Real Madrid Top Rich List

Real Madrid have remained the most valuable football team in the world for a fourth year in a row.

The Spanish giants lead the way from rivals Barcelona, with Manchester United sitting in third place.

According to US business magazine Forbes, Real Madrid’s value stands at 3.645bn US dollars (£2.52bn) and their annual revenue is $694m (£480million), a slender advantage over Barcelona in both categories.

Barcelona are shown by ‘rich list’ to have a value of $3.549bn (£2.46billion), with United said to be worth $3.317bn (£2.3billion).

Six Premier League teams feature in the top 10, with United joined by Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Forbes said the top 20 teams are collectively worth 24 per cent more than the teams that filled those positions 12 months ago, citing increased income from television contracts and kit deals.

The study said Real Madrid ranked as the world’s second richest sports team, behind only the Dallas Cowboys American football team which it valued at four billion dollars (£2.77bn).

Forbes’ top 10 world’s most valuable football teams:

1 Real Madrid – US$3.645 bn (£2.52billion)

2 Barcelona – $3.549bn (£2.46bn)

3 Manchester United – $3.317bn (£2.3bn)

4 Bayern Munich – $2.678bn (£1.85bn)

5 Arsenal – $2.017bn (£1.4bn)

6 Manchester City – $1.921bn (£1.33bn)

7 Chelsea – $1.661bn (£1.15bn)

8 Liverpool – $1.548bn (£1.07bn)

9 Juventus – $1.299bn (£900million)

10 Tottenham – $1.017bn (£704m)

Skysports

Real Madrid Top Rich List

Hearts Will Go Top Of GPL With Win Over Kotoko

Accra Hearts of Oak will move top of the Ghana Premier League (GPL) table if they are able to win their Match-Day 10 encounter with Kumasi Asante Kotoko today.

Leaders Wa All Stars lost 0-1 to Medeama SC on Sunday, and, the Phobians will overtake them at the top of the table should they win this afternoon’s game in Accra.

All Stars has 20 points from 10 games with Hearts two points behind them on the table.

Hearts are huge favourites going into the Super Clash with Kotoko as they have been the more impressive of the two in the GPL so far.

They have five wins from nine games, and, have lost only once. They will lead the standing by a point if they manage to claim victory over their bitter rivals in the Ghanaian game.

Kotoko have endured an indifferent start to the campaign, having managed 11 points from nine games, a run that has included three wins, two drawn games and four defeats.

They lie in 12th position on the log, but, will move to ninth should they emerge victorious in this afternoon’s game.

The Porcupines have been tagged second favourites going into this encounter and, will be out to prove skeptics wrong.

 

 

Hearts Will Go Top Of GPL With Win Over Kotoko

Suarez Scores Four As Barcelona Return To The Top

Luis Suarez scored his second consecutive four-goal haul as Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with victory over Sporting Gijon.

Victories for Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid earlier on Saturday had left Barca third by kick-off.

Lionel Messi’s looping header into an empty net gave Barca the lead.

Suarez made it 2-0 before Barca won three late penalties, the Uruguayan scoring two and Neymar the other, and Suarez converted Messi’s pass late on.

Sporting had Ognjen Vranjes harshly sent off for conceding the third penalty for a foul on Neymar.

Striker Suarez also scored four in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Barca over their crisis?

At the start of April, Barcelona were nine points clear at the top of La Liga – and unbeaten in 39 games.

But losing to Real in El Clasico sparked a disastrous run of one win in six games, allowing the Madrid clubs to close the gap, while Atletico knocked them out of the Champions League.

However, 14 unanswered La Liga goals in four days have taken them to within three wins of successfully defending their title.

They are level on points with Atletico and one point above Real, with their head-to-head record meaning they will edge out either Madrid side if they finish the league equal on points.

Unstoppable Suarez?

Pichichi

Luis Suarez took control of the race for the Pichichi – the Spanish golden boot – with his second quadruple of the week.

He now leads Real’s currently injured star Cristiano Ronaldo 34-31 with three games left.

Suarez’s fellow Uruguayan Diego Forlan is the last player other than Ronaldo or Messi to win the award – back in 2008-09.

The former Liverpool striker had a hand in the opener, putting keeper Ivan Cuellar under pressure before the ball came to Messi, who headed a looping effort into the empty net from 18 yards.

Barca’s second did not come until the 63rd minute when Suarez converted Andres Iniesta’s pass – possibly from an offside position.

Suarez scored their first penalty after Roberto Canella handled Dani Alves’ cross. His hat-trick goal came from the spot after Antonio Sanabria shoved over Neymar.

Barcelona got a third penalty when Vranjes was deemed to have pushed Neymar, and was sent off for a second booking.

