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Liverpool announced Mohamed Salah’s return from AFCON for injury rehab, despite Egypt boss Rui Victoria’s harsh criticism of Jurgen Klopp.

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Liverpool has confirmed that Mohamed Salah is returning to England for treatment for a “worse than first feared” injury.

The Egyptian superstar sustained an injury while representing his country in the AFCON. A first diagnosis had him out of play for two games, but a second X-ray revealed a more serious ailment. With this in mind, Salah has decided to return to Anfield.

WHAT LIVERPOOL SAID ABOUT SALAH

Liverpool have said in a statement on the club’s official website: “Mohamed Salah will return to the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday to begin an intensive rehabilitation programme with Liverpool’s medical team on the muscle injury he sustained with Egypt last week. The injury, which is worse than first feared, forced the forward from the field in the first half of the Africa Cup of Nations fixture with Ghana and an agreement has been reached with the Egyptian FA for Salah to undergo treatment in Liverpool. Salah will immediately begin work with the club’s medical staff upon his return to Merseyside with a view to being back in action as soon as possible for club and country, giving him the best chance to return to compete at AFCON if Egypt, who qualified for the knockout stage with a 2-2 draw against Cape Verde tonight, continue to advance in the tournament.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Egypt’s national team doctor, Mohamed Abouela, has revealed how a collective call on Salah was made, telling ON Time Sports: “Mohamed Salah suffers from a strain in the back muscle of the second degree. When the first FA statement [said] that Salah would be out for only two games, we only had one X-ray on Salah, but after the second X-ray, we found it bigger. I don’t wait for someone to tell me how I work. I’m always doing enough to improve myself and I’m not the one to announce injuries and the timing, but my role is only to treat the players. We have enough potential but in two days we will travel to the poorly equipped city of San Pedro, so we found that his treatment at Liverpool would be better. Our agreement with Liverpool was two days ago, and the agreement was to announce the matter after the Cape Verde match, but Jurgen Klopp is the one who announced early (after the 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday), and Salah himself did not want to travel and if he wanted to leave from day one. When will Salah return from injury with his treatment at Liverpool? I can’t say that because muscle injury depends on how much you get better on a daily basis. But I can say that we worked with Salah for four days well, and the player improved in them as well as possible.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Klopp was the first to reveal that Salah would be returning to England, and that did not go down well with Egypt head coach Rui Vitoria. He has said: “Mohamed Salah has an injury, which we learned before this game was a longer-term injury than we first thought, so we have had to prolong the amount of time before he can play again. Before the game we did not want to say anything. Meanwhile, everything was in the control of our excellent medical team. Given we were going to have to travel, given the temperatures, given that we were going to be going to a different city, maybe it makes sense that Salah should have a place he can go to recover as quickly as possible. We didn’t want to alarm anyone. I didn’t think it was right for Liverpool, via any intermediary, to speak about this, because we had a tremendously important game. Salah has always been with us. Now this game is over we will find the best solution for the treatment of the player. These are the facts. This is the situation.”

WHAT NEXT FOR SALAH?

Salah’s injury record during his time at Liverpool has been impressive, with the 31-year-old rarely missing games due to fitness concerns. He is now set for a spell on the sidelines as questions continue to be asked of whether his contract on Merseyside – which is due to run until 2025 – will be honoured.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta brands Real Madrid’s VAR calls a ‘disgrace’ following Almeria’s comeback win and demands on La Liga referees to explain ‘abandonment of duty’

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After Real Madrid’s contentious victory against Almeria, Barcelona president Joan Laporta called VAR a “disgrace”.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men found themselves trailing 2-0 at the half-time break on Sunday after Largie Ramazani and Edgar Gonzalez stunned the Santiago Bernabeu crowd with two well-taken strikes. Madrid, though, turned the tide in the second half as they stole all three points in stoppage-time thanks to a Dani Carvajal winner. However, a few controversial VAR calls, including a penalty being awarded to Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior’s equaliser being given despite an apparent handball and an Almeria goal being ruled out have ignited a war of words regarding officiating in La Liga. Laporta was the latest to slam the referees after Xavi and Almeira coach Gaizka Garitano voiced their outrage.

WHAT LAPORTA SAID

Speaking at the Mundo Deportivo Grand Gala, Laporta said: “What happened at the Bernabeu was a disgrace. I think that the refereeing collective has to respond to a series of pressures that have occurred throughout the season with the referees. If they do not respond, they leave us very uneasy. Because we understand that there is an abandonment of functions.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Barcelona find themselves eight points behind leaders Girona after a disappointing December where they lost to their crosstown rivals and were held to a 1-1 draw by Valencia at the Mestalla. The recent Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid raised further questions about Xavi’s future at the club, but Laporta has backed the coach and asserted that he remains “optimistic” about finishing the season on a high.

