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2020 Top 45 stories that made the headlines in Sports

By Vincent Ashitey
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A lot can happen in one year. The sports world moves quickly, and it can be easy to lose track of the biggest stories as time goes on.

From Kwasi Appiah losing his job as the Black Stars coach in early January to Isaac Dogboe returning to winning ways, Asamoah Gyan making a return to the Ghana Premier League and the sad news of Diego Maradona's death. 

Primes News covered all this story and below we take a look back at the Top 45 stories that made the headlines in Sports in 2020.

 

1. Kwesi Appiah no longer Black Stars coach as GFA dissolves technical team of all National teams

Coach Kwesi Appiah will no longer be in charge of the Black Stars as the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has dissolved the technical teams of all national teams.

This means that from coaches to the last man on the technical team has lost their jobs.

 

2. OFFICIAL: GFA appoints CK Akonnor as new Black Stars coach

The Ghana Football Association has appointed Charles Kwabla Akonnor as Head Coach of the Senior National team, the Black Stars.

The former Black Stars captain will be assisted by David Duncan as Assistant Coach.

 
3. StarTimes secures TV right for Ghana Premier League
 
Chinese based broadcasting company StarTimes have secured the Television broadcasting rights for the ongoing 2019/20 Ghana Premier League season.

The Chinese company beat off competition from other media giants to acquire the right to broadcast the Ghana Premier League after losing it last year.

 
4. Sadio Mane wins 2019 CAF Player of the Year Award
 
Senegalese forward Sadio Mane has been fourth time lucky after been named winner of the 2019 CAF Player of the Year.
 
 
5. Kotoko fan hit by stray bullet at the Baba Yara Stadium in critical condition
 
A Kumasi Asante Kotoko fan was hit by a stray bullet after their defeat to Berekum Chelsea at the Baba Yara Stadium.

There were reports he had passed on but Management member of Asante Kotoko Nana Kwame Dankwah has confirmed that he is not dead but rather in a critical condition at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

 
 

 

6. Roger Federer set to become first ever billionaire tennis player in 2020

Roger Federer is reportedly 'set to become tennis' first billionaire' in 2020 and only the fourth sportsperson ever to accumulate that level of wealth.

Federer's growing fortune means he will join Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Floyd Mayweather as the richest athletes of all time.

 

7. GFA Presidency: I knelt down and begged George Afriyie to concede defeat - Randy Abbey

Executive Council member of Ghana Football Asociation, GFA Randy Abbey has made an astonishing revelation with regards to the association's elections which was held in 2019.

 

8. Ghana drawn in Group G for 2022 World Cup qualifiers

The Black Stars of Ghana have been drawn in Group G for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Ghana have been pitted alongside South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia after a ceremony held at the Nile Ritz-Carlton in Cairo, Egypt.

 

9. NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash

US basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in the city of Calabasas, California.

Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were travelling in a private helicopter when it came down and burst into flames.

 

10. Manchester United sign Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo on loan

Manchester United have signed former Watford striker Odion Ighalo from Shanghai Shenhua on loan until the end of the season.

 

11. GBA suspends Patrick Allotey for six months

The Ghana Boxing Authority (GBA) has banned World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Africa Super Welterweight Champion, Patrick Allotey for six months.

 

12. Rory McIlroy returns to world number one for the first time in five years

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy has returned to the world number one spot for the first time in five years.

The four-time major winner, 30, replaces American Brooks Koepka.

 

13. UEFA hit Man City with two-year Champions League ban

Manchester City have been banned from the Champions League for the next two seasons and fined €30 million by UEFA.

 
14. Zamalek beat Espérance to lift CAF Super Cup
 
Zamalek are African Super Cup champions after defeating Espérance Sportive de Tunis on Friday at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

Second half brace from Achraf Bencharki propelled the Royal Club to defeat Espérance 3-1 as they are now four-time Super Cup winners.

 

15. Tyson Fury knocks Deontay Wilder to win WBC heavyweight title

 Tyson Fury has beaten Deontay Wilder to become the new WBC heavyweight champion of the world.

Fury produced a stunning performance in Las Vegas, dropping the Wilder twice before the American's team threw in the towel in the seventh round.

 

16. UEFA Champions League, Europa League suspended 'until further notice'

All Champions League and Europa League matches have been suspended "until further notice" by Uefa because of the global coronavirus pandemic.

 

17. All football competitions in Ghana suspended over Covid-19

The Ghana Football Association following the directives given by the President of the Republic on Sunday, March 15, 2020, has suspended all its competitions with immediate effect until further notice.

 

18. All sport in Italy suspended because of Coronavirus outbreak

All sport in Italy has been suspended until at least 3 April because of coronavirus, the country's prime minister Giuseppe Conte has announced.

 

19. Serena Williams wins first title in three years
 
Serena Williams won her first title in three years and first since becoming a mother with victory over Jessica Pegula at the Auckland Classic.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion beat her fellow American 6-3 6-4.

 

20. Otumfuo bans Kotoko from player recruitment

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has directed that Asante Kotoko should not sign any new player for the first team for a period of one year.

 

21. Jordan Ayew becomes Ghana’s top scorer in Premier League

Crystal Palace forward Jordan Ayew is now the all-time Ghanaian top scorer in the English Premier League.

 

22. Former WBO Bantamweight champion Alfred Kotey is dead

Former World Bantamweight champion Alfred Kotey has passed on.

The former boxer affectionately called 'Cobra' passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 in Bronx, New York after battling with illness.

 

23. GFA issues statement on death of Juvenile footballers

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) have released a statement following the fatal accident that occurred on Saturday involving Juvenile footballers.

The accident occurred on the Kumasi-Offinso road in Ghana's Ashanti region where it claimed seven lives of the  Ghanaian youth players after a bus they were travelling in crashed into a river.

