11 sad moments in sports for the year 2019

 Almost every sports fan in the world has shed tears before.

Some sporting personalities have passed away and some have ended their career with a side in an emotional fashion, while some clubs suffered painful defeats to break the hearts of their fans

And here are the numerous times the sporting events watered our eyes this year.

Sala was travelling on a Piper Malibu aircraft between Nantes and Cardiff when the plane went missing north of Guernsey in January

Investigators confirmed in February that the body of Emiliano Sala has been recovered from the wreckage of his plane that went missing in January.

A body was pulled from the aircraft, which was found on the bottom of the ocean north of Guernsey, early February.

The plane, which was carrying Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, disappeared off the radar around 8:30pm on January 21, as the Cardiff City striker was travelling from Nantes to the Welsh capital.

The investigation to find the plane was initially called off after three days, but Sala's family raised the funds to keep the search alive, with thanks to donations from the international football community.

Ghanaian boxer who was touted as the next Azumah Nelson suffered his first career defeat against Mexican Emmanuel Navarete in the latter part of last year.

He assured Ghanaian of reclaiming the world title he lost against Navarete, but he was dominated once again from round one to round 12 when they faced off in a rematch in May 2019 in Arizona, USA.

Navarrete rocked Dogboe early and often over twelve punishing rounds.

He dropped Dogboe in rounds six and twelve and Dogboe’s corner finally threw in the towel with 58 seconds left in the bout.

Navarrete beat Dogboe by unanimous decision last December and this time it was even more decisive.

Navarette entirely worked Dogboe throughout each round with many expecting that the Ghanaian throws in the towel but a tough Dogboe went through the rounds amidst hope that he could make some impact.

Ghana is perhaps one of the nations with the worst penalty record in the world.

It has cost the nation several pains and heartbreaks at all levels from the Black Starlets to the Black Stars and even at club level.

The worst year of football for Ghana in recent times is 2019. All the national football teams failed to glitter and more especially couldn't break the penalty jinx.

Ghana lost four penalty shootouts in 2019- the Black Stars set the tone with a defeat on penalties against Tunisia in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, before the Black Stars B suffered a defeat in the final of the 2019 WAFU Championship against Senegal, while the Black Meteors twice lost on penalties in the semi-finals and the third-place playoff against Ivory Coast and South Africa respectively to miss out on the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Ghanaians were gutted for inability to solve the penalty woes and there were reports parliament recommended to the GFA to 

institute penalty kicks when a league game ends in a draw to break the tie, all geared towards equipping players to fare well in a penalty shootout.

The Black Meteors in November failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo after losing on penalties to South Africa at the Cairo Stadium.

Ghana failed twice to grab an opportunity to secure a place in the 2020 Olympics-lost the semi-finals against Ivory Coast before they blew away the last chance to book a ticket to the competition with a defeat on penalties against South Africa in the third-place play-off.

The Black Meteors failure to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo hit a lot of Ghanaian so hard and some got heart-broken because they were anxiously waiting for the team to end their long wait for qualification for the Olympics-last booked a place to the competition in 2004.

In the game, Ghana came back twice to take the game to straight penalty shoot outs after a 2-2 draw in the semi-finals match played

South Africa held on to their 15th-minute goal till Ghana came back into the game in the second half after Evans Mensah slotted home in the 50th minute.

The Black Meteors had to equalize again in the 85th minute after Mahlatsi restored their lead in the 62nd minute.

Ghana, however, lost the shoot outs after missing three kicks with South Africa securing a ticket to the Olympic Games after winning the shoot outs 6-5.

Former Black Stars and Asante Kotoko utility player Benjamin ‘Ben’ Acheampong died aged 83 in Kumasi after a short ailment.

Mr Ben Acheampong, during his time, played for a host of local clubs including Cornerstone, Great Ashantis, Asante Kotoko and Real Republicans.

As a player, he played for the Black Stars between 1956-1969 and won the 1963 and 1965 African Cup of Nations titles with Ghana under the tutelage of Charles Gyamfi.

He tied for top-scoring honours in the 1965 competition with compatriot Osei Kofi and Ivorian forward Eustache Mangle with three goals.

Bayern beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 to finish two points ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund

Franck Ribery hailed a "special" moment as he and Arjen Robben both scored in their final game at the Allianz Arena on Saturday to wrap up a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and a seventh successive Bundesliga title.

"It was a special moment, but also a difficult one," Ribery told Sky. "These were my last moments at the Allianz Arena, with the fans and with my team, after being here for 12 years."

"There is a time for everything and you have to accept it."

The fairy-tale farewell for club legends Robben and Ribery saw Bayern end an unusually tight title race two points ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund, who beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0.

Robben and Ribery, who will both leave the club at the end of the season, came off the bench against Frankfurt to score Bayern's fourth and fifth goals and end Dortmund's hopes of pulling off a final day miracle.

Their departure marks the end of a glistening decade of success for Bayern, who are now set for a major squad overhaul ahead of next season, having already signed World Cup winners Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez.

Bayern Munich were leading 3-1 before the duo Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben were introduced in the game.

Ribery and Robben each came off the bench to standing ovations in the second half, and Ribery danced through the Frankfurt ranks to seal the title on 72 minutes before Robben completed a fairytale afternoon with a 78th-minute tap-in.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the first black manager in Major League Baseball and the only player to win the MVP award in both leagues, has died. He was 83. Robinson had been in hospice care at his home in Bel Air. MLB confirmed his death Thursday, Feb. 7.

Cathy Inglese, a Hofstra women's basketball assistant coach who had previously coached at Boston College from 1993-2008, died on July 24, a week after sustaining a brain injury in a fall. She was 60.

Cedric Benson, a former NFL and Texas running back, died in a motorcycle accident in Texas on Aug. 17 at age 36.

Junior middleweight boxer Patrick Day was a U.S. Olympic alternate for the 2012 team, a New York Golden Gloves champion, and a USA boxing welterweight national champion. He died as a result of a traumatic brain injury suffered during a bout. Day lapsed into a coma after a 10th-round knockout and never regained consciousness, being taken off life support four days after the fight.

Hansjorg Auer was once described by National Geographic magazine as one of the "boldest and best mountain climbers in the world." He was known particularly for his work as a free solo climber. He was killed in an avalanche on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies.