Hearts of Oak midfielder Enoch Asubonteng believes it is too early to discuss their chances of winning the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League title.
After a disappointing goalless draw against Hohoe United, the Phobian Club has recorded two straight wins against Dreams FC and Eleven Wonders.
Asubonteng’s strike was enough as Hearts of Oak secured the all-important win against Wonders at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Despite the wave of excitement and improved performances, Asubonteng remains measured in his assessment of their prospects.
“It’s too early to talk about the title,” the midfielder said.
“There are so many games left, and other clubs have also shown they will be very competitive this season.
“We are determined to fight and make our fans proud, but right now our focus is only on taking it game by game,” he added.
Hearts of Oak will hope to maintain their impressive start when they travel to play Bechem United in the Matchday 4 games at the Nana Fosu Gyeabour Park this weekend.
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo is set to unveil his squad this week for Ghana’s decisive fixtures in the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Ghana, four-time African champions, currently lead Group I with 19 points and need just one more victory to confirm their place at next year’s tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Black Stars will begin their final doubleheader against the Central African Republic at the Al Abdi Stadium in El Jadida on Wednesday, October 8, before returning to Accra to face Comoros at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 12.
Otto Addo and his technical team are expected to assemble a strong squad capable of sealing qualification, with preparations set to begin in Accra before the team departs for Morocco.
After the disappointment of missing out on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the Black Stars are eager to redeem themselves by booking a spot at the global showpiece and restoring confidence among Ghanaian supporters.
The Ministry of Sports and Recreation has approved a budget of $1,120,000 for the Black Stars upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Ghana face Central African Republic and Comoros in the last two games of the qualifying series next month hoping to seal a place at the global showpiece.
Ahead of the team’s imminent return to camp, the Sport’s Ministry has aided them with the approval of a $1.12 million for the two games.
“The FA submitted a budget within an acceptable range, and the Ministry did not need to add any comments,” Kofi Adams said, while addressing the press on Monday, September 29.
“GFA formally submitted the estimates for both matches on 18 September 2025. As the Ministry responsible, we received the submission and, in keeping with due process, forwarded it to the Office of the President on 19 September 2025.
“The two-match engagement carries a total estimated cost of $1.12 million, broken down as $733,000 for the away game in Casablanca and $387,000 for the home fixture in Accra.”
Ghana’s first game of the international break is against CAR on October 8 in Morocco before returning to the Accra Sports Stadium to take on Comoros.
A colossal Champions League clash befitting a final will be fought in the league phase today evening, as Barcelona host holders Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
Last year’s beaten semi-finalists and first-time champions both made triumphant starts to their latest European campaign, as La Blaugrana took down Newcastle United while Luis Enrique‘s men put Atalanta BC to the sword in matchweek one.
Last conquering the continent over a decade ago – when current PSG head coach Enrique was at the helm – the time is nigh for Barcelona to hoist the Champions League trophy aloft again, and Hansi Flick‘s La Liga champions kicked off their quest for supremacy in ideal fashion.
If Enrique can oversee an equally emphatic victory over his old club on Wednesday night, PSG will repeat a feat that only they have ever achieved in the Champions League – winning three consecutive games in the competition by four goals or more.
Should PSG come up trumps once more, another slice of continental history would be theirs, as no team has ever beaten Barcelona three times in a row away from home in a major European competition.
Flick is expected to receive one piece of good fitness news in the shape of Alejandro Balde’s return from a hamstring problem.
While Ballon d’Or runner-up Yamal is raring to go, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele will watch on helplessly from the sidelines, as the France international is not expected to return from his hamstring injury until the end of October.
Without Doue, Dembele or Kvaratskhelia working their magic up front, Enrique’s men will surely be outgunned by Yamal, Rashford, Lewandowski and co, as Barcelona take the first step towards dethroning the reigning champions.
Following a spectacular start to their 25th Champions League campaign, Juventus will seek maximum points on Wednesday, when they visit Villarreal at Estadio de la Ceramica.
While Juve stole one point from an eight-goal thriller on the opening matchday, their hosts succumbed to a single goal in London.
Thomas Partey, Villarreal
Taking their place in the Champions League for the first time since 2021-22, when they equalled a club-best run by reaching the semi-finals, Villarreal only squeezed into UEFA’s top tournament with a remarkable end to last season.
The Spanish side, who were not involved in any European competition, secured fifth place in La Liga by posting six straight wins – and they have started in a similar vein this term.