“We feel stronger and more cohesive, but what we want is for there to be sporting rewards and on a day that we could have cut points [i.e. Madrid’s lead over them in the table], due to a refereeing decision, due to a VAR re-refereeing, it has not happened,” he said. “It feels stronger and we have more unity in the dressing room, and we also see that we are recovering the injured players. Marc-Andre [Ter Stegen] will soon be able to rejoin [the squad]. We have players of excellent quality like Robert [Lewandowski] and all those who make up the Barca first team. I’m very optimistic because I think we’ll get our reward and that the other rivals are going to stumble like we stumbled at the beginning of the season. What we are doing is working, fighting day by day, to stay in all the competitions to try and win them.”

Real Madrid’s in-house media took aim at Xavi and brought up Barcelona’s infamous Negreira Case after the manager criticised the VAR decisions that favoured the capital side. They made it a point to remind the former Barcelona player that Xavi’s entire career is under scrutiny as the Catalan club find themselves under investigation by federal prosecutors for allegedly making 33 payments to a company owned by the former vice-president of the Technical Committee of Referees.

WHAT NEXT?

Barcelona will return to action in the Copa del Rey when they face Athletic Club in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will make a trip to the Canaries to take on Las Palmas in La Liga on Saturday.

Chelsea star Didier Drogba rages after Ivory Coast’s humbling defeat to Equatorial Guinea, as AFCON hosts face ‘horror’ group stage departure.

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Didier Drogba was enraged following Ivory Coast’s devastating defeat to Equatorial Guinea, which left the AFCON hosts facing a “nightmare” group stage departure.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Elephants are on the brink of a disastrous exit from the Africa Cup of Nations after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea at the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpe on Monday evening. They were profligate in front of goal and leaky in defence, which prompted Drogba to emphasise the need for introspection and decisive actions to address their poor overall performance at the tournament.

Speaking to Ivorian broadcaster NCI, Chelsea legend Drogba said: “We will have to get back to work, not only asking the right questions but also making the right decisions. For football and only football because today a nation like Ivory Coast cannot organise such a competition and, of course, get eliminated so early on. But in this manner, there is a real problem.”

A ‘NIGHTMARE’ FOR JEAN-LOUIS GASSET

Ivory Coast’s head coach, Jean-Louis Gasset, described the situation as a “nightmare” after two successive losses, but remains hopeful that his troops will make it through to the knockouts.

“It’s a nightmare,” Gasset said. “We had prepared well for this match and we got into this match well by going after them and setting the pace. We had possession and opportunities. But since then two matches, we want to force things, but we can’t score. On the other hand, the slightest mini-chance for our opponents turned into a goal. In football, you have to be efficient. Equatorial Guinea gave us a lesson in realism.

“Do I still believe we can qualify? Obviously. We won one match out of three, we have people who are behind us. But when you wait for the results of others, that’s not a good sign.”

Fans’ frustration boiled over as they expressed anger towards the Ivory Coast players, prompting security concerns at the stadium. Both squads were reportedly prevented from leaving the venue after the match. There was no dearth of effort from the players as they had 22 shots, but could keep only three of them on target.

WHAT NEXT?

The two-time AFCON winners still have a chance to secure a spot in the knockout phase as one of the four best third-place teams if Cameroon fail to beat Gambia on Tuesday. Gambia have lost both their opening matches to Senegal and Guinea, while Cameroon have drawn and lost one.

Akufo-Addo has disregarded the Ashanti region – NDC.

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The Ashanti regional branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sharply criticised the administration, accusing it of ignoring and marginalising the Ashanti area in terms of development.

The party explicitly blames President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for what they see as a purposeful lack of attention and resources devoted to the region’s development.

During a press conference in Kumasi, Frank Amoakohene, the NDC’s Ashanti Region Secretary, expressed concern that the government appears to be intentionally depriving the Ashanti region of developmental projects, in contrast to other regions that are experiencing a consistent surge in infrastructural advancements.

Amoakohene urged the electorate to consider voting out the NPP in the upcoming 2024 polls, citing their dissatisfaction with the perceived neglect.

He emphasized the need for the government to expedite the completion of all stalled projects in the region.

“We believe that the Ashanti region has been sidelined, so far as development is concerned. And it’s even reflected in his appointments, ministers, Chief Executives and others.

“We believe that this current NPP set-up has nothing to offer the Ashanti region,” the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC said.

NPP primaries: Group promotes Controller and Accountant General’s bid for Akim Swedru.

