Christian Atsu says he is ready to show the world he is a Premier League player. The winger dropped down to the Championship last season but now wants to prove he can be consistent in the top flight. Atsu had unsuccessful spells at Chelsea, Everton and Bournemouth before dropping into the second tier with the Magpies under the guidance of Rafa Benitez . He said: I think in the Premier League there is more quality. If you make one mistake you get punished so you have to concentrate. Im

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Paris St-Germain's Neymar comprise the Best Fifa Men's Player shortlist. Ronaldo won the inaugural award last year, ahead of Messi with Neymar fourth behind Atletico's Antoine Griezmann. Chelsea's Antonio Conte is up for the men's coach award after leading the Blues to the Premier League title in his first season at Stamford Bridge. Holder Carli Lloyd is again nominated for the women's player award.

Ghana defender Daniel Opare has expressed his excitement about Augsburg's great start to the new Bundesliga season. Opare has been excellent forFuggerstdter. His supreme athletism has proved key for Augsburg, who have won three of their first five games in the top flight. Augsburg made a disastrous start losing Hamburger SV away. Opare did not feature in the game and was also left out for the second match which ended in a stalemate against Borussia Mnchengladbach However, his return to

Ghana goalkeeper Fatau Dauda believes the current Black Stars B squad have the requisite quality to qualify for the next edition of the CHAN tournament should they be maintained. Ghana were pipped for the 2018 CHAN after they lost 4-3 on aggregate to the Stallions of Burkina Faso last month. Several fans chastised the team after missing out on the ticket to Kenya, but have been impressive in the FOX WAFU Cup of Nations, where they will lock horns against old nemesis Nigeria in the final on

Head Coach of Accra Great Olympics, Godwin Attram says he is focused on ensuring Great Olympics avoid a possible relegation from the Ghana Premier League. Attram has made a return to the club after leaving his post early in the season. The former striker quit because he could not work with Swedish trainer Tom Strand, who has terminated his contract, citing a lack of respect from management. Attram left the club embroiled with relegation and that has not changed. With the Wonder Club being

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has issued immediate life-time bans for 19 officials. The sanctions are for violating SLFA and Fifa statutes concerning taking football related cases to civil courts. The group went to court last month to seek an injunction to stop the current executive running the SLFA. In July Fifa indefinitely postponed the SLFA congress and elections while integrity checks on candidates were carried out. Among those banned is Sanusi Bruski Kargbo, who had

Cameroons most revered player, former skipper Samuel Etoo has made a last-ditch attempt to convince the leaders of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that his country is capable of organising the 2019 African Nations Cup. According to local reports, Etoo visited Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo last weekend to meet CAF president Ahmad Ahmad, vice president Constant Omari, and all the CAF Executive Board to state the case for Cameroons hosting credentials. The country is

Ghana coach Maxwell Konadu is cautiously optimistic ahead of his side's WAFU Nations Cup final against rivals Nigeria on Sunday. The Black Stars B recorded a 2-0 win over Niger in Thursday's second semi-final to book a place in the finals. Kwame Kizito and Stephen Sarfo scored in each half to ensure the West African giants cruise into the final showdown against their sworn rivals. And coach Maxwell Konadu, who is under immense pressure to win the trophy after the CHAN qualification

Ghanaian player Bernard Tekpetey has been banned after he was sent off for his reaction to alleged racist provocation from rival supporters during an Austrian Cup match. The Austrian leagues disciplinary committee said that Tekpetey, who plays for top-flight club Altach on loan from Germanys Schalke 04, was handed a two-match ban for unsporting behaviour in the match away to third tier Union Gurten. The second match of the 20-year-olds ban has been suspended for six months, the committee said

Black Stars B midfielder Emmanuel Lomotey has expressed his eagerness to beat Nigeria in the FOX WAFU Cup of Nations final to appease Ghanaian fans after CHAN failure. Ghana failed to book a place in the 2018 CHAN tournament following their 4-3 aggregate loss to Burkina Faso last month. However, the team has come good in the ongoing FOX WAFU Cup of Nations where they have booked a ticket to the grand final after beating Niger 2-0 on Thursday. And according to Lomotey, who was adjudged Man

