The World Game's beauty, drama, passion, thrill & heartache on show @ World Cup's first two quarter finals

A devastated Asamoah Gyan after Ghana's drama packed elimination this morning

This morning's two quarterfinals of the World Cup 2010 were a perfect demonstration of why football is "the beautiful game" & why it's "The World Game" & why its simplicity must be preserved.

The lionhearted display of Holland, the stunned talented Brazil, the heartache of the Black Lions of Africa, Ghana, Gyan's heartache at missing a 120th minute penalty & the resilience of the magnificent Uruguay & the personal sacrifice of their champion player Suarez!

The magnificent Wesley Sneidger was instrumental in Holland's win

All the thrills, drama, passion, heartache, tears & joys are at display in this World Cup. And at that this has so far been a strange World Cup. Unlike most previous tornaments, the group round matches were dull affairs & so far the knock out stage has been simply great with all the excitement, thrills, drama & most importantly goals! (except the Paraguay vs Japan match)

3 Days To Go: All-Injury Team

3 days to go and can Friday come any sooner?
I'm tired of waiting! Let's start the 2010 World Cup already!

No idea where I'm watching the first match between South Africa and Mexico.
I'll have more on that tomorrow.

For now, 3 posts today. So make sure to come back and check out the other material after reading this entertaining, enlightening post.

Today's big news concerns Portugal winger Nani, who's been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup with a collar bone injury.

Nani, who plays for English side Manchester United, suffered the injury in a training session with his national side in Portugal, before leaving for the tournament.

Bad news all around, as Nani is a wonderful talent.

But this tidbit got me to thinking: How many star players are going to miss the World Cup?

Take a look at this list of the injured and the doubtful ... You could field a nice team with all these guys. Also, lots of Germans and Chelsea players on this list, eh?

MICHAEL BALLACK, Germany

The German captain was ruled out of the Cup with an ankle injury after a late challenge during Chelsea's FA Cup final win over Portsmouth in May.

RIO FERDINAND, England

The England captain will miss the finals after injuring his knee in his country's first major training session in South Africa on Friday.

MICHAEL ESSIEN, Ghana

The Ghana midfielder suffered a knee injury at the African Cup of Nations in January and has failed to recover in time.

JOHN OBI MIKEL, Nigeria

The midfielder was forced out of the tournament with a badly bruised ankle suffered in Nigeria's first full contact training session in South Africa on Friday.

LASSANA DIARRA, France

The holding midfielder will not play in South Africa after being told he needed an extended rest because of persistent stomach pains which began during France's week-long training camp in the French Alps last month.

DAVID BECKHAM, England

England's most capped player ruptured his Achilles tendon playing for AC Milan in March.

RENE ADLER, Germany

Germany's first-choice goalkeeper underwent surgery on a rib injury in May and will play no part in the finals.

SIMON ROLFES, Germany

The midfielder ruled himself out of the World Cup after saying he was short of match fitness following knee surgery in January.

CHRISTIAN TRAESCH, Germany

The midfielder, who was considered a possible replacement for captain Michael Ballack, is out after injuring his ankle in a friendly at the squad's training camp in Italy.

HEIKO WESTERMANN, Germany

The defender will miss the tournament after fracturing a bone in his foot during a warm-up win over Hungary last week.

MIROSLAV KARHAN, Slovakia

Slovakia's most capped player has a hamstring injury and will miss his country's first World Cup appearance.

Doubtful


DIDIER DROGBA, Ivory Coast

The Ivory Coast's fearsome striker underwent successful surgery on an injured elbow on Saturday but remains a doubt for the finals. Drogba picked up the injury in a World Cup warm-up against Japan on Friday.

ARJEN ROBBEN, Netherlands

The Dutch winger needs a scan to determine the extent of a hamstring injury he suffered in a 6-1 friendly thrashing of Hungary on Saturday.

ANDREA PIRLO, Italy

The Italian midfielder will miss the defending champions' opening game of the tournament against Paraguay, and possibly the whole tournament, after injuring his calf in Thursday's 2-1 friendly defeat by Mexico.

HARRY KEWELL, Australia

The Australian winger has hardly played since December because of a troublesome groin injury.

TIM BROWN, New Zealand

It is unknown if the New Zealand vice-captain will recover in time from surgery on a fractured shoulder suffered in the friendly defeat to Australia last month.

HUMBERTO SUAZO, Chile

Chile's leading striker will reportedly miss their opening World Cup match against Honduras and possibly the second game with Switzerland because of a hamstring injury.

LEE DONG-GUK, South Korea

The South Korean striker was named in the final 23-man squad despite concerns over a thigh problem which is expected to keep him out of their opening game against Greece on June 12.

4 Days To Go: The 5 Best Games of the First Round

4 days left and the 2010 World Cup gets underway!

There's SO much news on the internet, magazines, newspapers, television, etc.
I'm but a lowly blogger trying to carve his niche in the big, bad soccer media world.

Having said that, I'm BEYOND excited for the Cup, even if I can't make it to South Africa.
I'm making lemonade out of lemons, looking forward to enjoying the Cup in New York City!

So what are the 5 biggest matches of the first round?

