The event which held last Tuesday in Accra saw the unveiling of two new variants of its automobiles.

The Chief Executive Officer of Premium Motors Limited, Mr Jihad Hijazi at a press session also unveiled two new models of SUVs – the Renault Kadjar and Renault Koleos – as its 2018 flagships of high-technology vehicles set to hit the local market.

Mr. Hijazi during the launch said that the new sport utility vehicles harbors highly improved technologic features that affirms safety and comfort to consumer’s at affordable prices.

Speaking at the launch, he said Renault is in existence to offer high quality cars to suit different class of people in society.

He added that the company also aims at reaching a top spot among competing brands as it has set out globally.

“Renault is not simply a vehicle manufacturer and automobile manufacturer here to design and distribute to a certain class of people. The company is here to stay globally and that is witnessed by the array and multitude of activities that we have taken on a global level,” he said.

“To start with, production and manufacturing of automobiles, production and manufacturing of formula 1 vehicles with high-technology with the likes of Ferrari, number one producer and retailer of zero emission electric vehicles among others,” he added.

Mr. Hijazi also noted that although Renault is wobbling at the sixth and seventh position among competing brands in Ghana after being in operation for only three years in the country, Premium Motors as a company envisions acquiring a large market share in the automobile industry.

“For Ghana, we do have a very ambitious plan. In the next five years we hope to become part of the top three. Currently we are standing around position six and seven in terms of sales figures. However, in the next three to five years we are looking at position three, two or number one.”

He mentioned that the Renault Kadjar SUV with a 1.2 turbo charged engine prices at $25,000 while the Renault Koleos with a 2.5 turbo charged engine ranges from $33,000 to $38,500.

Premium Motors Limited is an offshoot of Auto Plaza Limited which took over the Renault car franchise in Ghana from the CFAO group in 2014.

The Renault Kadjar Dynamique is a 5 seater luxurious SUVs with specs such as 6-Speed Automatic Transmission with Tiptronic Sport Mode, SMART CARD KEY VSC2 Push Button Engine Start/Stop, Climate Control Automatic Dual Zone Air Conditioner, Hands Free Parking (Parallel & T),  Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Blind Spot Detection (BSD),Auto Light Control (ALC),Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) etc.

And Koleos has 4WD-i Technology ALL MODE, 6-Speed Automatic Transmission with X-tronic Sport Mode, SMART KEY Push Button Engine Start/Stop, Full LED Pure Vision Head Lights & Rear 3D LED Edge Light Technology Tail Lights, Panoramic Sunroof, 8.7″ R-LINK 2 MultiMedia Tablet NAV System with Voice Command and 12-Speaker BOSE Entertainment System as some of its specs.

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By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Argentine has already appeared in court to answer claims of alleged tax evasion to the tune of €4.1 million between 2006 and 2009 and has long declared his innocence.

Nevertheless, the player and his father Jorge Messi paid just over €5m to authorities last year and it had looked as if the case would be closed.

But the judge in Gava, a seaside town just outside Barcelona where Messi owns a property, has decided to proceed with the case against the four-time Ballon d’Or winner and his father.

Messi has claimed he left all his business interests to his father and his management team. “Lionel A. Messi was not involved in the decision-making on the management and channelling of his income and did not really know the scope, size, purpose or effects of the corporate network,” said a statement for the prosecution earlier this year.

But a new written statement by the judge said on Monday that “there is sufficient evidence” that Messi “could have known about and consented to the creation and maintaining of a fictitious financial structure”.

The judge also added that because the player’s signature is on all of the documents being investigated, the 26-year-old “could have warned about the intervention of others in these cases or read some of these contracts, even if it was only the headers”.

It is alleged that Messi’s image rights were sold by Jorge – who assumed full responsibility when the case began – using companies in countries like Belize and Uruguay to avoid Spanish tax obligations.

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Source: Goal.com

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Messi was awarded the Golden Ball after Argentina’s 1-0 loss to Germany in Sunday’s final in Rio de Janeiro.

Blatter believes Messi was given the award on the strength of his four goals during the group stage.

Argentina legend Diego Maradona also felt Messi was a surprise choice, claiming Colombia’s James Rodriguez performed better in Brazil.

Maradona, who was named the best player when Argentina won the World Cup in 1986, said “marketing people” had chosen the wrong man and called the decision “unfair”.

The Golden Ball and other individual prizes, such as the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper, are decided by Fifa’s Technical Study Group, a panel including former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.