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Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem, Controller and Accountant General, has received support and endorsement from high-profile personalities, politicians, religious leaders, and civil society organisations since declaring his parliamentary ambition to run on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ticket in the Eastern Region’s Akim Swedru Constituency.

The Centre For the Vulnerable (CFV), a group of media practitioners and Human Resource Management specialists, is the latest to support Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem’s choice to run for the NPP’s Akim Swedru seat in the 2024 elections.

At a press conference on Tuesday by the CFV at Akim Swedru, addressed by its president, Kwame Appiah, and the vice-president (Operations), Kwasi Adom, the group acknowledged the personal contributions of Mr. Kwaning to society and, in particular, to the people of Akim Swedru.

According to them, the immersed contribution by the Controller, devoid of one-party colours, cannot be overlooked.

“Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem, a personality with diverse experience and achievements in both public and private lives, leaves indelible prints. Hence, it’s time for him to represent the NPP in the Akim Swedru Constituency for the 2024 elections,” the group stated.

The president of the group acknowledged the humility and self-discipline that remain attributes of the Controller and Accountant General, and the exemplary leadership skills he has brought to public life and fame to the people of Akim Swedru.

Empowerment, sustainability of livelihood, foresight, chastity, transformation, and discipline are soaked with Mr. Kwaning, the group noted.

It thus urged NPP delegates to vote for Mr. Kwaning on Saturday, January 27, to become the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for the 2024 polls.

Below are excerpts from the press conference addressed by CFV:

“We have gathered here as the leadership of the Centre For the Vulnerable (CFV), a consortium of media practitioners and Human Resource Management experts with high professionalism and credibility across the country. It is a non-profit-making organization. Among our objectives are investigation, research, and inquiries into the conduct of both public and private professionals and subsequent endorsement or otherwise of these professionals.”

“The CFV, though non-partisan, embraces politics and therefore advocates for public office seekers with impeccable credentials for society and development. It is in this regard that the Centre For the Vulnerable (CFV) brings to the attention of the good people of Akim Swedru the astute silent hardworking son of the land whose image continuously glows beyond the society.”

After years of extensive and expansive research and inquiries into the political life and history of Akim Swedru Constituency of the Eastern Region by the CFV, it has been consistently revealed that the constituents are increasingly becoming frustrated, disappointed, and unhappy with the current political partisan leadership in the New Patriotic Party, hence agitation for a parliamentary representation change in the party for the 2024 election. The individual or person whom the Constituents have much hope, trust, pride, and confidence in is the Controller and Accountants General, Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem.

Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem has established himself both socially and politically within and without the Akim Swedru Constituency, becoming the pride and face of political leadership in the Bosome enclave. Most residents in the Eastern Region hold the view that he must lead the region into parliament in the 2024 parliamentary and presidential elections.

With over 35 years of standing in Public Service coupled with extensive senior management and leadership experience across varied governmental enterprises, local authorities, and private organizations, and having brought discipline and sanity into the payroll system of Ghana, Mr. Kwasi Kwaning Bosompem deservedly must lead and represent the NPP in 2024 for the good people of Akim Swedru.

Mr. Bosompem is credited, among other successes, for leading the implementation and efficiency; coordinating strategies that improved revenue mobilization and administration to achieve government fiscal consolidation goals, developing Ghana’s National Policy on Public-Private Partnership (PPP), to mention but a few.

It is also worth mentioning several logistics supports he rendered to the party to aid securing parliamentary seats since 1992. The aged, vulnerable, and orphans in the constituency continuously receive assistance from him devoid of any partisan affiliation.

The people of Akim Swedru Constituency have continued to enjoy the construction of nurses’ quarters, dormitory blocks, classroom blocks, water facilities, and roads from him for the past years and counting.

Mr. KKB upholds the highest professional standards to ensure the best outcomes and is competent at influencing others without undermining their professional judgment. He holds high moral foundations and frowns on moral decadence.

King Martin Luther Jr. once said, “At the end, we will not only remember the words of our oppressors but the silence of our friends.” Having this strong personality with impeccable credentials, the Center For the Vulnerable strongly endorses Mr. Kwasi Kwanning Bosompem, The Controller and Accountant General, to represent the Akim Swedru Constituency of the NPP for the 2024 parliamentary election.

CFV, therefore, entreats all the good people and delegates of Akim Swedru of the New Patriotic Party to vote for Mr. Kwasi Kwanning Bosompem for development, progress, accountability, and emancipation.”

I am capable and ready to be Mahama’s running companion. – Spio-Garbrah

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Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, former Trade Minister of the National Democratic Congress administration, has stated that he is eager and ready to compete as the party’s flagbearer in the 2024 elections, alongside John Dramani Mahama.

Dr. Spio Garbrah claims to have the expertise and skill to improve the NDC’s chances of victory.