1 - USA vs. England (June 12, 2:30pm)

Call this the teacher vs. the student, if you wish. It's the colonial power against the formerly subjugated. The football powerhouse against the budding superstars.

USA-England has all the drama of a Spanish soap opera.

Most prognosticators give USA little chance against the magic of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Having said that, USA's not as bad as many pundits think. They're scrappy, they're quick and with Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley, they have pace and vision.

Expect a tough one before the USA succumbs to the English brawn and power.

2 - South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11, 10 a.m.)

Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg will be rocking for the opening match of the 2010 Cup. South Africa's not a strong team, but Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has provided the squad with much needed structure.

Mexico is consistently one of the quickest, most offensive sides in the world, so this should be a show stopper and a fancy way to open the Cup.

3 - Argentina vs. Nigeria (June 12, 10 a.m.)

The unstable Diego Maradona guides the likes of world player of the year Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain into a match against one of Africa's powerhouses. Who knows what'll happen here?

Expect a raucous atmosphere. It's one of Africa's best hopes of advancing out of the first round against a perennial power, coached by the greatest player of all time.

Must See TV, anyone?

4 - Brazil vs. Portugal (June 25, 10 a.m)

Brazil is the co-favorite to win it all. Portugal boasts the world's most expensive player in Cristiano Ronaldo and a fast, loose style.

Both teams will be looking to finish first in the group, as the second-place side settles into a likely match with co-favorite Spain. So expect a knockout, drag-out fight by these two Portuguese-speaking nations

5 - Ghana vs. Germany (June 23, 2:30 p.m)

Who will feel the injury bug the most: Ghana, who is missing Michael Essien? Or Germany, who is missing Michael Ballack?

The Ghanaians will be hard pressed against the efficient Germans, but their freewheeling style may cause fits of anxiety for the former World Champions.

The pro-African crowd may play a part in this.


All in all, five games that will entertain and excite. What do you think?

Final Phase of African World Cup Qualifying Continues

Africa's road to the 2010 World Cup heats up this weekend with a full slate of action as countries compete for the 5 available spots in South Africa.

There are already some teams in trouble.

Like Cameroon and Morocco, who have collectively qualified for nine previous World Cup finals. Also in peril are reigning African champions Egypt and the unpredictable Guinea, both of whom were expected to feature among the serious contenders for the finals.

The first match day in March provided a host of surprises. With two more matches in quick succession this month, the picture could soon become a lot clearer.

Both Cameroon and Morocco were humbled in their opening group outings and now go head-to-head in Yaoundé on Sunday. Egypt, having dropped potentially vital points at home, seek to revive their campaign away against long-standing rivals Algeria.

Guinea hope to overturn a run of five successive defeats in head-to-head matches with Ivory Coast when they host a Group E tie in Cotonou, also on Sunday.

Of particular interest is the Group B clash between Kenya and Nigeria.

Nigeria's Super Eagles came under heavy criticism following their opening draw with Mozambique but their recent friendly win over France has restored morale.

Now they are at home against Kenya, whose own build-up has been disrupted by a pay dispute between their coach Antoine Hey and Football Kenya Ltd., which runs the game in the country.

The team left for Nigeria without him but he is now on his way.

Hey is planning to exploit the perceived differences within the Nigeria camp.

"I think they [Nigeria] are very much under pressure at home after the result in Mozambique," Hey said. "We will try and get a result that no-one is expecting," he told the BBC.

Here are the current African qualifying standings.

Over in Group D, Ghana were at the World Cup in Germany and the Black Stars gained a taste for the biggest stage.

They started this round of qualifying with a win but will be missing a series of high-profile players in their squad for a trip to Mali.

Sulley Muntari, Stephen Appiah, Derek Boateng, Asamoah Gyan and Laryea Kingston are all out of action.

Mali's coach Stephen Keshi will have high hopes of securing a valuable win as he goes into the game with a fully fit squad.

In the other match in this group, Benin host Sudan, who must turn themselves around after a heavy 4-0 defeat in a friendly international against Tunisia.

Benin are hopeful of continuing the good form they showed in the previous round, after their narrow defeat by Ghana.

Squirrels' midfielder Romauld Boco says the team are in good spirits.

"We have played a lot better in the last 5 years, [because] we are the same group of players and we know each other very well," he told the BBC.

"The game against Sudan is the most important game for us."

The top team in each group goes to the World Cup.

Here are all the matches scheduled for this weekend:
Saturday 6 June 

Zambia-Rwanda, Malawi-Burkina Faso, Gabon-Togo, Tunisia-Mozambique

Sunday 7 June

Cameroon-Morocco, Benin-Sudan, Nigeria-Kenya, Guinea-Cote d'Ivoire, Mali-Ghana, Algeria-Egypt

Top 10 African Youngsters at the 2010 World Cup

My friend Tom Legg has a keen eye for talent. He's often telling me about this new prodigy or that new wunderkind that I should be keeping my eye on. He knows more about the Beautiful Game than just about anyone I know!

With that in mind, I asked him if he'd share a post he recently started on the famous soccer forum BigSoccer.com about the Top 10 African Youngsters every one will be talking about come the 2010 World Cup.