Messi set up his side’s winner against Switzerland in the last 16 but was only a sporadic threat in the semi-final against Netherlands, which Argentina won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

The Barcelona star then missed a clear chance in the final, when put through on goal by Lucas Biglia.

Messi told Spanish newspaper AS: “Right now I don’t care about the prize. I wanted to take Argentina to the World Cup for all the people.”

Rodriguez finished as the competition’s top scorer, with six goals from five games as Colombia reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to hosts Brazil.

Fifa’s Technical Study Group awarded the Silver Ball – for the tournament’s second-best player – to Germany forward Thomas Muller, with Netherlands attacker Arjen Robben winning the Bronze Ball.

Germany’s Manuel Neuer collected the Golden Glove, while France midfielder Paul Pogba was named the tournament’s best young player.

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Source: BBC Sport

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The Argentina captain won the Golden Ball award, given to the best player of the tournament, but has come under criticism from all corners with many, including Diego Maradona insisting he didn’t deserve the award.

But Mourinho has leapt to his defence, insisting that he doesn’t need to win the World Cup to be identified as one of the best players of all time.

“It’s easy to respect him when he has won but when he has lost, it’s not so easy,” the Chelsea boss told Yahoo.

“He is still a historical player. He does not need to be world champion to be a historical player, especially in this last decade.

“For me Pele is Pele and Maradona is Maradona. It’s not for me to compare players from different generations.

“Maybe because he is from the same generation as when I was born – for me Maradona is Maradona.”

When asked if he felt Messi was a scapegoat for Argentina’s failings, Mourinho replied: “Not at all,” before going on to question Albiceleste coach Alejandro Sabella’s decisions in the final defeat to Germany.

“I think in the first half he had fantastic options,” he added. “I would like to know why Lavezzi stayed in the dressing room at half-time.

“Argentina had been playing with two lines of four, with Enzo Perez closing Phillipp Lahm and Lavezzi doing the same on the other side. Because they were so compact Messi could walk while defending and then when he got the ball he had the energy to make the difference.

“When Sabella brought Aguero on for Lavezzi, Argentina changed from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3 and they lost a lot of balance. Messi had to run much more after Lavezzi went off.

“The team lost balance and especially energy – energy that they needed in extra-time.”

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Source: Goal.com

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Messi, 27, received the Golden Ball after scoring four goals in Brazil but was subdued against Germany.

Sabella said Messi’s award was “very deserved”, adding: “He played a great World Cup to get us where he did.”

Barcelona star Messi said of the award: “The truth is it doesn’t interest me at this moment.”

The four-time world player of the year added: “We wanted to win the World Cup for all the people in Argentina and we couldn’t do it. We tried, but we didn’t have the luck we had in other games.”

Midfielder Javier Mascherano added: “The pain is immense. We wanted to win this for the people of Argentina, for those who came here to support us, but we lost.

“We have represented our country the best we could. We have to lift our heads despite the pain. We gave everything we could out there.”

Messi’s goals came during the group stage, with a double against Nigeria following strikes against Bosnia-Hercegovina and Iran.

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Source: BBC Sport

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The 23-year-old, who plays for Monaco, scored six goals in five matches as his side reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to hosts Brazil.

Rodriguez finished ahead of Germany forward Thomas Muller, who netted five goals as his side won the tournament.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who won the Golden Ball for the tournament’s best player, was in a tie for third.

His four goals were matched by Brazil striker Neymar and Netherlands forward Robin van Persie.

Rodriguez’s goals helped Colombia progress further than they had before at a World Cup.

He scored against Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan as they topped Group C before netting twice, one a sublime volley, during the 2-0 last-16 win against Uruguay.

Rodriguez’s final goal was a late consolation from the penalty spot as Colombia lost 2-1 to Brazil.

Germany’s Manuel Neuer, 28, won the Golden Glove awarded to the best goalkeeper at the tournament, while France’s 21-year-old midfielder Paul Pogba won the best young player prize.

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Source: BBC Sport

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Mauricio Pinilla, Chile

Footage of Pinilla’s commemorative tattoo has appeared on Twitter

This is the most “World Cup” of World Cup tattoos. Inked in in just the last few days, it serves to remind striker Pinilla of his own near-miss in extra time during the second-round game against Brazil. Chile were later knocked out on penalties, with Pinilla having his attempt saved. The line “One centimetre from glory” adds to the tattoo’s hair-shirt quality. “It illustrates the depth of despair this individual is feeling,” says David Fletcher, a sports psychologist at Loughborough University. “It’s interesting that the tattoo is on his back, rather than his arm or wrist. It suggests that he’s not using it as a spur to further action but more of a statement of how close he came to glory.”

