Sports Groove

By Mishael Emmanuel          Ghana has suffered a major setback ahead of next month’s FIFA World Cup after Tottenham Hotspur forward Mohamed Kudus was ruled out through injury and omitted from the Black Stars’ preliminary 28-man squad announced on Tuesday by veteran coach Carlos Queiroz. The 25-year-old attacker, who has scored 13 goals in 46 appearances for Ghana, has been sidelined since January after suffering a quad injury.  Although Kudus was initially expected to return in March, the forward suffered a setback in his rehabilitation and has not featured for Tottenham Hotspur since. Kudus joined Spurs from West Ham United during the off-season and has endured a frustrating campaign, making 19 Premier League appearances and scoring twice before his injury troubles. With one of Ghana’s key attacking weapons unavailable, Queiroz is expected to lean heavily on the experience and firepower of Antoine Semenyo of Manchester City and Inaki Williams ...

By Maxwell Kumoye        A forensic audit into Ghana’s hosting of the 2023 African Games has uncovered more than $40 million in avoidable expenditure, casting a shadow over one of the continent’s biggest multi-sport events. The audit, commissioned by President John Dramani Mahama and sighted by Joy Sports, detailed widespread irregularities, inflated claims and questionable variations tied to infrastructure projects for the Games, which were staged from February to March 2024. According to the report, the biggest concerns centred around the Borteyman Sports Complex, where auditors estimated an “opportunity cost for scope shrinkage” of $34.43 million from the project’s original contract value of $145.09 million. The Audit Service revealed that several key components initially captured in the contract were either omitted completely or drastically reduced despite the huge financial outlay.  Among the omitted works were a warm-up football field valued at...

...20 players in Super Eagles nest    By Maxwell Kumoye   Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, stepped up preparations on Monday evening ahead of their highly anticipated 2026 Unity Cup opener against the Warriors in London. The Eagles trained at Charlton Athletic’s famous stadium, The Valley, with Head Coach Eric Chelle overseeing an intense session involving 20 players as Nigeria fine-tuned strategies for Tuesday’s showdown. Leading the session was returning striker Terem Moffi, whose presence added energy and experience to a youthful squad assembled for the invitational tournament. Goalkeepers Francis Uzoho, Arthur Okonkwo and Michael Atata were all involved, alongside defenders Igoh Ogbu, Chibuike Nwaiwu and Tijani Al Ameen. The midfield featured exciting young talents such as Tochukwu Nnadi, Alhassan Yusuf and Samson Tijani, while the attack boasted options including Philip Otele, Rafiu Durosinmi and Femi Azeez. Tuesday’s clash is expected to...

By Maxwell Kumoye          The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), has ushered in a new era in its administration with the appointment of Charles Chivwela Chakatazya as the association’s new General Secretary. FAZ confirmed the development on Monday, announcing that Chakatazya will take over the influential administrative role following the departure of Machacha Shapande, who parted ways with Football House on mutual consent. In another key appointment, Iva Lengwe Mumba has been confirmed as Deputy General Secretary as the association looks to strengthen its leadership structure and improve the running of football affairs in the country. The changes come at an important period for Zambian football, with FAZ expected to focus on improving domestic competitions, national team organization and overall football development. Chakatazya now faces the task of steering the day-to-day administration of the association while working closely with FAZ leadersh...

...Showing sharp improvement with every race, peaking at the right time – AFN 2nd Vice President, Aghazu  ...Hails Ogazi’s meteoric rise as 20-year-old Nigerian quarter-miler blazes through 2026 season By Maxwell Kumoye       World record holder Tobi Amusan is beginning to hit top gear at exactly the right time, showing steady improvement with every outing this season as she builds momentum towards the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland in July. The Nigerian sprint hurdles queen has gradually sharpened her form across three major competitions, underlining her growing confidence and race fitness after an inconsistent start to the year. Amusan opened her recent run with a modest 12.83 seconds performance at the CAA Senior Athletics Championships, a time that hinted she was still finding rhythm and adjusting into full competitive mode. However, the signs of progress quickly became evident on the elite Diamond League circuit.  She dropped her t...

Upon preliminary investigation into serious claims of physical and psychological abuse, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation this week temporarily suspended the legendary national elite coach for more than three decades. The Executive Committee of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation formally announced the immediate full suspension of Camelia Voinea from any activity carried out under the federation's umbrella, as the Disciplinary Commission concluded that the multiple allegations of mistreatment levelled against her are so serious that they go beyond the sporting sphere and require a criminal investigation by the competent state authorities. In response, the body has frozen its own internal sporting proceedings and handed the case entirely to Romania's ordinary justice system. The inquiry gathered momentum after public statements made by elite gymnast Denisa Golgotă, followed by accounts from other national-team athletes, including Mara Ceplinschi and Anamaria Mihaescu...

Despite still having more than two months to go, the world's premier phygital contest is launching the ticketing process. With a more affordable Early Bird option, packages are available starting at $8.50 (€7.3), as well as flexible Standard Day Passes. The Games of the Future 2026 are heading to Kazakhstan's capital this summer, and tickets have officially been on sale since Wednesday. The first release is now available for fans eager to lock in a place at what is widely being billed as one of the most anticipated modern sporting events of the season in Astana. Drawing over 800 attendees from more than 50 different nations, including many of the world's leading esports and hybrid teams and athletes, GOTF 2026 will turn the Central Asian metropolis into a worldwide platform for the sport of tomorrow from 29 July to 9 August. Across 12 days of elite esports and hybrid competition, teams from around the world will battle for a multi-million-dollar prize pool, alon...

The US president is threatening to withhold federal funding from universities that refuse new eligibility rules, in a bid to rein in spending on football and basketball and preserve support for Olympic sports. Donald Trump has once again accelerated a debate that has spilled far beyond university campuses, now echoing through courtrooms, state legislatures, and the corridors of Washington: who truly governs collegiate sport, and by what rules. On Wednesday, he renewed his call for Congress to intervene and pass federal legislation capable of 'bringing order' to the system, convinced that the current model has degenerated into an unregulated expanse. At the heart of his concern lie the loosely governed payments tied to Name, Image and Likeness, alongside the increasingly fluid transfer freedoms afforded to student-athletes. His warning, framed in near-patriotic terms, was that the US "will no longer have a decent Olympic team" unless new regulations are imp...

The four-time Olympian from Spain confirmed his candidacy for the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation’s top seat this week with elections due 11 June in Salzburg in which he expects to succeed Ivo Ferriani after 16 years at the helm. Already considered a national pioneer in the discipline, Ander Mirambell is preparing for another major step in a career shaped by perseverance, growth and the development of a sport that was virtually non-existent in Spain before he took to the sliding track. The 43-year-old announced his candidacy for next month's vote during the organisation's Congress in Austria and the news was first reported by local newspaper MARCA, which also confirmed that the Spaniard will contest the position against Latvia's Martins Dambergs, current vice president for legal affairs at the IBSF; Germany's Heike Groesswang, secretary general of the organisation; and Jamaica's Nelson Christian Stokes, a four-time Olympic bobsleigh athle...