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The Ballon d’Or has a narrow definition of footballing greatness
Celebrity, bias towards players in attack and European dominance undermine football’s most prestigious individual award.
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2026 U17 WWC: Black Maidens eye ‘glory’ after making knockout stages – Adarkwa
Black Maidens eye ‘glory’ after making knockout stages – Adarkwa. Head coach of Ghana’s Black Maidens, Nana Joe Adarkwa, says his side are now going all out for the top prize after advancing into the next stage of the 2026 U-17 Women’s World Cup.
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Bayern praise ‘humble’ Kane after Ballon d’Or win
Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks on Tuesday praised Harry Kane after his Ballon d’Or win, saying the striker will already be focused on scoring his “next goal”. Kane had won several goalscoring honours and was runner-up in the Premier League and Champions League with Tottenham but did not break through for a first team trophy until after he moved to Bayern in 2023.
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FC Ashantigold 04 dismisses head coach Karim Zito
FC Ashantigold 04 have dismissed head coach Abdul Karim Zito, assistant coach Ernest Okyere and goalkeeper’s trainer Robert Dabo with immediate effect. The former Dreams FC coach subsequently guided Ashantigold to promotion to the Ghana Premier League.
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Hindsight: Ghana’s LA 28 Olympic Boxing Qualifier Hosting Rights Explained
On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, World Boxing formally informed the Ghana Boxing Federation that Ghana’s bid to host the Olympic Boxing Qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Games had been successful. That decision makes Ghana the seventh country to host the continental qualifiers since 2006, after Senegal (2023), Mauritius (2009), Morocco (2007, 2011 and 2015), and Algeria and Namibia (2007).
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Ballon d’Or: Barcelona star honours late Nigerian mother after winning Young talent award
Barcelona star honours late Nigerian mother after winning Young talent award. Barcelona and Spain forward Vicky López has paid an emotional tribute to her late Nigerian mother, Joy Felix, after winning the Women’s Young Player of the Year award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday.
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Manchester United must pay Newcastle £3m compensation if they want Eddie Howe
Howe struck deal on contract when he left in July Michael Carrick expects to take training on Tuesday Manchester United will have to pay Newcastle about £3m in compensation if they want to make Eddie Howe their next manager, with Michael Carrick expected to be removed only when a deal for his successor has been finalised. Carrick expects to take training on Tuesday after Jason Wilcox, the director of football, and Omar Berrada, the chief executive, discussed his future in the wake of a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth that made it eight games without a win.
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Ghana’s Black Meteors can ‘100%’ end long-standing Olympic absence – Ofei
Ghana’s Black Meteors head coach xis confident the U-23 national team can end their long-standing absence from the Olympic Games by qualifying for the 2028 edition in Los Angeles. Asked whether Ghana could end their Olympic absence, Ofei said: “100%.
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The Breakdown | England need to unearth World Cup core despite derby friction and injury chaos
Nations Championship games against Australia and Japan should be the end of experimentation for Steve Borthwick Even on the most serene days no one would describe coaching England as a relaxing gig. Add the Bath flanker Guy Pepper, who limped off against Gloucester last Friday, and suddenly there is a hint of pre-Halloween gloom hanging over England’s preparations.
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Fears grow for Iranian athletes on death row as mountaineer latest to be hanged
Two sportspeople have been executed in the past month and at least six more face the same fate, says activist group Fears are growing for more Iranian athletes facing execution after mountain climber Ali-Sina Mostafavi became the latest in a string to be killed by the regime. His death followed the killing of Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi, a taekwondo athlete, at the start of October, and the mixed martial arts fighter Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, who was hanged in May.
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2026 0U17 WWC: Black Maidens to face Argentina in last 16 on October 28
Black Maidens to face Argentina in last 16 on October 28. Having finished second, the Black Maidens will face Argentina, who also finished second in Group C. Unlike Ghana, Argentina won two out of their three games in the group phase, beating Morocco and New Zealand while losing to Germany.
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‘The wind goes in all directions’: Fleetwood prepare wet welcome for Arsenal at Highbury
The Premier League champions may have bigger fish to fry but can expect a feisty reception from League Two strugglers in the Carabao Cup It is no different this week, although this time football is taking centre stage as Arsenal head to Highbury Stadium on Tuesday for a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against the League Two side.
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South Africa v Australia: third men’s cricket Test, day one – live
Updates from the final match of the series at Newlands First ball in Cape Town is 10.30am local/7.30pm AEDT/8.30am GMT Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email This was the Australian camp’s attitude yesterday as to whether Smith would be passed fit.
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Super Lig: Osimhen lifts Galatasaray to top spot with two goals against Fenerbahce
Osimhen lifts Galatasaray to top spot with two goals against Fenerbahce. The Nigeria international struck in both halves of the first period to put Galatasaray in control before the break, helping the reigning title contenders return to the summit of the Turkish Super Lig ..
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Ballon d’Or: Harry Kane’s crowning moment
Harry Kane’s Ballon d’Or triumph is the crowning moment for a player whose trophy collection does not do justice to his remarkable talent and consistency. He was on the losing side for Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool and was in England teams that twice lost the European Championship final.
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CBD COP17: Experts explore new conservation models to advance Africa’s 30×30 goals
Experts explore new conservation models to advance Africa’s 30×30 goals. Experts from African governments and civil society organisations have discussed emerging community-based conservation models that could help countries meet the global target of conserving 30 per cent of land and marine areas by 2030.
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Live: Smith under injury cloud as series-deciding Cape Town Test begins
The Test series is on the line as Australia and South Africa meet in the shadow of Table Mountain in Cape Town for the deciding match.
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Oklahoma City Swingman exits on stretcher following gruesome leg injury
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jaylen Williams sustained a severe injury during the dying moments of a tightly contested game against the Los Angeles Clippers. With the Thunder leading late in the fourth quarter, Williams attempted a dunk over two defenders but landed awkwardly, causing a severe injury to his lower leg and ankle.
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Walsh back at fullback in Kangaroos team to face Cook Islands
Australia's men's and women's teams are named for this weekend's Rugby League World Cup games against Cook Islands and Wales as Reece Walsh comes back in at fullback.
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Kane Tipped To Beat Yamal, Mbappe To Ballon d’Or Glory
Harry Kane is the favourite to become England’s first Ballon d’Or winner in 25 years when the award is presented in London on Monday, but he faces stiff competition from La Liga pair Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe. Her former Barcelona teammate, Poland’s Ewa Pajor, is Putellas’s main challenger after scoring 11 Champions League goals in Barca’s latest triumph.
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Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’
Video appears to show football star refer to Mao Zedong as a ‘dictator’ Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu end deals with France captain Kylian Mbappé was dropped Tuesday by two major brands in China after a video circulated online in which the French football superstar apparently joked about former leader Mao Zedong. In China jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.
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Ballon d’Or: Kane, Putellas crowned world’s best footballers in London
Harry Kane has become the first Englishman in 25 years to win the men’s Ballon d’Or, while Spain’s Alexia Putellas claimed the women’s prize for a record-equalling third time at the 2026 ceremony in London.
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Our loos? They’re inspired by Milan’s Villa Necchi! The reborn planks-and-plasterboard theatre trouncing its flashy neighbours
They’re inspired by Milan’s Villa Necchi! Now The Yard is putting bums on (heated) seats – and Ian McKellen is soon to star Since the 2012 Olympics, the skyline of Hackney Wick in east London has bristled with cranes.
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Williams eyes Melbourne Cup success with horse he'll meet in the yard
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Craig Williams hopes racing's version of a blind date will quickly evolve into a successful partnership as he eyes further glory in the race that stops a nation.