The children, between the ages of 12 and 15 were returning from player registration when the accident occurred.

 

24. Photos: Seven Juvenile footballers of Offinso accident laid to rest

The seven Juvenile footballers who lost their lives in the Offinso accident weeks ago have been buried.

The seven boys, namely, Ofori Amanfo Ramsey, Alex Agyemang, Antwi Richmond, Abdulai Jamal, Hubert Anaba, Boakye Samuel and Kwame Opoku were on their way from a juvenile screening exercise at a registration centre at Afrancho, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region when the unfortunate incident occurred.

 

25. Palmer's case against GFA dismissed by CAS

Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed Wilfred Kwaku Osei's case against the Ghana Football Association.

Wilfred Kwaku Osei affectionately called "Palmer" dragged the Ghana Football Association to Swiss court over what he deemed unfair disqualification from contesting the 2019 GFA presidential election which Kurt Okraku won.

Palmer wanted the GFA elections annulled and his candidacy reinstated for fresh elections to be held.

However, in a letter addressed to both parties, and signed by the President of the Panel, Michele Bernasconi, CAS backed the decision of the GFA to disqualify Palmer from contesting the election.

 

26. Video: Isaac Dogboe stops Chris Avalos in Round 8

Former WBO Super Bantamweight champion Isaac Dogboe bounced back in grand style as he stopped Mexican-American boxer in Round 8.

The Ghanaian who has not fought since his last defeat to Emanuel Navarette in 2019 was too sharp for his Mexican-American opponent at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, USA.

 

27. 2020 Ballon d’Or cancelled

There will be no Ballon d’Or winner in 2020, with France Football announcing that due to the “lack of sufficient fair conditions” a prize that has been dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent times will not be awarded for this calendar year.

A prestigious Golden Ball has been handed out to the best player on the planet since 1956.

 

28. 2019/2020 football season cancelled

The 2019/2020 football season have been cancelled, PrimeNews can confirm.

The cancellation comes after a meeting where the Ghana Football Association's Executive Council met to deliberate on the football calendar after months of no footballing activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

 

29. CAF reschedules AFCON 2021 date

The start date of the AFCON 2021 has been rescheduled in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The AFCON 2021 initially scheduled for January/February 2021 has been moved to January/February 2022.

 

30. Kingsley Coman seals sixth Champions League trophy for Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich overcame Paris St-Germain in a tightly contested Champions League final in Lisbon to claim the crown for the sixth time.

Kingsley Coman, who started his career at PSG, settled a tense affair with a 59th-minute header at the far post from Joshua Kimmich's cross to leave the French giants still searching for that elusive Champions League triumph.

 

31. Sevilla beat Inter Milan to win record sixth Europa League trophy

Europa League kings Sevilla won the tournament for a record sixth time thanks to victory over Inter Milan in a thrilling final in Cologne.

 

32. 7 national team players test positive for Covid-19

Seven national team players have tested positive for Covid-19, the Ghana Football Association Communications Director, Henry Asante Twum has confirmed.

 

33. CAF expresses shock over missing AFCON trophy

The Confederation of African Football, CAF have expressed shock over the missing AFCON trophy in Egypt.

 

34. Kotoko unveils Nana Yaw Amponsah as new CEO (videos+photos)

Nana Yaw Amponsah has been unveiled as the new Chief Executive Officer of Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

 

35. Kotoko announces 8-member management team

Asante Kotoko have announced their management team to steer the affairs of the club for the next 3 years.

 

36. Government finally agrees to pay $45k loan to D.K Poison

Ghana has given the approval for the payment of $45,000 loan owed boxing legend David Kotei, popularly known as D.K. Poison.

 

37. Thomas Partey becomes most expensive Ghanaian signing after sealing Arsenal transfer

Arsenal have completed the signing of Ghana international midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

The midfielder becomes the most expensive Ghanaian player in history since Michael Essien's £24.4 move from Lyon to Chelsea in 2005.

 

38. Akufo-Addo swears in 9-member Local Organising Committee for 2023 African Games

President Akufo-Addo has sworn into office a nine-member Local Organising Committee (LOC) to commence preparations towards the 13th African Games to be staged in Ghana in 2023.

 

39. Mali whip Black Stars in friendly

The Eagles of Mali flew over the Black Stars of Ghana in a friendly at the Emir Sports Complex in Turkey.

Mali have always proved a difficult customer for Ghana in all competitions at different levels of football. On two occasions, they beat the Black Stars to clinch Bronze at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2013 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and South Africa respectively.

 

40. Asamoah Gyan joins Ghana Premier League side Legon Cities

Ghana Premier League side Legon Cities Football Club have confirmed the signing of former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan.

 

41. Video: Ghana's Richard Lartey given oxygen in ring after being knocked out in Round 2

Heavyweight rising star Fabio Wardley poleaxed his latest victim Richard Lartey, leaving the Ghanaian heavyweight needing oxygen in the ring on Sunday morning.

The Dillian Whyte-managed monster was in a big step-up fight, but less than two rounds to destroy his opponent with a walk-off, one-punch knockout.

 

42. Diego Maradona dies aged 60

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.

 

43. FIFA bans CAF president Ahmed for five years for misconduct

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad has been banned for five years by FIFA for breaching various codes of ethics.

 
 
The President of the Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has authorized the Ministry of Youth and Sports to release an amount of nine hundred thousand ghana cedis (GH₵900,000.00) as first tranche of payment to support the 18 Premier League clubs to offset some of their expenses in this era of Covid-19 pandemic.
 
45. Kotoko sack coach Maxwell Konadu
 
Kumasi Asante Kotoko have sacked their head coach Maxwell Konadu.