The meeting chaired by the FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter, was the Executive Committee’s first meeting of the year at the home of FIFA in Zurich, lasting for two days.
Racism and discrimination at a point became the focal point of the meeting that amounted to Sepp Blatter clearly showing his displeasure about the rampant occurrences regarding racism and discrimination.
“Racism and discrimination are such scourges in society, and therefore in our sport, that we need to take concrete actions and do more than we have done in the past to eradicate them from football. We shall work on education and prevention on the one hand, and on disciplinary sanctions on the other” stated FIFA President.
A number of reports were given on the upcoming FIFA competitions and events and the following decisions were arrived at:
Considering the FIFA Confederations Cup slated in Brazil this year, the executive noted with great satisfaction that the tournament has already been a popular success, with 75% of tickets already sold.
On the goal-line technology, it was agreed that two systems will be selected by 2 April, 2013.
In the case of World Cup Qualifiers for the African zone, the dates for Group F games was re-scheduled to allow Nigeria arrive in Brazil on time for the FIFA Confederations Cup, instead of 7 and 14 June, 2013 it has been postponed to 5 and 12 June, 2013.
Based on new guarantees received from the Costa Rican public authorities as well as the report received from CONCACAF, the executive re-appointed Costa Rica as hosts of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup-2014 tournament.
Also, the preliminary draw for the 2018-FIFA World Cup in Russia will take place in Saint Petersburg on 24 or 25 July, 2015 while the match schedule of the Women’s World Cup in Canada-2015, which will see 24 teams participating, was provisionally approved.
Iraq has been granted the approval upon their request to resume playing international friendly games at home, while the 2013 Ballon d’ Or will take place in Zurich on the 13 January, 2014.
Again, following a request from the Jordan Football Association, the executive decided to donate USD 200,000 worth of football equipment and kits to Syrian refugees living in a camp at the border between Syria and Jordan.
The Club World Cup competition to be hosted in Morocco and the Beach Soccer World Cup all in the year 2013 saw their match schedules approved.
The next meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee will be held in Mauritius on Tuesday, 28 May 2013.
Any Apple watch would face competition, but most current smart watches rely on smartphone pairing over Bluetooth to get data and notifications.
Any Apple watch would face competition, but most current smart watches rely on smartphone pairing over Bluetooth to get data and notifications.
Apple, as the reports go, is working on a “smart watch,” although the secretive company won’t say anything about it, of course.
So, after months of speculation, what does its chief rival in the mobile world do?
Announce that it definitely is working on a smart watch.
Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business, said as much during an interview in South Korea, where the company is based. And he said it’s not a knee-jerk reaction to Apple’s rumored plans.
“We’ve been preparing the watch product for so long,” Lee told Bloomberg. “We are working very hard to get ready for it. We are preparing products for the future, and the watch is definitely one of them.”
He did not give any details on when the watch may be released, what features it will have or how much it will cost.
With its Galaxy S line of smartphones, Samsung has become the first competitor to provide a real challenge to the dominant iPhone. While Apple’s iconic phone remains the single-most popular mobile device — the release of the iPhone 5 led to a record sales quarter and was the most popular of the 75 million devices running Apple’s iOS system that were sold in those three months — Samsung moved into a solid second place with its Galaxy S III.
The S III outsold the iPhone 4S during the third quarter of last year before the iPhone 5’s release, and the company announced last week that the Galaxy S4 is on its way.
Now the companies seem poised to go head-to-head again in what appears to be an emerging market — wearable tech.
Nike’s fitness-oriented FuelBand has led the charge. But few new products have captured the imagination of the tech-minded such as Google Glass, an eyewear-like headset that offers augmented-reality images as well as basic smartphone-like features. The device is due later this year and has started popping up on the faces of field testers.
Then there is Pebble, the smartwatch that raked in about $8 million on Kickstarter and has begun shipping to backers.
But will there be a market for these devices outside of early-adopter technophiles and loyalists who will scoop up any new product their favorite company creates? Early signs say the public might need a little more information first.
According to an unscientific survey of users by mobile deals site BuyVia, 26% of respondents said they were interested in buying a rumored iWatch, 38% said they were not interested and more than a third, 36%, said they weren’t sure. (The survey was conducted before Samsung confirmed it’s in the game as well.)
The top five features respondents said they’d like to see in a watch were e-mail and texting, phone calls, GPS, Wi-Fi and weather updates.
