Bojan proves he is senior team material after spectacular display.
Watch Bojan Krkicin a great combination with super star Thierry Henry and Giovanni Dos Santos that set the stage alight in FC Barcelona's pre-season friendly match against Hearts of Scotland, which Barca won 1-0 after Bojan set up Henry to lay a spectacular pass for on-rushing Dos Santos to finish up.
Bojan Krkic is a real talent to watch out for this season in the Spanish La Liga.
National Under-20 team coach Sulley Mohammed has made changes in his team as he leads the Black Satellites to the Sasol eight-nation tournament which kicks off on Wednesday in Gauteng, South Africa.
After a series of disappointing performances at the Toulon Football Tournament in France and a poor performance in an international friendly against Qatar played in Germany, the Ghana team would be hoping to improve in the Sasol eight-nations tournament.
Nine changes have been made by Sulley Mohammed to the squad that played in those two events as he named a 19-man team for the competition.
New faces coming into the squad which departs Accra on Sunday are: Osei Banahene, Alex Asamoah, Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, Baba Iddi, Hamza Abdulai, Malik Akowa, Techie Menson and Bismark Idan.
Ghana is placed in Group B together with Ivory Coast, Egypt and Lesotho for the ten-day competition.
Host nation, South Africa kick off the tournament against China on June 27 in Group A. The group also includes Cameroon and Botswana.
Ghana Squad:
Goalkeepers: Isaac Akong and Patrick Antwi
Defenders: Yaw Frimpong, Louis Quainoo, Yahaya Mohammed, John Boye, Samuel Enzemaba and Techie Menson
Midfielders: Felix Baffoe, Baba Iddi, Hamza Abdulai, Malik Akowa, Sanie Ahmed and Bismark Idan
Strikers:Osei Banahene, Eric Bekoe, Alex Asamoah and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu.
After his successful election on Saturday, 16th of June, 2007, Scouting Team representative in Nigeria, Dr. Francis A. Akinremi has been confirmed as the first National President of The Nigerian Association of Football Academies ( NAFA ).
The confirmation took place at the Conference Hall of The National Institute For Sports in Nigeria, which is situated inside the territiory around the West African country's National Stadium in Surulere township, the sports nerve-centre of Lagos State, Nigeria.
Francis(pictured centre) was confirmed along with 11 members of the entire 12-member Executive Council, which comprised 10 males and female member, Mrs. Etim Joy Nnenna, who is the Welfare Officer of the association. The twelfth member will be selected as the zone from which the 2nd Vice-President is to emerge from is yet to present its preferred candidate.
The full list of the Executive Council members include:
1. President
Dr Akinremi A Francis [JP]
2. 1st Vice President
Mr Onwanna Kevin
3. 2nd Vice President
Yet to be produced. This position is zoned to the Northern part of Nigeria. This region will present the association with an elected representative soon.
4. Secretary-General
Mr Etim Micheal Edet
5. Assistance Secretary-General
Mr Arinde Jimoh
6. Treasurer
Mr.Obeta Basil
7. Welfare
Mrs Etim Joy Nnenna
8. Technical Director
Mr Solomon Adesina Peter
9. Public Relation Officer
Mr Banjo Kamiludeen Oladimeji
10. Financial Secretary
Mr Udoh Saturday Okon
11. Auditor
Mr Alebiosu Samuel
12. Provost
Mr Ohiri Ephraim
The Executive Council members cut across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, and they will serve an initial single term of two years each.
Prior to the election, the potential contestants and nominees for the post of the President were informed about the high standards which the association had set for its presidential aspirants. The contestants must be:
1. A professional Sports Manager with a proven track record in sports management.
2. A football academy owner with a known and existing football academy.
3. A professional Coach with a registered football academy in Nigeria.
4. An existing financial member of NAFA and must have fulfilled his or her financial obligations not later than 3 months before the election.
Francis Akinremi met all the above mentioned requirements and futher distinguished himself with his other feats which he had achieved in addition. These included very high professional qualifications, better level of international sports exposure, distinct leadership qualities, a clear cut agenda for youth development programmes and emphasis on intensifying youth programme research work.
The performance of FAK-REM Football Academy, owned by Mr. Francis, was also a bonus which boosted his chances, as he had proved to be efficient in academy management in the past and present. FAK-REM have represented Nigeria in some international competitions and also were winners of the Dothan Cup in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Francis has promised to move NAFA forward with great speed and efficiency so as to build a solid foundation on which the fledging association will stand on to grow as rapidly as expected in the Nigerian soccer arena.
