The Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF) will this year continue to intensify its efforts to get to every corner of the country by encouraging the formation of more clubs within communities and schools.

To this end, the federation under the leadership of its president, Federick Otu Lartey, is urging the various regional chairmen to brace themselves up for another exciting and successful year by working assiduously to improve upon the achievements of last year in which practitioners and, for that matter, the federation, won three silver medals and a bronze from both international and domestic competitions.

Earlier, last year, the team won two silver medals when members of the federation took part in the 2015 Las Vegas Open and the 2015 US Open Championships respectively and later won silver and bronze medals at the All African Games (AAG) held in Congo Brazzaville in September.

A former board member of Accra Hearts of Oak, Alhaji Braimah Sulemana, aka Alhaji Hearts, has taken umbrage at the appointment of Vincent Sowah Odotei and Alhaji Akambi on the board of the  club in one of the latest decisions taken by the board.

He contended that the decision to introduce the two, particularly Alhaji Akambi, was a recipe for disaster and wondered what the board considered before arriving at the decision.

“What is all about Akambi that he should be on the board of Hearts at all cost?. I believe that if broader consultations were held the board would not have taken this decision”, he stressed in an interview with the Graphic Sports.

Ghanaian Foreign-based Athletes Association (GFAA), in consultation with coaches based in Ghana, has named Coach Anselm Nyavadzie as the 2015 Athletics Coach of the Year.

The award is in recognition of the pivotal role played by local coaches towards the development of athletics in the country.

Coach Nyavadzie is the head of the Physical Education Department of TI Ahmadiyya SHS and is credited with nurturing national long jumper, Richard Seklorwu, to win Ghana’s first gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

Michael Ayitey Okine aka Ayitey Powers stands accused in an alleged assault of one Paul Ansah, described as an accomodation agent, at Korle Gono in Accra.

According to the victim, the incident took place on December 28 last year when he was in a discussion with a client in his car, which was packed in front of his home at Korle Gonno.

He said some boys, in an unprovoked act, forced him out of the car and descended on him on the orders of Powers.

The 32-year- old Ansah told the Graphic Sports that “both my client and I were scared so he drove me to the Korle Bu Police Station to report the case”, he recounted.

Borussia Dortmund have no desire to sell prolific forward Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.

Arsenal are among many of Europe's elite clubs to have discussed the prospect of signing the Gabon international who has scored 17 goals in 18 appearances this season.

Aubameyang has long been admired by Arsene Wenger who flirted with the prospect of signing the striker when he was at St Etienne but Dortmund were the club that took the chance.

Speculation was rife last Wednesday that Arsenal had made an offer after 26-year-old Aubameyang missed training.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez faces a ban of up to three Copa del Rey matches after being cited in the referee's report for calling Espanyol players "a waste of space" at the end of a heated Catalan derby.

Barca won the first leg of the Copa de Rey last-16 tie between the sides 4-1 on Wednesday as Espanyol had two players sent off and were lucky to escape further punishment as goalkeeper Pau Lopez's violent stamp on Lionel Messi went unseen.

However, it is Suarez, who was also booked for a clash with Lopez, who is expected to receive a one to three-game Cup ban for sparking a brawl in the tunnel after the game that security personnel had to break up.

It is no mean feat to consistently qualify for the FIFA World Cup. However, does consistent qualification for the World Cup imply an automatic demise in our Premier League?

Since Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi took over the helm of the FA in 2005, the only thing he can boast of is overseeing the qualification of the Black Stars to the World Cup. Should the GFA consider this as its greatest achievement? Is qualification to the World Cup the only agenda on the books of the FA?

The state of the Premier League even makes the populace wonder if we have a football association at all. Strikingly, the poor turnout to stadiums, exodus of our key players to other African leagues, disgraceful wages received by players, deplorable state of pitches even at the national stadia, inadequate sponsorship for the league and a lack of classic players are the hallmark of our league presently.

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the just-ended “Rush Community Basketball” Tournament, Emmanuel Kwame Dickson, has received a brand new sleek Huawei P8 Lite from global telecommunications and ICT firm, Huawei Technologies Ghana, as part of a sponsorship agreement.

Mr Dickson, who helped eventual winners, Osu Hawks, to defeat Ashaiman Tigers in the grand finale, was voted the best player of the competition.

On receiving his award, Mr Dickson commended Huawei for their efforts in the development of sports in the country.

The vice president of the Ghana Football Asscoiation (GFA), George Afriyie, has urged participants of the FIFA 11 for Health programme in the country to take the exercise seriously due to its immense benefits.

At the closing ceremony of the Greater Accra edition of the programme, the GFA vice president said football did not only serve as a source of entertainment but also as a source of good health, and expressed the hope that the implementation of the programme would lead to increased knowledge and behavioural change.

Mr Afriyie gave out football equipment to the participating P.E. Teachers of the FIFA 11 for Health programme also advised them to cooperate with the project officers for a successful implementation throughout the country.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has called on the various stakeholders including the sports federations, the National Sports Authority (NSA), the National Sports College and the National Youth Authority (NYA), to help the ministry to improve the lot of the country’s youth and sports.

It said this year may present a lot of challenges which may appear insurmountable but with the continued support from all stakeholders, the year could also bring in its wake creativity, ingenuity and the will to excel.

Kumasi Asante Kotoko's final training session ahead of Thursday's big kick off of the GHALCA Top 6 competition at the Sekondi Stadium was cut short when the reserved pitch at Adako Jachie near Ejisu caught fire.

The players together with the technical team had to stop the training session to help put the fire out and stop it from expanding to the training pitch.

Wayne Rooney has been named England Player of the Year for 2015, retaining the title he won in 2014.

The Manchester United forward earned 37% of the votes cast by members of the England Supporters Club and has now won it four times.

England captain Rooney scored five goals last year, overtaking Sir Bobby Charlton as England's record goal scorer during Euro 2016 qualification.

Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng has re-joined his old club AC Milan on a free transfer.

Milan confirmed the news on their official Twitter account, writing: "Now it's official: welcome back @KPBofficial!"

Boateng, 28, had been training with the Rossoneri since September after falling out with his former employers Schalke.

Pep Guardiola says he is leaving Bayern Munich to manage in England.

The former Barcelona boss recently announced he would not extend his contract in Germany when it expires at the end of this season.

Guardiola, 44, has been linked with Premier League clubs Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara believes the Barcelona trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez (MSN) all deserved to be finalists for the 2015 Ballon d'Or trophy.

Messi and Neymar made the final-three, along with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, while Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was the unlucky one to miss out.

Suarez finished 2015 as the top-scorer in La Liga, with MSN breaking record after record in the calendar year for goals scored.

Thiago, who played with Messi at Barca before making the switch to Bayern Munich in 2013, said the trio should all be in the running for the Ballon d'Or.

"Right now, all three of them are deserving of being in the running for the Ballon d'Or," he said.