“While consumers are seemingly divided about their desire to own the rumored Apple iWatch, it’s fascinating that the most desired features for the watch mirror popular iPhone capabilities,” said BuyVia CEO Norman Fong.
“It’s as though consumers are only interested in a watch that offers everything the smartphone does, only in a more convenient ‘package.’ What they seem to crave is a way to more easily access iPhone features everywhere they go.”
Real Tamale United will be in action at the Tamale Stadium for the first time since October 2012 following a six-match home ban.
The Tamale side, bottom of the Glo Premier League standings will return to the grounds as they welcome King Faisal in their match-day-19 fixture on Wednesday.
Following crowd troubles in their meeting with Aduana Stars last year, RTU were banned from its home venue for six (6) matches and additionally, fined GH¢5,000.00 for its supporters’ attack on an assistant referee.
Yahaya Mohammed could be on the move from Amidaus Professionals to Asante Kotoko if the latter secure the ticket to the group phase in their Caf Champions League campaign.
According to A1radio sources, negotiations are underway between both parties to ascertain how a deal can be reached to see the return of the former OJC Nice player to his mother club should they advance in the inter-club competition of the continent.
The 25-year-old was sent on a season-long loan to the Tema-based club at the beginning of the season following his lack of commitment to the club as stated by Asante Kotoko officials at the time.
He has since been instrumental in Amidaus Professionals’ superb display this season which earned him a place in Coach Kwesi Appiah’s list for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa only for injury to rule him out.
Speaking to A1radio, Mohammed affirmed that last month, Alhaji Baba Gado confronted him with the news that Dr. K.K Sarpong, Kotoko CEO has spoken to him regarding his possible return to Kotoko to help in their Champions League campaign.
“Alhaji last told me Dr. K.K Sarpong called to tell him he wants me to come back and help them in their Champions League participation,” said Mohammed.
He also revealed that the Kotoko coach, Mas-Ud Dramani has constantly been in touch with him insisting he needs his services.
“As for coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani he always calls to advice me and also insisting he wants me to come and play for him,” he added.
When asked if he is willing to return to Kotoko should any deal be agreed on, the leading scorer of the 2012-13 season of the Ghana Premier League, said he had a running contract with Kotoko so as a professional player he will go and honour the rest of the contract.
Former Asante Kotoko player Prince Poley has sent a word of caution to his former club ahead of their Caf Champions League clash against JSM Bejaia at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
Kumasi Asante Kotoko two weeks ago took Algeria by storm when they secured a vital away point against JSM Bejaia making it the first time in 23 years a Ghanaian side has secured a point in the North African country.
Poley thinks the Asante Kotoko lads should not be complacent about the result acquired from Algeria because the North Africans are found of surprises when it comes to competitions like this.
“They should not think because of the away result they can easily walk over them because the north Africans do not give credence to either playing away or home, they can win anywhere,” he told Sunyani-based Moonlite FM.
“Guarding against goal should be their utmost priority.”
He was quick to add that in an effort to psyche the players up ahead of the game, he will join hands with other former players to visit the team in camp to show their support.
“By the end of the week, we the old players will pay the team a visit and share with them some words of encouragement,” he revealed.
The winner of the return leg will lock horns with either Esperance or Premier de Agosto depending on the outcome of their game.
The Black Stars of Ghana on Sunday walloped their Sudanese counterparts 4-0 in their 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
It was a game that saw former England youth international Emmanuel Frimpong making his debut for the Black Stars.
Let’s assess the team based on individual performance to vividly get a clear picture of what transpired.
Fatau Dauda – Goalkeeper (55%)
The AshGold goalkeeper although not seriously threatened on the day, his demeanour, communication, reflexes and decision making was excellent. This is a hallmark of a brilliant goalkeeper and any plaudit is well merited. He is credited 55% for his work rate because he was not put to the test.
Richard Kisi Boateng – Left Back (55%)
Another talented player who is gradually warming himself into the team; on the day his defensive prowess were superb, but always found wanton when the team is surging forward. He was stationed at the left back position and never surged forward to help in attack. No pull out was credited to him at the end, which is unusual of a Ghanaian left-back. He scored 55% in that regard.
Harrison Afful – Right Back (67%)
As tinny as he is, he has undoubtedly been one of the few players who always lives up to the billing when the mantle is left on their shoulders. As usual, the Esperance rearguard marshaled the left-back brilliantly; his surging runs were exceptional and indeed well calculated pull outs that resulted in Wakaso’s goal. He scores 67% for his gallant display.