However, their continental campaign got off to a less successful start earlier this month, as an awful own goal by goalkeeper Luiz Junior cost them points in England against Tottenham Hotspur, so Villarreal now need to take something from their first home fixture.
Just days after fighting back to beat Inter Milan in a classic Derby d’Italia, Juve kicked off their continental campaign with another saga that featured a truly incredible finale.
Having twice equalised in the second half, the Bianconeri shipped two more goals in the closing stages and seemed bound for defeat against Borussia Dortmund, but they somehow scored twice deep into stoppage time and salvaged a 4-4 home draw.
Still undefeated in all competitions, Tudor’s Juventus often make up for their shortcomings with the capacity to fight back – but their run of fortune may be cut short.
Villarreal have been one of Europe’s top-performing teams in recent months, and they will recover from losing to Spurs with a win on home turf.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Arsenal welcome Olympiacos to the Emirates
Two teams who scored 96th-minute winners at the weekend collide in midweek, as Arsenal host Olympiacos on Wednesday night in their second Champions League game of the season.
Still harbouring dreams of a Premier League and Champions League double, recent history suggests Arsenal have no reason to fret on Wednesday; they have won each of their last 13 group stage/league phase home games in Europe, including 10 in a row without conceding a single goal.
Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard joined the Gunners’ super-sub club on Sunday – setting up Gabriel’s winner from a corner after returning from a shoulder injury.
Olympiacos’ recent stronghold over Arsenal at the Emirates is something to behold, but the visitors’ North London luck will surely run out on Wednesday evening.
Olympiacos should not have a hope of breaking down one of the best defences on the continent, and Arsenal’s embarrassment of riches up front can work their magic to make it two for two in the Champions League.
The Sky Blues saw off Napoli 2-0 in their inaugural European clash of the season, while the Ligue 1 powerhouses were put to the sword by Club Brugge away from home.
Erling Haaland, Manchester City
Indeed, the Citizens have now only tasted defeat in three of their last 21 league phase/group-stage games of the continent’s premier tournament, while also finding the back of the net in 28 of their last 30 games in any UEFA competition.
The two-goal triumph over Napoli represents one of four successes that Man City have marched to during a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions, most recently pummelling Burnley 5-1 in Saturday’s Premier League scrap after easing past Huddersfield Town in the EFL Cup.
An agonising 1-1 draw away to Arsenal – where Guardiola’s parked bus had its windows smashed in the final few moments – is the only aberration for Man City in that sequence, but the travelling fans can take little confidence from their side’s continental form on the road, as the club are on a four-game losing streak in UCL away fixtures.
Owing to Pogba’s lack of fitness and injuries to Camara and Zakaria, Monaco are grappling with a midfield selection crisis at the worst possible time and risk being overrun by a trigger-happy Man City side.
The Tema Port where the containers were allegedly found
Months after former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr. Samuel Dubik Mahama, insisted that the company’s so-called missing containers were still at the port, his assertion has now been confirmed by ECG’s current leadership.
Mr. Mahama had in April 2025 rejected claims that more than 1,300 ECG-bound containers had vanished from the country’s ports, stressing that the consignments were never missing, but firmly under the custody of state authorities.
Speaking on TV3’s Ghana Tonight programme, he declared: “Honestly, I want to say I believe strongly the containers are at the port. The containers are at the port. There are only two entities that have control of those containers — Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and Ghana Customs.”
His remarks was after a report by the Energy Minister’s technical committee, which had raised alarms that ECG could not account for a large consignment of imported containers.
The revelation sparked heated public debate, with sections of the media and political circles suggesting possible mismanagement or even corruption at the state power distributor.
However, briefing Parliament’s Energy Committee over the weekend, ECG’s current Managing Director, Mr. Julius Kpekpena, confirmed that all 2,637 containers had been traced and were intact. He disclosed that the company had already begun clearing the consignment.
“We have started moving our containers from the ports; so far we have moved over 1,000 containers. Again, when we met in May, the news was that we couldn’t trace a lot of our containers. I am happy to say that we have traced all of our containers and we have started moving them from the port,” Mr. Kpekpena told MPs, according to Citi News.
The confirmation appears to vindicate Mr. Mahama, whose earlier position was widely doubted. Both men are now aligned in stressing that ECG never lost custody of the containers, since they had always remained under the control of GPHA and Customs.
The missing containers saga has been one of the most controversial issues to rock ECG in recent months, raising questions about accountability, transparency, and the company’s internal procurement processes.
Industry analysts say the discovery and clearance of the containers may ease tensions but will not erase concerns about how such confusion arose in the first place.
