The Ghana Premier League (GPL) returns on Sunday with a lot of action as the Match Day 19 fixtures are honoured after a break to allow the MTN FA Cup last weekend.

This weekend’s interesting ties have the Great Olympics versus Liberty Professionals in a regional derby at the Accra Stadium topping the bill, given the desperate need for the two sides to improve their lot in the GPL standings.

Major (rtd) Yaw Larson, a former Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko and the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), is reported dead in Accra after a short illness.

Major Larson, 77 years, died last Sunday at the 37 Military Hospital, where he had been on admission for a while.

Black Stars team manager Stephen Appiah and two other sports personalities- powerlifter Charles Narh Teye and para-cyclist Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah-have been honoured at the 2017 Allianz Awards for using their careers to inspire young people.

Appiah, who led Ghana to two FIFA World Cups in 2006 and 2010, was honoured for using his grass- to grace story to inspire countless young people, and was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Teye and Ofosu Yeboah were honoured for similar feats despite being physically challenged, at the event held at the National Theatre in Accra.

The managers of free agent Asamoah Gyan says he is yet to receive a formal offer from Bursaspor despite the Turkish side indicating that they are ready to offer $200,000 for the Ghana captain.

Bursaspor President, Ali Ay has confirmed to the media that the club have been in talks with representatives of Shanghai SIPG player’s for a permanent move when his loan deal with UAE's Al Ahli expires.

Defending Champions Immigration have stepped up the chase on Table Tennis League leaders Tesano Spinners after leapfrogging SmartLine@Emefs into second place following 3-0 wins over Western Table Tennis Club and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) last Saturday at the D.G. Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Stadium.

In thrilling fixtures staged in the presence of some veterans of the game, including Ghana Table Tennis Federation president, Mawuko Afadzinu, the Stanbic Bank/Graphic Sports-sponsored competition came alive with exciting performances as Immigration raised the level of their game to record impressive victories.

Goodwill Sports Ambassador Ray Quarcoo, has commended the technical team and the playing body of the Black Stars highly for their outstanding performance against their Ethiopian counterparts.

The Stars, now playing under Coach Kwasi Appiah, demonstrated brilliance in all departments, posting an emphatic 5-0 win over Ethiopia in their Africa Cup group qualifying match in Kumasi last week.

Traditional giants Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak eased through to the quarter-final of the MTN FA Cup after posting 1-0 victories over Wassaman United and Young Wise respectively, but defending champions Bechem United, Liberty Professionals and Premier League leaders WAFA were dumped out of the competition.

Ghana international, Mubarak Wakaso has confirmed that he will be playing his football in the English Premier League next season but is yet to finalise transfer negotiations.

At 26, the journeyman midfielder has already played for eight different European clubs since leaving Ashgold for Spanish side Elche in 2008, and it appears he will be on the move once again with England his likely destination.

Three Ghanaian internationals, led by the deputy captain of the Black Stars, Andre Ayew, last Saturday schooled over 200 children in the basics of football at the Junction Mall, Nungua.

The football clinic was spearheaded by Ayew in collaboration with uniBank and was organised to motivate youngsters aged between 12-15 years to work towards their dreams.

Basketball star Abdul Mutalib Alhassan and multi-sport athlete Rabiatu Ofoli scooped the topmost sports personality awards in the respective male and female categories at the third edition of the Accra Technical University (ATU) Sports Awards held last Friday in Accra.

The awards were in recognition of the roles played the duo over the 2016-2017 Technical University sports calendar as they led the ATU to the first place at the 11th edition of the Ghana Polytechnic and Technical Universities Sports Association (GHAPSA) games held at Bolgatanga.

Generally, it is believed that footballers plying their trade in Ghana are mostly not educated but that is not entirely true as we look at players who have Diplomas and are undergraduates yet opted to play in Ghana's top flight.

There are some highly educated Ghana Premier League players who have also combined education with their playing careers.

Below is a list of 11 of them;

Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan says even though he has lately been considering retirement, having achieved enough in football, his passion for the game was motivating him not to retire now.

Asked if he was preparing himself mentally for retirement, when he appeared on the Delay television Show on Sunday evening, he said: “Not now.”

Today June 18 is Father's Day and what better occasion to celebrate some of the fathers who make the nation proud on the soccer pitch.

Footballers across the world are very protective of their kids, rarely putting them under the spotlight.

Former Chelsea enforcer Michael Essien says Romelu Lukaku had a “good” relationship with Jose Mourinho and can see the pair working together again.

The Everton striker is in demand, with Chelsea and Manchester United both eyeing a swoop for the Belgian striker.

The Director of Sports at the University of Ghana, Dr Bella Bello Bitugu, says the Legon Sports Fund is a ‘one of its kind’ trust that would revolutionise sports in the country.

He contended that the primary aim of the fund was to act as an innovative buffer where a secured source of income could be generated as against reliance on central government.