John Boye – Center Back (70%)
Although at times he becomes over confident, he was cautious this time round knowing for sure the task ahead. Her combined effectively with his partner at the heart of the defense. He was good with all aerial balls that came his way and excellently opens up to initiate the game when Dauda grabs the ball. He exhibited a high sense of maturity earning him 70%.
Isaac Vorsah – Center Back (80%)
He is my man-of-the-match irrespective of the sudden demise of his beloved father on Monday. Vorsah was able to play his heart out resulting in Ghana not conceding. He was used as a Lebro in the Ghanaian set up, where he was always seen behind doing the necessary mop-up and he did it up to expectation. He had 80% marks in his basket.
Rabiu Alhassan Mohammed – Midfielder (67%)
The former Liberty Professionals player has become pivotal in the Ghanaian set up. He operates as the engine of the team, serving as shield to the defenders. In the game though he did not last the entire duration his presence was felt. He won all 50-50 balls, collapsed all the Sudanese attack and did a very good distribution as well. He secured 67% mark for a great job done.
Wakaso Mubarak – Midfielder (70%)
As forceful as always he was at his peak again, a good set piece resulting in Gyan’s goal and another text book grounder from outside the 18-yard box to record home his goal and Ghana’s second. He was very aggressive and managed to catch the opponent on the break at a point in time via his long and incisive passes. He merits 70% for a good display.
Kwadwo Asamoah – Midfielder (59%)
The least said about him the better. He performs creditably for Juventus but whenever he is in the Black Stars jersey he underperforms. He was sluggish, looks heavy and above all was also responsible for giving out too many faulty passes. He goes forward when attacking but dropping back to support the defenders was a problem, I think he deserves 59% following his working.
Sulley Muntari – Midfielder (60%)
After missing in action for sometime due to injury, he made his return but it never appeared he was making a return after all. He was very purposeful upfront with his long drives and also defended very well when the opponent is in control. He is also awarded 60% for his total output.
Asamoah Gyan – Attacker (55%)
Clearly, the Gyan we know three or four years ago is different from the Gyan we saw playing. Today’s Gyan is heavy, lacks pace and touch-wood looks more like a humorist than a footballer. In the game, he played for only 15 minutes resulting in his goal afterwards he was missing in action. His work rate after the first 15 minutes was zero. His effort is worth 55%.
Abdul Majeed Waris –Attacker (68%)
He came into the game as Ghana’s most prolific striker having to his credit the goal king and player of the season in Sweden resulting in his move to Spartak Moscow this season. On the day he was missing in action throughout the first half but proved what he is made of in the second half when we adopted the 4-2-3-1 formation. He became a thorn in the flesh of the Sudanese defense regarding his endurance, pace and agility. Aside his magnificent goal he also won clear penalty which was disallowed. For his excellent display he is dashed 68%.
Substitutes
Emmanuel Frimpong – Midfielder (58%)
Nothing really showed that indeed it was his debut game. He brought to bear the quick ‘one-two’ play in British parlance. He was not seen too much in the game because he hardly wastes time on the ball, which is a typical British style. Defensive-wise he was not bad scoring 58% for a good show.
Emmanuel Agyeman Badu – Midfielder (62%)
This is a player who never relaxes, very determined and always gives out his best when fielded and this game was no exception. Although he was brought on in the second half he proved why unarguably he is touted as one of the finest midfielders in the country. His surging runs were good; he added power to the game and was always quick to defend when his side loses control. No wonder he wrote his name on the score sheet. His effort is worth 62%.
Solomon Asante –Midfielder (52%)
He is very swift when played in his rightful position but in this game perhaps because he was brought on late we did not see much of him. He tried to outwit his opponents on some few occasions which never materialised but was able to combine some effective short passes with his colleagues which are worth commending on that note he earns 52% to his credit.
Kwesi Appiah – Coach (95%)
Indeed he is one of the finest technical brains the country has ever produced, losing the Afcon trophy does not make him a bad coach. On the day, he adopted two significant game formations: the 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 and in fact they were well executed.
He also got his cards right by starting the debutants from the bench. This is the hallmark of a good coach, since the players are new to the environment they have to go through the adaptation process before starting them and that is exactly what he did. He has 95% for masterminding the win.
A separate draw will take place at the conclusion of the CAF African Youth Championship to determine which group Ghana and the other African sides will play in at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
This follows Monday’s draw in Istanbul for this year’s finals in Turkey.