In addition to addressing the issue of the containers, Mr. Kpekpena also disclosed that ECG had renegotiated its contract with Hubtel, the company responsible for its revenue tracking and payment collection system.
The amended agreement slashes the commission paid to Hubtel from 3 percent to 1.65 percent, a move the ECG boss described as a “significant saving” for the power distributor.
The twin developments — the confirmation of ECG’s containers and the renegotiation of its revenue contract are expected to dominate energy sector discussions in the coming weeks, especially as Parliament prepares to review the Ministry of Energy’s broader reform agenda.
The late Nigerian Boxer ,Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju, who died during sanctioned bout at Bukom Arena on 29 March 2025 Accra, Ghana.
The shocking death of Nigerian boxer, Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju during a sanctioned bout at Accra’s Bukom Arena on March 29, 2025 has opened a can of worms about the state of professional boxing in Ghana and across West Africa.
Major (Rtd) Amarkai Amarteifio ,who chaired the seven-member committee of inquiry on the death of Nigerian Boxer ,Mr Gabriel Olanrewaju.
A 100-page report by a ministerial committee chaired by Ambassador Major Amarkai Amarteifio (Rtd) has concluded that Olanrewaju’s death was “preventable” and the result of a dangerous cocktail of medical negligence, regulatory lapses and governance failures within the Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA).
He shouldn’t have entered the ring
The committee declared that both the GBA and the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control failed in their duties, stressing that Olanrewaju “should not have left Nigeria, let alone climbed into a boxing ring in Accra, if international best practice had been followed.”
The coroner’s report later confirmed that the Nigerian fighter died of sudden cardiac death, caused by an enlarged heart with acute left ventricular failure — a condition that proper pre-bout screening would likely have detected.
Instead, Olanrewaju received only a cursory medical check two hours before the fight, in violation of international standards that require a doctor-led examination at least 24 hours prior.
Ambulance unprepared, evacuation delayed
The committee’s findings laid bare shocking gaps in ringside emergency care. The National Ambulance Service arrived five minutes after Olanrewaju’s collapse without a resuscitator, oxygen, or a cardiopulmonary resuscitation kit.
Emergency technicians only began life support after placing the unconscious boxer in the ambulance.
Worse still, the ambulance had been ordered to park away from the designated emergency exit, further delaying evacuation.
Beyond medical failures, the report revealed contractual irregularities. The bout contract was never signed by the promoter, leaving only the boxer’s signature.
Yet, the Nigerian Boxing Board of Control issued a release letter based on that defective contract, granting clearance to fight.
The GBA, despite the faulty paperwork sanctioned the contest — a move the committee described as “ineffectual and baseless.”
The inquiry uncovered multiple breaches of boxing regulations:
Olanrewaju was reported to have weighed 85 kg, five kilograms above the light-heavyweight limit, but no official record of weights appeared on the fight bill.
The scheduled Clerk of Scales, who should have overseen weigh-ins, doubled as Match Commissioner — a clear conflict of interest — and failed to attend the weigh-in altogether.
The boxer’s trainer admitted instructing him to jog off excess weight after the weigh-in, exposing him to dehydration and cardiac stress.
No anti-doping tests were carried out on either fighter, in breach of World Anti-Doping Agency standards.
Governance rot inside the GBA
The report also pointed to institutional decay inside the GBA. The Medical Commission, which should oversee fighter safety, has been vacant for three years.
Witnesses testified that no ringside doctors have been present at GBA events for at least three years, despite rules requiring two doctors at every promotion.
Government steps in
In response, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation has endorsed sweeping reforms. Key among them: Suspension of the GBA license under L.I. 2477 until constitutional review and elections are completed, Establishment of an interim body under the National Sports Authority (NSA) to oversee professional boxing and Formal notification of international sanctioning bodies about the reforms.
A regional wake-up call
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through West Africa’s boxing fraternity. For Ghana, it is a moment of reckoning for Bukom — the nation’s boxing heartbeat. For Nigeria, it is a devastating reminder of the risks fighters face when systems fail.
Observers in Accra and Lagos warn that unless reforms are swiftly implemented, the sport risks losing credibility, endangering athletes, and undermining the proud boxing traditions of both countries. As one committee member bluntly put it: “This was not just an accident in the ring. It was the failure of a system.”
The Executive Chairman of the KGL Group and former Board Chair of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr. Alex Apau Dadey, delivered a resounding opening address at the Forward Africa Leaders Symposium 2025, held in partnership with the Africa Peer Review Mechanism at the iconic home of global enterprise — NASDAQ, New York.