Striker Richmond Boakye-Yiadom has credited his teammates and technical team for his purple patch of scoring form for Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade. The Ghana international scored on Wednesday to tally ten goals-( three league goals and seven in Europa League) in all competitions this season. Boakye is grateful that the collective effort at the club is what is bringing out his best. ''I will thank God for giving me the strength to score the goal, as well as the win for my team,''

Black Stars winger Christian Atsu is leading the way as Newcastle Unitedhave emerged as a major source of budget Fantasy Premier League talent. The 25-year-old has produced a goal and an assist in his last two starts, with managers beginning to wise up to his potential. Since last Friday, the Ghanaian has been snapped up by over 51,000 managers, but his ownership still stands at only 4.2%. Rafael Benitez's side have recorded three successive victories ahead of a visit toBrighton &

Ghanaian-born Niger defender Kofi Dankwa has wished the Black Stars good luck ahead of their final clash against arch rivals Nigeria in the WAFU Cup of Nations on Sunday. Dankwa, who suffered an injury in the 2-0 loss against Ghana in the semifinal of Thursday, conceded that the Black Stars B possess a strong team which could hurt the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Sunday. "It was a great game but we lost to a better side. I'm not disappointed at all because it's football, whether you

Ghana stayed in the hunt to win the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations after an improved performance gave the Black Stars B an impressive win over Niger in the semi-final on Thursday night. The defending champions advanced to set up a final clash with old rivals Nigeria, who needed a solitary strikeby midfielder Rabiu Ali to progress at the expense of Benin. See the best pictures of the match made possible by wafucup.com  ...

Ghana coach Maxwell Konadu says his side will be armed and ready for revenge on Sunday against Nigeria in the final of the 2017 WAFU Cup of Nations. The Black Stars B were comprehensively beaten 2-0 by CHAN Eagles last Monday in their final Group A match which sent them through to the last four of the tournament. The hosts were in fine form as they brushed aside Niger 2-0 on Thursday night to set up a derby final. Konadu is promising to mount a stronger challenge at the Cape Coast Stadium

Ghana striker Jordan Ayew wants to continue his hard work and become even more incisive at Swansea following an impressive start to the season. Ayew has been a key performer for the Welsh club, netting three goals in his seven appearances this term. This week he scored a sublime strike to power the Swans to the next stage of the Carabao cup at the expense of Reading and they will face off with Manchester United in the final. I try to work hard every day to be in good shape for my teammates

FC Ifeanyiubah coach Yaw Preko has ruled out playing out a defensive game in their Aiteo Federation Cup quarterfinal return leg at ABS FC this weekend. Preko's go into the tie with a 3-0 first leg advantage and are in Ilorin on Saturday. ''I'm happy we won 3-0, but we are going to Ilorin to play attacking football,'' Preko said. ''We cannot afford to sit back and relax because we scored three goals in the first leg. ''We will try to score goals, one,

Albert Adomah has set his team-mates the task of recording back-to-back wins as Aston Villa look to kickstart their season at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The winger bagged a brace in the 3-0 win at Barnsley last weekend and is desperate to add to the feel-good factor with consecutive league wins for this first time this season. Villa are unbeaten in five Championship outings and are slowly starting to turnaround their season after a disappointing start. And with a kind set of

Watch how hosts Ghana beat Niger 2-0 at the Cape Coast Thursday to reach the final of the 2017 WAFU Nations Cup. Goals in each half from Kwame Kizito and Stephen Sarfo set the Black Stars B up to face rivals Nigeria, whom they lost 2-0 in the Group stage. Hearts of Oak striker Kizito opened the scoring in the 31st minute when he powerfully headed home a corner-kick from six-yards out. Ghana put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute when Stephen Sarfo turned home a low right wing cross

Ghanaian duo Ema Boateng and Latif Blessing have been named in the shortlist for the 2017 MLS best 24 players Under 24. Boateng, 23, plays for LA Galaxy and has been one of the most exciting players this term in the MLS. He has managed to score four goals in 29 league appearances. Blessing, who joined Sporting Kansas City this season from Ghana Premier League Liberty Professionals, also made the provisional list of 50 players. The 20-year-old has been able to keep his head afloat on his