Ghana have qualified for the World Cup after securing passage to the semi-finals of the African competition. Nigeria, Mali and Egypt are the other qualifiers.
According to FIFA, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place teams from the on-going competition in Algeria will be entered in the various groups but the African winner will join Group E which includes, Chile, England and Iraq.
Host nation Turkey are paired with Colombia, Australia and El Salvador in Group E.
Defending champion Brazil failed to qualify. The tournament will be played June 21-July 13 in seven Turkish cities.
FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013 group stage draw:
GROUP A (Istanbul, Kayseri): France, CAF, USA, Spain
GROUP B (Kayseri, Istanbul): Cuba, Korea Republic, CAF, Portugal
GROUP C (Trabzon, Rize, Gaziantep): Turkey, El Salvador, Colombia, Australia
GROUP D (Gaziantep, Trabzon): Mexico, Greece, Paraguay, CAF
GROUP E (Antalya, Bursa): Chile, CAF Champions, England, Iraq
GROUP F (Bursa, Antalya): OFC Champions, Uzbekistan, Uruguay, Croatia
Billionaire, philanthropist and co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation is currently in Ghana to observe the nations’ health care delivery system, especially successes achieved so far in the area of immunization, and probably donate some cash to us 🙂
So far he seems to be impressed with the Ghanaian health system. He has publish an article on his blog captioned ‘What I’m Learning about Ghana’.
Read the full article below
I arrive in Ghana today to see firsthand why the country’s immunization system is working so well and meet the people involved.
For some people, health delivery systems might not seem like the most intriguing topic, but I am really interested in understanding how they’ve done so much of this right. Strong immunization systems are crucial for protecting our gains against polio and helping us reach mothers and children with new vaccines and other life-saving health services. In Ghana, for example, polio was eliminated a decade ago and an outbreak in 2008 was quickly controlled. No child there has died from measles since 2002. And Ghana was the first country to launch two new vaccines last April, against rotavirus, which causes severe diarrhea, and pneumococcal pneumonia.
Ghana’s approach works so well for a few key reasons: Rigorous data gathering and analysis, accountability at the district level, and community outreach. Just as importantly, the vaccination program is fully integrated into the health system. But there’s really no substitute for seeing it on the ground.
Tomorrow we’re going to visit a director of health services in a district in central Ghana, then a nearby clinic. We’re then going to visit a community health center where the nurses also go out to find mothers who missed appointments or children due for immunizations to make the program as thorough as possible. As I wrote in my annual letter this year, measurement is crucial for improving health care, so at every stop I want to understand how the data is collected and used for planning and decision making – and meet the people who are making this success possible.
I plan to share my experience in Ghana at the Global Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi April 24-25, where global health leaders will celebrate progress in immunization and demonstrate how the world is united to give all children a healthy start to life.
Of course, no system is perfect, so I want to learn about the obstacles and challenges in Ghana as well. I’ll speak with many of the leaders who are working so hard to reach every child with vaccines, including Dr K.O. Antwi-Agyei, who manages the national immunization program. I’m also excited to talk to some of the well-trained community health nurses and meet some of their local clients. In my next post I’ll tell you about the people I’m meeting and some of the lessons we can learn from Ghana’s success.
The Supreme Court will resume sitting on April 2, 2012 to resolve, consider and adopt issues to be raised by lawyers in the petition challenging the legitimacy of President John Mahama.
Lawyers for the parties met on Monday March 19, 2013 following a directive from the court advising them to meet, deliberate and arrive at issues to be set out for trial and determination, but that agreement could not be reached by the parties.
Following the communication of the deadlock to the registrar of the Supreme Court on March 19, 2013, the registrar in a letter dated March 25, 2013 fixed April 2, 2013 as the date for the court’s next hearing.
Under the procedures of the court, the legal teams for the petitioners, the President, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are expected to officially announce the areas they agreed on and those they disagreed on. The court will then consider the issues disagreed on and arrive at a solution before the hearing of the substantive case begins.
Following that, a memorandum of issues would then be set out for trial. Key among the memorandum of issue to be set out for trial are whether or not persons were allowed to vote without biometric verification and whether or not votes cast in 11,916 polling stations should be annulled by the court.
The meeting chaired by the FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter, was the Executive Committee’s first meeting of the year at the home of FIFA in Zurich, lasting for two days.