Sergio Ramos, Spain

The twin offerings – one on each calf – from the Real Madrid player show the World Cup and Champions League trophies. Spain did not win the former until 2010, while Real had to wait 12 years to take the latter for a record 10th time. Ramos and his teammates had high hopes of retaining the World Cup trophy in Brazil, but they were knocked out in the first round. “Not every tattoo has a narrative, and even those that do are often contrived,” says Matt Lodder, a body art historian at the University of Essex.

Nigel de Jong, Netherlands

The artist Ade Itameda, who draws inspiration from traditional Indonesian ornaments, patterns and carvings, designed the warrior-like tattoos covering the torso, arms and hands of midfielder Nigel de Jong. “The warrior theme shows just how central the World Cup is to his very being,” says David Fletcher. “It demonstrates that this one, gladiatorial moment in his life is core to his being and that there is no doubt in his mind that this is the defining moment of his life. It’s not just a game to these guys. They’ve trained a whole lifetime and it comes down to a few moments.”

Daniele de Rossi, Italy

The midfielder plays up his own tough approach, which has sometimes got him into trouble, with a mocked-up triangular “hazard” sign of a tackle being performed. It looks like a warning of a slippery floor left behind by an office cleaner. But the tattoo has a bit of extra edge, as the opponent’s leg is hacked away. Because of the need to wear socks during football matches, it is usually seen only in training.

Neymar, Brazil

The injured superstar’s neck inscription has a philosophical edge, much-needed following his team’s semi-final performance. The expression “Tudo Passa” translates into “Everything passes” or “Nothing lasts” in English. Neymar, who left the tournament early with a broken backbone, had to watch as his side were beaten 7-1 by Germany. At least he has the consolation of being only 22 years old, with a chance of making amends for the team in 2018 and 2022. Neymar also has tattoos on his legs saying “Ousadia” and “Alegria”, meaning “daring” and “joy”, both of which he commissioned before joining Barcelona last year.

Raheem Sterling, England

The teenage winger draws inspiration from his childhood in west London, choosing a picture of a 10-year-old boy staring up in wonder at Wembley Stadium’s famous arch, accompanied by the statement: “It’s a dream.” “Wembley was literally around the corner,” he has said. “I used to ride my bike round this little car park that was by the stadium. It’s something that I’ve always wanted – to play for England and be the best I can be as a footballer.”

Raul Meireles, Portugal

The montage adorning the entire right leg of the midfielder, who plays his club football in Turkey, works like an autobiography/travelogue. Designs include the baroque Torre dos Clerigos church in Meireles’ home city of Porto, a cable car (either in Porto or Lisbon, according to the Anglo-Portuguese Society) and a Portuguese Fado guitar. There is a depiction of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, where his club Fenerbahce is based, at the top of the thigh. This is reached via a red telephone box above the knee – a reminder of Meireles’ time playing for Chelsea and Liverpool.

Tim Howard, USA

The shot-stopper par excellence is one of the most decorated of the players on display in Brazil. He has a Superman logo, dragons and a crucifix among his tattoo collection. It also includes pictures of his mother as a young woman and his grandfather in military uniform, which he had done at the Aurora studio in Lancaster in May. “He brought in some photographs to work from,” says co-owner Sam Wisniewski. “He had obviously thought about what he wanted and he sat down and talked about it. If the design is really personal and we know the full story, that makes the design much better.” Unlike most players, Howard does not usually remove his shirts after matches. In this picture, he was bearing his torso as part of a campaign for the animal rights group Peta.

Lionel Messi, Argentina

Messi has his son Thiago’s name tattooed on to his left calf, underneath a pair of hands, presumably based on those of the child. They are not believed to refer to fellow countryman Diego Maradona’s “hand of God” goal against England in the quarter-final of the 1986 World Cup. Messi’s effort is seldom witnessed in matches because it is usually covered by a sock.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal

The Portugal captain is something of a counter-culturalist in modern football, choosing not to have any tattoos. The reason? He frequently gives blood and it’s not recommended that people do so soon after getting a tattoo or body piercing, for fear of spreading infections. In fact, it’s banned within four months in the UK.

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Source: BBC

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