All indeed, a colossus is gone. The story of Nana Kumi Gyamfi, better known by the young and old as C.K. Gyamfi who was buried last Saturday at his native Okorase in Akuapim with all the regalia and tradition as the Guantoahene, gives all lovers of football some level of satisfaction.

 It must be seen as a happy celebration of life for a man seen better for his prowess as a footballer, a teacher, administrator and advisor in our national passion.

May we say goodbye to the man I saw live first as far back as 1954 when he led Asante Kotoko and created the wildest historic uproar at Abetifi in the Eastern Region in one of the most memorable Easter festivities.

The then Kwahu District was agog, and the hottest spot was Abetifi on that Easter Sunday, where the two most glamorous clubs, Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko were scheduled to climax the whole entertainment with football, and at once it attracted all citizens of Kwahu to the fenced Abetifi Pre

Dear Sir, Some media tributes to the late Ghana soccer legend, have since his death tended to describe him as the first captain of the national football team.

But as l can recall, the first such captain was E.C. Briandt, who captained the then Gold Coast XI (Eleven) and also Accra Hearts of Oak.

It was on attainment of independence in 1957 that the team was re-christened the Black Stars and later captained by C.K. Gyamfi, both as player and coach in 1963.

As the start of the Premier League is in limbo, the decision by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to hold a two-day meeting aimed at educating stakeholders, particularly club owners and executives, as well as the football organising bodies themselves, on the way forward is worthwhile.

It is pertinent to note the observation by the President of the GFA, Kwesi Nyantakyi, that the small size of the Ghanaian economy, coupled with other factors, had greatly affected the smooth organisation of the game in our country.

For instance, he lamented the fact that it had been a perennial challenge for owners of football clubs to pay the needed salaries to their players on a regular basis, even as small as the sums might be, which must be why some of the quality players were being lost to such unpopular football destinations as Vietnam and Thailand (see back page).

We can’t agree more with the FA president. And it is to find antidotes to such challenges and rescue our l

As has been the tradition, Manchester United last Monday embarked on their annual Christmas visit to the Manchester Royal Children's Hospital to bring some Christmas cheer to young patients.

As expected, the presence of the Old Trafford stars at the hospital lifted the spirit of the patients who were happy to have met the stars.

One after the other the players took turns to visit the children in their various wards before taking pictures and present Christmas gifts.

Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Memphis Depay, Jesse Lingard, Morgan Schneiderlin,

Osu Hawks last Sunday kept their 10-week unbeaten record intact when they defeated Ashaiman Tigers 80-74 to win the Rush Community Basketball Tournament held at the Accra Polytechnic multi-purpose court in Accra.

The Hawks finished tops of the regular season with eight points ahead the three other semi-finalists -Tema Sharks, Ashaiman Tigers and Tudu Warriors -who were tied on seven points heading into the finals.

Their superiority throughout the tournament was felt especially in the second semi-finals, where Benjamin Debrah and Emmanuel Dickson exhibited rare skills, making it possible for them to brush aside Tudu Warriors 62-47 to book a spot in the finals.

The Hawks, coached by Dua Daniel Sowah, also dealt expertly with the unruly behaviour of the Tudu Warriors’ supporters who staged a court invasion in the second quarter as their team struggled to cope in the face of an unrelenting attacking forays.

As part of plans to improve the standard and attendance of domestic league matches in the upcoming and subsequent seasons, club officials have been advised to market their clubs more effectively.

Dr Kwaku Ofosu Asare, who gave the advice during the FA's two-day retreat to implement media strategies and PR techniques, said marketing their clubs would not only attract more football fans to patronise the indigenous leagues but also boost their values ahead of the start of the new season and subsequent ones.

Speaking on the topic ‘How to use the media and PR to attract fans to the stadium at the Alisa Hotel yesterday, Dr Ofosu Asare, said it was important for club owners to use different media and PR techniques to accomplish the task of attracting more football fans to patronise the local leagues.

“Currently, the media have become a very powerful tool so the clubs should create a media platform to communicate with their fans and implement techniques like selling

The President of the Ghana Weightlifting Federation (GWF), Ben Nunoo Mensah, has urged the leadership of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) to practise good governance, accountability and transparency.

