and Aggrey staged impressive comebacks in front of a teeming crowd to upstage their opponents, with Aggrey beating Accra Wesley Girls 9-8 to lift the trophy in the girls division.

Ghana's Andre Dede Ayew was named in the CAF Team of the Year for 2015 at the Glo-CAF Awards in Abuja last Thursday.

At the colourful ceremony hosted by Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim, and Supersport’s Robert Marawa, Ayew missed out on the biggest award of the night after emerging as the third best on the continent behind Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Manchester City's Yaya Toure.

The son of ex-world athletics chief, Lamine Diack, is one of three senior figures given life bans from the sport.

Papa Massata Diack, a former consultant for the IAAF, and Russian officials Valentin Balakhnichev and Alexei Melnikov, were last month charged with breaches of the IAAF's code of ethics.

Ex-IAAF anti-doping director, Gabriel Dolle, was also charged and has been banned for five years.

The IAAF said a lesser sanction would not meet the gravity of their offences.

Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho could be out for the rest of January after suffering a hamstring injury in the League Cup win against Stoke.

Defender Dejan Lovren also suffered a similar injury and Kolo Toure cramp, but both have shorter recovery times.

The Reds face Exeter in the third round of the FA Cup today.

Eva Carneiro will continue her legal battle against former employer Chelsea Football club after failing to reach a settlement at her first hearing.

The former team doctor is claiming constructive dismissal after she was dropped from first-team duties at the start of the season by then-manager Jose Mourinho, against whom she has a separate legal action, who was infuriated when she entered the pitch to treat Eden Hazard late in the game against Swansea City.

Carneiro, along with team physio Jon Fearn, were banned from travelling with the team and eventually sacked.

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has been named the best "German abroad" by influential magazine kicker.

The "kicker ranking of German football" is published on a biannual basis, and ranks players in all positions, and also those plying their trade abroad.

It divides them into four categories: world class, international class, players of note and players in focus.

Ozil is the only "German abroad" to be called up into the international class following his impressive displays for the Gunners in 2015-16.

All other German players in foreign leagues -- including World Cup winners Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, and Bastian Schweinsteiger -- were only in third or fourth categories.

Lionel Messi scored twice as Barcelona came from behind to beat Espanyol, who finished the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie with nine men.

Felipe Caicedo put the visitors ahead after good play by Marco Asensio.

Messi equalised and then put Barca ahead with a fantastic 25-yard, off-the-bar free-kick, before setting up Gerard Pique to slide in a third.

FIFA's ethics judges announced yesterday they had opened formal proceedings against suspended Secretary General Jerome Valcke over alleged corruption involving World Cup ticket sales, one of many scandals now surrounding soccer's governing body.

The announcement came after an ethics investigation into the case recommended a nine-year ban for Valcke, former right-hand man to FIFA president Sepp Blatter who himself has been banned for eight years.

Valcke, who is suspended pending the final outcome and has denied wrongdoing, has been invited to submit evidence to the panel, FIFA's independent Ethics Committee said in a statement.