Sharing the global stage with distinguished leaders and innovators such as H.E. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah President of Namibia, Prime Minister of Lesotho, Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, Deputy Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament and Chair of Cleopatra Group, H.E. Mohamed AbdulEnien, and CEO and President MTN Group, Mr. Ralph Mupita, to share best practices, build meaningful partnerships, and chart pathways for the future of digital transformation and innovation across the continent.
Opening his keynote, Mr. Dadey posed a bold challenge: “The challenge before us is not whether change is possible, but how quickly and inclusively we can harness it. The answer, I believe, lies in the strength of partnerships — genuine, strategic Public-Private Partnerships that unite the innovation, capital, and execution capacity of the private sector with the legitimacy, reach, and enabling authority of governments.”
Drawing on a distinguished career spanning over three decades, across continents and key sectors, Mr. Dadey recounted how his journey in the United Kingdom and over 25 countries, to his tenure in public service as the former GIPC Board Chair — has shaped his vision. At its core, his lifelong passion remains rooted in multilateral collaboration, diaspora socio-economic inclusion, and harnessing technology to push boundaries for business and society.
Underscoring the vital role of the private sector, Mr. Dadey reaffirmed a principle he has long advocated: “I have always maintained that governments do not create wealth — the private sector does. Governments on their own cannot drive transformation, but sadly, private enterprises that do are most often treated as afterthoughts in national strategies, relegated to the rear when they should be at the center of policy deliberations and implementation.”
He highlighted that the most successful PPPs in Africa are those where private sector profit motives align seamlessly with government revenue generation and public development goals. Citing the KGL Group’s own ethos, he emphasized that “Wealth created through PPPs should make a lasting impact in the communities it operates in. The private sector should not limit PPPs to only commercial collaboration but also be responsible corporate citizens by filling in critical social intervention gaps left uncovered by governments. This philosophy he cited gave rise to the KGL Foundation, established as the CSR arm of the Group to fulfil this vision,” he explained.
In a thought-provoking moment, Mr. Dadey asked: “If multinational corporations can generate wealth in Africa and repatriate to their home countries, why can’t African countries do the reverse?”
He asserted that Africa’s true path to global scale lies in mastering its own markets, building resilient business models, and creating fit-for-purpose innovations. According to him, the continent must purposefully create African Global Giants: “These champions are not just wealthy individuals; they are economic shock absorbers, role models who inspire the next generation of business leaders. They are the anchors of supply chains, the investors in local R&D, and the patient capital that foreign direct investment is not. We need an ecosystem where a start-up in Accra can realistically envision becoming a multi-billion-dollar entity that lists here on NASDAQ.”
Mr. Dadey closed with a stirring reminder that Africa’s future lies in how boldly it chooses to celebrate, rather than stifle, its own champions. “We cannot build economies of scale if we constantly cut down the tallest trees,” he declared — urging Africa to purposefully create and support its own Global Giants.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, a presidential hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Election 2028 says he believes in good political leadership centered on uplifting humanity and not amassing wealth.
“So, any politician who doesn’t share this belief has no business doing politics in Ghana”, he stated in a statement issued by his campaign and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.
According to the statement, Dr Adutwum, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region and a former Minister of Education of Education said this when he extended his “Hope Tour” to the volta region to canvass votes from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates ahead of the NPP’s Presidential Primary scheduled January 31, 2026.
It said explained that the tour enabled Dr Adutwum to outline his vision for the NPP and the nation by extension, pledging to judiciously manage the nation’s abundant resources and thereby build a better society for all if he was given the mandate to lead the NPP to regain political power in the Election 2028.
The statement indicated that: “True leadership is measured by how much it improved the socio-economic livelihood of the ordinary Ghanaian”, and recollected a story where Dr Adutwum identified and supported a brilliant, but needy student to become a medical practitioner.
“That is my joy in politics and so making impacts in the socio-economic livelihoods of Ghanaians gives me fulfillment in politics and not political titles or positions”, quoted Dr Adutwum.
The statement emphasised that: “Dr Adutwum’s political career is driven by service and compassion, not personal gains. He remains passionate about helping the needy and the vulnerable to build their lives”.
It urged the NPP delegates “look beyond empty promises and focus on leaders who have a track record of using their personal resources, positions, and influence to change lives”, saying “politics in Ghana must shift from rhetoric to results, whereby the ordinary citizenry can see and feel the benefits of political leadership.
The statement gave the assurance that if given the nod to lead the NPP in the Election 2028, and subsequently win the General Election, a Dr Adutwum government would prioritise education, human development and the equitable use of national resources to break the nation’s cycle of poverty.