In an interview with the Graphic Sports, Mr Nunoo Mensah argued that some recent actions by the GOC were creating the impression that it was no longer interested in accounting to the various stakeholders.

According to him the GOC failed to present the 2016 budget for congress for approval in accordance with the committee’s constitution.

Besides, he wondered why the committee failed to disclose the amount it had received from the Olympic Solidarity Fund which it had already disbursed.

“Under normal circumstances and in accordance with the GOC constitution the committe’s budget must be presented before congress, for approval before disbursement.

“But this is not the case this time around as this would have enabled delegates to demand answers to som

The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, says poor remuneration of footballers in the local league is accountable to their abandoning the league for unpopular destinations in Asia, such as Thailand, Vietnam, among others.

The GFA boss made the observation last Monday at the opening ceremony of a two-day Media and Marketing seminar for Premier/Division One Clubs in Accra.

Mr Nyantakyi, who owns Ghana Premier League side, Wa All Stars, disclosed that clubs were helpless when offers came in for their players from such countries because currently no club in the Ghana Premier League was able to offer a player $1,000 as monthly wage.

He said, "By making our league competitive, it means that we will be able to raise revenues and pay attractive salaries to our players and stem the perennial tide of the exodus to Europe.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been banned from all football-related activities for eight years by FIFA's Ethics Committee.

Football's world governing body's Ethics Committee ruled Monday that both FIFA president, Blatter and his UEFA (European football's governing body) counterpart Platini had broken FIFA Code of Ethics relating to conflicts of interest, breach of loyalty and gifts.

The pair was cleared of bribery and corruption allegations.

Black stars and  FC Copenhagen defender, Daniel Amartey, has donated a set of football boots, running boots and footballs to newly promoted Division One side, Vision FC, last Saturday at the Legon Ajax Park.

The presentation took place after Vision Fc’s friendly goalless drawn game with Premiership-bound Dreams FC.

The donation was not financed by Daniel Amartey alone but with support from Addidas Denmark and Paramount Sports Management, Graphic sports can confirm.

The mortal remains of Ghana soccer legend, C.K. Gyamfi, were laid to rest at his hometown, Okorase, in the Eastern Region last Saturday.

The state burial was preceded by a memorial and thanksgiving service at the State House in Accra where he was laid in state last Friday for Ghanaians to pay their last respect.

Former Ghana midfielder Abdul Razak has insisted that he doubts the chances of Black Stars deputy captain Andre Ayew to win the 2015 Africa Player of the Year accolade.

Ayew, 26, has been named in a three-man shortlist for the CAF award alongside four-time and reigning winner Yaya Toure as well as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the 1978 winner tips Yaya Toure, to win it for fifth consecutive times.

“I have won the award before and know how it feels and would wish same for Ayew,” Razak told Nhyira FM.

Two of Ghana's cruserweight boxers,  Brimah Kamoko, also known as Bukom Banku, and his long time pal, Ayitey Powers, have dispelled rumours among Kumasi fans that their 'repeat or revenge' fight on Boxing Day at the Baba Yara Stadium was just to make money and not to exhibit any great fight.

Banku told a press conference that the rumour could only gain currency if the purse was going to be shared, 'but this is a winner takes all; so it cannot be true. '

Fans in the Garden City remain divided over the competitiveness of the upcoming bout on Saturday after the sell-out first fight at the Accra Sports Stadium months ago, which was won by Banku on a unanimous points decision.

Former IBF welterweight champion, Joshua Clottey, is considering reverting back to the junior middleweight clas following his defeat to Gabriel Rosado in the USA last Saturday.

The 38-year-old moved up in weight just to make this fight but after losing on a unanimous decision to the American, the Ghanaian is reconsidering his decision.

" I don't feel comfortable at this weight class, I want to go back down to 154 and continue to fight at junior middleweight," Clottey said after his defeat.

Hundreds of Ghanaians from all over the country yesterday converged on the State House in Accra to pay their last respects to Nana Charles Kumi Gyamfi, one of the successful coaches in the country’s history.

It was not surprising to see many people paying their last respects to the man credited with the honour of leading Ghana’s Black Stars to all their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) glory, both as a player and a coach.

It was a real celebration of life as tributes shared memories of his achievements, re-emphasising what was already known, but they strongly depicted him as a great and true sportsman who remained humble and warm-hearted throughout his life.