THEY both have lost the plot to return to the Ghana Premier League (GPL) next season, but there will be a lot to fight for when former GPL sides, King Faisal and sekondi Hasaacas clash in Kumasi for their Match Day 26 fixture of the Division One League (DOL).

Faisal, relegated over three seasons ago, were hoping to make a return next season, just as Hasaacas who dropped last season. Unfortunately, for both of them, Karela FC proved the stronger side and beat them to it, and now,they are left to scramble for good positions on the league table.

The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Robert Sarfo Mensah, has hinted that about $15 million is needed to renovate the Accra Sports Stadium.

This, he said, was because the stadium had been left to rot since its refurbishment for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2008, hence the need for a lot more resources to bring it back into shape.

Greater Accra regional side, Army Ladies, have vowed to charge at Police Ladies and stop them in their quest to successfully defend the Sanford Women’s FA Cup title.

The two sides clash tomorrow in one of the four quarter-final matches lined up as the competition heats up.

The journey to next year’s Championship of African Nations (CHAN) competition to be staged in Kenya for Ghana’s Black Stars B, begins tomorrow with an away qualifier against  Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou.

Having missed out on the last edition, the Stars B are determined to return to the competition and are thus poised to begin their qualifying campaign on an impressive note despite this cagey encounter.

The Cape Coast Municipality will bubble with action next week when the much anticipated National Inter Regional Sports Festival hits Cape Coast next Wednesday.

The nine-day festival, organised for second cycle schools, will see the various regions converging on the Cape Coast municipality between August 16 and 24 to fight for honours.

A five-member audit committee has been set up by the National Sports Authority (NSA) to investigate and retrieve funds released to the authority by Anglogold Ashanti for the construction of outdoor multi-purpose sports courts in 2007.

But the said multi-purpose sports facilities situated in Enchi, Wa and Obuasi.are reported to have either been abandoned or did not commence at all.

Twelve countries have so far confirmed their participation in the upcoming first Ghana Open International Taekwondo Championship to be held on August 18-19, at the DG Hithramani sports hall at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF) revealed the list of countries which have comfirmed their participation at a media briefing at the Accra Sports stadium, yesterday, when  a special logo for the event was also launched.

Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena has emerged an £8 million target for Premier League newcomers Brighton and Hove Albion.

The lanky 21-year-old scored 30 goals in 38 games last season for Austrian club Lustenau and Zurich, who were promoted back to the Super League.

The senior national team (Black Stars) remained rooted to 50th place in the latest FIFA ranking released on Thursday for the month of August.

The Stars also kept their place at the ninth best team on the African continent. Egypt is Africa’s highest ranked team in the world despite slipping down one place to 25th position in the overall ranking.

If anyone had expected Team Ghana to return from the IAAF World Championships in London with medals, in spite of our lean contingent, that person has been left disappointed, as the performance of our athletes did not take them beyond the qualifying rounds.

But that should come as no surprise to anyone at all, given what was put in as preparations for the championships.

Twenty-five tennis players and four coaches have embarked on a two-week residential camping at the Winneba Sports College in the Central Region.

The camp, initiated by the Ghana Tennis Federation and sponsored by the McDan Group of Companies, serves as part of preparation for the national junior boys team as they get ready to represent West Africa in the Africa Juniors Competition to be staged in Morocco from September 9 to 17.

Travelling agency, Africa World Airlines, has donated tickets to three players of the national table tennis team, the Black Loopers, to ensure their participation in the Lagos International Open slated for Lagos, Nigeria, from today, August 9 to August 13.

The airline presented three tickets to Beatrice Gyasi of the Ghana Police, and the Ghana Immigration Service duo of Felix Lartey and Emmanuel Commey at a short ceremony in Accra yesterday.

Deputy captain of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Eric Donkor, says their quest to win this year’s Ghana Premier League title is not over  despite their current fourth position on the league table.

Last Sunday, Kotoko were unable to move up the log after being held to a 1-1 draw by their arch-rival  Hearts of Oak at the Baba Yara Stadium, making their title aspiration a difficult task  given the effort of the teams ahead of them on the log.

Former African football head Issa Hayatou has hit out at comments made by his successor, Ahmad, about Cameroon's readiness to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ahmad, who replaced Hayatou as Confederation of African Football (Caf) president in March, said on Saturday that Cameroon 'will have to work to convince Caf of its ability to host.'

The founder of Konongo-based Owerriman Football Club, Nana Batafo Acheampong Nti, has appealed to the Sports Ministry to rehabilitate the Konongo Stadium to motivate the youth in the municipality to continue nurturing and developing their potential in football.

He said the stadium, which he single-handedly constructed almost two decades ago, has now deteriorated, making it impossible for the well-endowed youth to nurture and develop their football potential.