Speaking to Accra-based TV3, Dr. Spio Garbrah stated that he is always ready to help if Mr. Mahama calls upon him.

“I am also capable; I am also ready. So it is a matter of his choice. If he chooses me, we all hear about it. I have made myself known and available to lead our party and to lead Ghana, and I’m still here in Ghana,” he said.

Mr. Mahama, who is seeking re-election in 2023, disclosed that he will select his running mate in February 2024.

Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang was selected in 2020 as the running mate to the former president.

Delay in implementing new transport tariffs affects us – GPRTU

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The Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU) has warned that the continued delay in announcing an increase in transport prices is negatively impacting the operations of its members.

The GPRTU stated that the recent increase in replacement parts and other accessories is having an unanticipated impact on commercial drivers.

Godfred Abulbire, General Secretary of the GPRTU, is thus pushing for an urgent increase in transit charges.

“Last year [2023], there were serious tax components that had affected all the spare parts, and the cost of spare parts has gone extremely up. Just this year, we had a direct correspondence from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) that they have revised all their taxes on commercial cars, taking effect in January. And whether we like it or not, all commercial cars will pay,” Godfred Abulbire said in an interview.

The recently passed Emissions Levy Bill by Parliament imposes an annual fee of GHC100 on all owners of petrol and diesel cars, starting from January 2024.

The government aims to promote the use of environmentally friendly energy sources for vehicle power through this tax, aligning with its commitment to climate-positive actions and carbon offset initiatives.

In response to these developments, the GPRTU has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, urging reconsideration of the Emission Levy Bill.

Parliament must interfere to establish peace in Bawku, says Binduri MP.

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Abdulai Abanga, Binduri’s Member of Parliament, has urged Parliament to act and restore permanent peace to embattled Bawku.

On Wednesday, January 17, unknown gunmen opened fire on a gathering of individuals at the community centre, killing two and injuring four.

On Monday, January 22, five people were attacked and slain by unknown gunmen as they travelled from Bawku to Binduri.

In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Abdulai Abanga suggested that Parliament and other key stakeholders serve as mediators to guarantee peace.

He also urged communities to make concerted efforts to restore tranquilly so that development initiatives in the region can proceed and be finished.

“What Parliament can do for now to help the situation is to assist with mediation because the situation we have is that people are trying to retaliate against others for killing their relatives. For me, that will never end the conflict. So, we need the leadership of Parliament and well-meaning Ghanaians to come and talk to the young ones to unite because, if you look at the nature of the area, we are all related in one way or another.

“We need to understand that it is important for us to live in peace so that we can enjoy development because we have serious developmental issues over here. If we don’t stop it, funds will either be diverted to providing security, or even contractors and other people will withdraw from the area. We will suffer in the end because we have a lot of challenges.”

Let’s cease this senseless violence—Mahama Ayariga on recent deaths in Bawku.

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Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has denounced an attack on a truck bringing traders from Bawku to Binduri, which killed seven persons and injured others.

Unknown gunmen attacked and fired on a vehicle on the outskirts of Binduri. The event occurred on Monday, January 22, when the truck was on its way to the Atuba market.

In a statement, Mahama Ayariga denounced the incident and urged the Ghana Police Service to launch investigations to apprehend and prosecute the culprits.

“I once again appeal to all sides in the Bawku conflict to lay down their arms and let us end this senseless violence,” Mahama further called for calm in his statement.

The District Chief Executive for Binduri, Ayinga Abagre Yakubu, mentioned in an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM that it was difficult to link the attack to the ongoing conflict in Bawku and also called for investigations to be conducted.

Below is Mahama Ayariga’s statement:

Chris Hughton is undecided about the future of the Black Stars after the Mozambique draw

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Black Stars head coach Chris Hughton says he is undecided about his future with the team after drawing with Mozambique in their last group B encounter at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The Black Stars are on the brink of exiting the 2023 AFCON after dropping points against the Mambas of Mozambique in a pulsating 2-2 encounter.

Even though it is mathematically possible for the Black Stars to grab one of the best third-placed teams spots, it looks practically impossible considering they have only two points.

Chris Hughton, when asked about whether he would resign as Black Stars following the results, said: “I am not thinking about anything else for the moment.

“I was angry and frustrated as anyone else because I am the head coach and I carry that responsibility, but I am not speaking about my future but only the game.”

The gaffer also noted that fundamental mistakes once again cost his team all three points, something that should not have happened after being two goals up.

“In a game, we didn’t perform at the level expected. Our energy levels were not the highest. But when you get a position of being 2-0 up, you don’t expect to concede in the way we did.

“This was shown in the three games as we continue to make fundamental mistakes,” he said.

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