Out-of-form Neymar this time took the penalty, and scored down the centre, with keeper Cuellar almost keeping it out.

But Suarez still had time for his fourth when he fired home Messi’s pass via the post.

BBC

Suarez Scores Four As Barcelona Return To The Top

GTTA launch National "Top Eight" competition

Ghana’s table tennis top seed, Derek Abrefa, will defend his title this weekend at the National Top Eight Tournament at the Sports Hall, of the Accra Sports Stadium.

Abrefa, who won last year’s competition, will face stiff competitions from fellow national greats such as Felix Lartey, Emmanuel Commey, Bernard Joe Sam, Jacob Saikom, Emmanuel Asante, Ernest Mawutor and Ishmael Addy after their qualification from the four invitational justifiers.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, to announce the competition Mawuko Afadzinu President of Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) said, there will also be the female category which will see Lynda Annor, Hilda Agbovah, Afua Oforiwah, Beatrice Gyasi, Georgina Hackman, Hilda Agbottah, Eva Ampah and Augustina Baidoo competing for honours.

Afadzinu, said the winners of this year’s competition in both the male and female categories would pocket GHS 2000 and each participant will also receive an undisclosed appearance fee .

He appealed to corporate entities to sponsor the sport with the view of making their league more professional as well as plans to introduce inter college and Senior High School competitions into the sport.

Kenneth Ashigbey, Vice President said sponsoring the sport would not only induce the youth to nurture their potentials, but would also enable them earn revenue for their upkeep and their families.

GTTA launch National "Top Eight" competition

Razak Braimah surrenders top spot in Spain

Black Stars goal keeper Abdul Razak Braimah suffered a home reverse defeat in the Segunda division to surrender their lead at the top of the table.

The Cordoba shot stopper lasted the full duration of the game as his side endured two successive defeats in front of their fans.

Mirandas inflicted a 1-2 reverse away to the then table topping side in Spain second tier league to blight their brilliant run of results.

The experienced and nomadic shot stopper lasted the full throttle of the game but could do little to prevent Cordoba from dropping points in their quest to consolidate the slim lead at the top of the division.

Mirandas shot into a well deserved lead seventh minute after kick off and built on it for the rest of the game. A striker’s goal from Nestos Salinas destabilise the defensive orientation of the high flying home side.

Junior Lago then compounded the missery of the puzzled home side with a second for the visitors before Xisco registered his routine goal in a well deserved win for the visitors

Cordoba dropped into second place in the segunda as Alaves surge top of the top. Braimah has since managed division best 9 clean sheets in his 16 appearances in the second tier league.

Razak Braimah surrenders top spot in Spain

Revealed: Top five talents unearthed by coach Yussif Abubakari

Former Heart of Lions trainer Yussif Abubakari has revealed top five players who have passed through his hands.

The experienced trainer reluctantly named the most talented Ghanaian players he horned at the infantry stages of their career.

The ex Windy Professional coach is revered for his eagle eye for young talents across the country.

The veteran trainer identified Black Stars flying full back Samuel Inkoom, Abeiku Quansah, Micheal Anaba, Eric Donkor and Thormas Abbey as the best of players to have passed through his grinding mill.

The former Tutor at the Winneba football Academy gave much premium to the above players because of their versatility and self creativity.

The soft spoken trainer tipped the aforementioned players to blossom into future stars just as the rise of Samuel Inkoom into the black stars set up.

In a survey conducted by www.sportscrusader.com ahead of the incoming football season, Yussif Abubakari explained the criterion used in culling the lengthy list of players to have passed through his hands.

The ex Lions trainer mentioned the adaptation to variety of positions, technical and tactical awareness and self creativity as the main barometer for his classification.

Samuel Inkoom playing his first game fir Boavista

He said, “It is extremely difficult to mention just five players from the many players I have since managed as a coach. It will be very very difficult but players like Samuel Inkoom, Abeiku Quansah, Micheal Anaba, Eric Donkor and Thormas are some of the best players I have since spotted at the very early stages of their career.

I spotted them from different places and we worked together at the Winneba College where we qualified as Windy Professional in the Division two league.

The ability to play in varied positions with ease and the technical and tactical awareness make these players stand tall among their colleague. I think there are extremely talented”.

He added “Players like Isaac Twum, Isaac Quansah, and Osman Muntaka are some of the players in the line as well. They are technically sound and I think they can reach higher status like the other players mention earlier. Also, Enock Atta Agyei, Suad Bawa and Wireko Sampson Boampong are some of the young talents I cannot leave out. Watch out for them in the coming season”.

Coach Yussif Abubakari is noted for giving bigger platforms to young players on the local scene highlighted by the likes of Isaac Twum and Isaac Quansah at Heart of Lions last season.

Revealed: Top five talents unearthed by coach Yussif Abubakari