“Every child deserves a chance and every family deserves dignity. That is the politics I believe in,” it quoted the NPP’s presidential aspirant as saying.
The statement added that Dr Adutwum’s ‘Hope Tour’ continued nationwide, rallying the support of the delegates to lead the NPP in the 2028 General Elections.
The Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, has remanded a 55-year-old Cameroonian national, Cesar Victoire Tsala, into police custody for allegedly kidnapping and sexually exploiting a female minor.
Tsala has been charged with two main offences – human trafficking, in violation of the Human Trafficking Act, 2005 (Act 694) as amended, and abduction of an unmarried female under 18, contrary to Section 91 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is scheduled to reappear before the court on October 13, 2025.
Facts of the Case
According to the prosecution, the victim (name withheld) was living with her aunt, Princess Anyamah (the complainant), at Spintex in Accra.
The complainant visited the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on September 16, 2025, to report that the victim had been abducted in 2024 while sitting for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and had been missing for a year.
The victim later returned home on September 12, 2025, after allegedly escaping from the accused.
She reported to the police that she had been forcibly taken from Spintex to Kasoa and later to East Legon, where she was exploited by Tsala.
Police investigations revealed that the victim was 16 years old at the time of the alleged abduction.
The accused, who is said to be a member of the same church as the victim and her guardian, allegedly lured the girl under the pretense of helping her with basic needs, teaching her French, and assisting her in joining a football team.
Allegations of Exploitation
The accused reportedly housed the victim for seven months at Spintex without informing her guardian, even after the guardian returned from a trip to Nigeria and actively searched for the girl.
Tsala later relocated the victim to a guesthouse at Kasoa for one month before moving with her to East Legon.
Investigations further indicate that the accused prevented the victim from completing her WASSCE exams and misled her with false promises of enrolling her in a football academy.
Exploiting her desire to escape, the victim requested to return home to retrieve her birth certificate for documentation purposes. That request provided an opportunity for her to flee and reunite with her guardian.
On September 18, 2025, the victim led police officers to East Legon, where she identified the accused. Tsala was subsequently arrested and, during interrogation, admitted to keeping the girl in his custody without the knowledge or consent of her guardian.
Background
The victim was reportedly brought to Ghana in 2019 from Nigeria to live with her aunt for educational purposes.
Tsala, a trader by profession, allegedly used his church relationship with the family to gain the victim’s trust.
Following police investigations, Tsala was formally charged and arraigned before the Circuit Court.
Nine men have been arraigned before the Adabraka District Court for allegedly conspiring to cause harm to a sub-chief at Weija. The case, which was heard today by Her Worship Magistrate Abena Owusu Omanyo, was adjourned to Monday after the pleas of the accused persons were not taken.
The accused, Bernard Tagoe alias Asa Sese, 31, unemployed; Nii Eric Martey, 28, mechanic apprentice; Michael Lokko, 22, bookman; Felix Adu Mensah, 22, mechanic apprentice; Habib Gusamu, 31, painter; Solomon Assan, 29, driver; Kwame Khalid, 19, tiler; Jacob Addy, 25, driver’s mate and Gideon Arthur, 21, mechanic apprentice face charges of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit: causing harm and causing harm, contrary to Sections 23(1) and 69 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Four other suspects are currently at large.
Chief Inspector Apewah led the prosecution in the case, which stems from a violent incident that occurred on September 10, 2025 at Darkuman Cable and Wireless in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the brief facts of the case presented by Detective Inspector Amadu Mohammed, the complainant, Mutala Yayaa, a trader and sub-chief at Weija, was attacked while visiting the area with some of his errand boys.
Upon reaching a spot, known locally as “Bolga”, the accused confronted him, questioning his presence and authority.
When Mutala Yayaa refused their demand to sit down, the group allegedly launched a brutal assault using a cutlass, axe and scissors, inflicting multiple deep cuts on his head and body.
Mutala Yayaa later reported the attack to the Darkuman Police Station and was issued a medical form for treatment.
The case was subsequently referred to the Regional CID for further investigation.
On September 11, 2025, Yayaa submitted a medical report endorsed by a doctor confirming the injuries. Following the report, the accused persons were traced and arrested at various hideouts.
During interrogation, all nine denied involvement in the attack. Police are still pursuing the four remaining suspects who are yet to be apprehended.
The court has adjourned the matter to Monday, October 6, 2025, for further hearing. The accused remain in custody pending the next appearance.