With the able support of Scouting Team, such goals can be facilitated and better achieved with a unique touch of excellence and hard work.
The picture below shows members of The Executive Council. From left: Basil [Treasurer], Ohiri [Provost], Udon [Fin.Sec.], Mrs Etim Joy [Welfare], Akinremi [President], Etim Micheal [Sec. Gen], Banjo [PRO], Arinde [Asst.Sec.Gen], Solomon [Tech.Director] and Alebiosu [Auditor].
The Black Starlets tops Group A after drawing 1-1 with South American giant, Brazil on Monday and will play host nation, Korea Republic on Wednesday in the last group pairings.
Attacker, Ransford Osei got his fourth goal of the competition when he scored against the Brazilians in the second group game which ended in a draw.
Ghana are level on points with Brazil but lead the standings with a better goal difference.
With the winners from the various groups meeting in the finals, Ghana would need a good victory over the host nation to consolidate their stay at the top and book a date with winners of Group B.
The Black Starlets got their preparations for the FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament off to a good start when they beat Haiti 3-0 in the first group game on Saturday.
The 8-nation mini pre-competition tournament hosted by Korea Republic seeks to prepare the qualified nations from the globe for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and also mark as a dress rehearsal for the tournament with only two months to go before the start of the competition.
The competition is expected to offer Ghana team coach, Frederick Osam Duodu an opportunity to assess his team before the finals of FIFA U-17 World Cup in two month time at the venues used for the mini-competition.
After the group stage, the two runners-up will play off for third place, before the group winner’s face each other for the title in Cheonan on Saturday, 23 June.
Chelsea’s first humanitarian visit to Africa will see the ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho lead his team to visit the special place of West Africa, Ghana on Tuesday.
The FA Cup holders and former English champions will begin their working visit on May 29 when they arrive in town to inspect projects run by their Global Charity Partner, Right to Play, an athlete-driven international humanitarian organization that uses sports and play as a tool for development of children and youth in the most disadvantaged areas on the globe.
Chelsea’s travelling party which has eight team players and other staff members of the Stamford Bridge club also include Ghana midfielder, Michael Essien, who is an ambassador for Right To Play.
The delegation will be Accra and Tamale from May 29 to June 3 to visit projects run by the club's global charity partner.
The team's itinerary includes a media briefing on Wednesday May 30 to be followed by a coaching clinic at the El-Wak Stadium the same day.
The second part of the visit will see the team travel up North to Tamale on Thursday.
After the trip to Tamale, the Chelsea entourage will return to Accra to observe the Right to Play Day to be held at the Efua Sutherland Park on Saturday June 2.
The Blues in January 2006, agreed a 6-year partnership deal with Right to Play, making the humanitarian body the football club's first ever global charity partner.
The partnership aims to raise more than £2 million over the period to support Right to Play's extensive humanitarian activities in 22 countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Mourinho said: Everyone at the club is fully behind the work of Right To Play and we are all proud to support them. I'm sure our relationship will benefit thousands of kids throughout the world, starting with this visit to Ghana.
Sport, particularly football, has a certain power. It is a world language, something where cultural difference does not matter.
If you are in London, Lisbon or Accra, if you put down two pieces of clothing for a goal and wrap some paper into a ball and start to kick it, everyone knows what you are doing, there is no need to explain it.
Because it is the world language you can reach everybody and if you have a big status in the game you have a big responsibility to use that power properly.
And what better way to use it than for kids around the world to be healthier, fitter, fight disease, war, poverty. Football can and should help with this. It also reminds you that there are more important things than football.
Ghana Football Association Essien, who is one of the Chelsea/Right To Play ambassadors, added:
I'm sure our relationship will benefit thousands of kids throughout the world, starting with this visit to Ghana.
Mourinho and the other Chelsea technical staff will be conducting play sessions for children in Accra and Tamale.
He will also hold coaching demonstrations for the Right To Play coaches who are integral to the charity's purpose of raising awareness about disease, war and poverty through sport.
The trip has a dual role for Chelsea. As well as being a major initiative in the club's Corporate Social Responsibility Programme, it also serves as part of our young players' education in what is expected of them as first team players of the future.
And certainly the Jose Mourinho would be seeing some real special talents when he gets down to do some brief work with the kids.
