Newcastle United have confirmed the permanent signing of Christian Atsu from Chelsea.

The 25-year-old Ghana international spent last season on loan at St. James' Park, making 32 league appearances and scoring five goals as Rafa Benítez's side lifted the Sky Bet Championship title.

Kwesi Appiah will take charge of his first international friendly since his return when he leads the local-based Black Stars to face their Beninese counterparts on tomorrow at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The game will be Appiah's second of his latest stint as Black Stars coach which started on May 1.

Defending champions, Immigration Service will seek to return to winning ways on Saturday as they come up against struggling Team Baboo in a week four clash of the ongoing national table tennis league at the D.G. Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium.

After being brought down to earth by Tesano Spinners in a top-of-the-table encounter last Saturday, the Immigration lads, made of top national seeds, have quickly come to the realisation that this season could be arduous.

With the elevation of the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) as a full member of the World Rugby Federation, officials are now aiming at qualifying to the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, next year.

The task, according to the Tournament Commissioner of the GRFU, Steve Noi, is daunting as more effort and resources are needed to make the dream a reality.

Ghana’s national U-17 male football team, Black Starlets, have their sights set on a final berth,  as they face Le Mena Cadets of Niger this afternoon in the first semi-final game of the ongoing Africa U-17 Championship in Gabon at the Stade de Port Gentil later today.

The sterling performance at the group stage have placed the Starlets in the favourites bracket to go through to the next stage of the competition, though they admit it will not be an easy fight.

Ghanaian bodybuilding sensation, Thomas Tusore, says he is focused on beating top seed, Philip Ricardo Jr, to win the title at this year's INBA/PNBA World Championship slated for May 31 to June 2 in Italy.

Tusore noted that he was keen on becoming a world champion and build upon his career in the near future but admitted that Ricardo Jr was better than him when he met him in Budapest, Hungary, last year.

The annual Milo U-13 Champions League began last Saturday with Bagabaga Annex, Mother Theresa Primary and Funsi RC Basic school qualifying to represent the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions at the national finals in June.

The three-day event started with a soccer clinic for both players of all 12 competing schools and was facilitated by tournament icon and former Black Stars skipper, Stephen Appiah, and national coaches drawn from the Regional Football Associations (RFAs).

One of two outside broadcast vans which is part of a 10-year agreement between StarTimes Communications Group and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is ready for delivery to Ghana.

The StarTimes –Ghana Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Hao Lei, who spoke to Graphic Online in Beijing, China, said what was left was the finalising of some documentation regarding tax waivers and other issues concerning the agreement that had to be cleared before the OB van could be finally shipped to Ghana.

Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah admits it will be an 'extra special' occasion for him on Wednesday when the club take on his former side Ajax in the Europa League final.

The 19-year-old, who was born in Amsterdam, left Ajax's academy to join United in 2014.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Isaac Kwame Asiamah, has directed all managers of the various national sports infrastructure to produce a maintenance manual which will be used to plan the renovation of such facilities on a regular basis.

The minister made this known last Friday after completing an inspection tour of the National Sports College in Winneba.

One of Ghana's most dynamic tennis clubs, 4 Garrison Officers Tennis Club, has inducted into office four Patrons, including the immediate past president, Samuel Ampadu-Kyei (Kyikyis), to help revolutionise and improve its infrastructure.

Former Ghana international Anthony Yeboah says he has no immediate plans to return to football administration after being frustrated out of football a few years ago due to alleged underhand dealings by referees whom he accused of undermining his team’s effort in the second-tier league.

The 50-year-old legend, who scored 29 goals in 59 matches for Ghana between 1985 and 1997, has suggested that referees caught in collecting bribes to influence matches should be prosecuted and jailed like criminals to deter others.

Tesano Spinners Table Tennis Club last Saturday dethroned Immigration from the top of the ladder after defeating them 3-2 in match one of the league staged at the D.G. Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Stadium.

Top seed Derek Abrefa was beaten 3-2 by Nigerian import Ahmed Bello in a pulsating encounter before fellow Nigerian Akimbi Rilwan thrashed second seed Felix Lartey 3-1 to put Spinners ahead.

Strange decisions taken by referee Dan Dogbetor  during  the Accra Hearts of Oak vrs Kotoku Royals MTN FA Cup match became the main subject of discussion after Hearts defeated the Akim Oda-based club 4-0 at the Accra Sports Stadium yesterday.

At Swedru, Kumasi Asante Kotoko needed a second half goal from Baba Mahama to advance to the MTN FA Cup Round of 16 at the expense of second tier side Proud United.

Ghana U-17 coach, Samuel Paa Kwesi Fabian says Africa will be well represented at the forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup in India and believes the Black Starlets will shine and maintain the team’s proud tradition at the global stage.

The Starlets completed the preliminary round of the African championship with a scoreless draw with Guinea at Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville last Saturday, finishing as the top side in Group A and securing a semi-final spot.