I hope to share more of Tom's insights with you in the future.

With that in mind, take it away Tom!
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I started a review of the top 10 African prospects back in 2005 and have only recently begun updating my initial reviews of them. For those of you interested in joining in on the discussions, please visit the forum post here.


The list below highlights some of the best under-23 African players and other young players I expect to be on your lips, and the lips of many European pundits come the end of the 2010 World Cup:

1. Taye Taiwo (Olympique de Marseille/Nigeria): Over the last three season Taye has made the left back berth at OM - and Nigeria - his own. Although his development into a 'battering ram' attacking full-back has drawn praise from some quarters, its his defensive limitations - positioning, lapses in concentration and slow in the transition - that have deterred English and Italian suitors. He is without doubt a fantastic left back on his day; a pocket rocket with a shot to match, strong in the tackle etc., I only hope he gets the opportunity to move to a Premiership club at the end of this season to aid his development further as I for one would love to see him blossom into a excellent - all-round - left back in time for the 2010 World Cup.

2. John Obi Mikel (Chelsea/Nigeria): Being a Man Utd fan I should resent John Obi for what he did to us prior to joining Chelsea, but I don't. Over the last two season John seems to have finally settled down in London, securing a place - in the absence of the excellent Michael Essien - in the heart of the Chelsea midfield. But for those of us who watched John in his earlier years at Lyn, there is a hint of disappointment when I see him sitting in front of that Chelsea defense, void of creative duties. Of course he is currently not a spot on Frank Lampard as an attacking option in the middle, but give the lad a chance at least. The Chelsea fans I know are still not keen on him, generally speaking, but that's mainly due to them never seeing him played consistently in a position that suits him best. Saying this, I do believe he could turn out to be a more than effective defensive midfielder, if Chelsea decide to settle on that role for him and coach in accordingly. But there will always be a hint of ‘what if’ in my mind when I see him play. Lets hope in the next two season he can settle into a position and begin to convince the doubters out there. He certainly has the potential.

3. Alex Song (Arsenal/Cameroon): The defensive midfielder is seen as the most utilitarian player in the Arsenal first team this season, playing right back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, central defender and left winger. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to watch the young Cameroonian play, imagine a player with the squad standing of John O’Shea (Man Utd) but double the ability (Man Utd fans out there, don’t you dare even think of retorting to that statement).



Without a doubt, Alex’s best position is sitting in front of the back four doing all the dirty work. The 21 year old's determination and sheer power in the tackle has made him a fan's favorite at the Emirates; during Arsenal’s ‘purple patch’ at the end of 08, Alex was one of the few players void of criticism from all of my Gooner “friends”. Similar in some cases to John Obi, let us all hope that Alex can find his place at Arsenal in the next two seasons, in time to impress us all in South Africa.

4. Jonathan Quartey (Kaizer Chiefs/Ghana): Currently playing for Kaizer Chiefs; to be honest, I haven't seem Jon play for a while. But the move to Kaizer's in 2008 is a positive step for the 20 year old. The PSL will give the central defender a good development platform and chance of being scouted to play in Europe; most likely France or England. ‘Giant Jon’ as he’s know in Ghana is a product of the famous Liberty Football Academy and first caught my eye at the 2005 U17 World Cup in Peru. A player who from an early age resisted the chance to move to Europe, preferring to develop in an environment where he's guaranteed first team football, Jon is a player with a firm grasp on his present and future development. He recently made his debut for the national team in Ghana’s opening World Cup Qualifying game against Benin.

5. Isaac Promise (Nigeria/Trabzonspor): Captained the fabulous Nigeria side in the Beijing Olympics last year and impressed several European/Nigerian scouts/officials at the competition. Currently playing for Trabzonspor - one of the top five in Turkey - and doing very well indeed. He has blossomed into a typical number 9, good on the ball, fantastic positional awareness and good first touch. The one thing he lacks at the moment? A decent goal ratio. A move to Germany or France would aid the 21 year old's progression greatly.

6. Stephan Mbia (Rennes/Cameroon): Regarded as one of the best all round midfielders in France, Mbia and Song will be the foundation for Cameroon’s midfield for the next 10 years. Song’s power, combined with Mbia’s unbelievable engine is a combination most international sides would be more then happy to have.


The 22 year old is regularly linked with moves to the Premiership; Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Tottenham and Everton who have all been keeping tabs on the energetic midfielder over the past two seasons. If he doesn’t move this summer, I will eat my hat and scarf!

7. Gervinho (Le Mans/Ivory Coast): The 21 year old forward is on a fast-track to success; he has already made 3 appearances for the Ivory Coast and is continually linked with the big clubs in France and Premiership giants Arsenal. By no means a prolific striker the young Ivorian is usually deployed as a support striker/winger. The worry I have for him is that the Ivorians are blessed with options on the wings and upfront; Baki Kone, Drogba, Kalou, Sanogo, Sekou Cisse, Arouna Kone, Dindane, the list goes on. I really hope Vahid takes a chance with the speedy Gervinho and includes him in the squad.

8. Andre Ayew (OM/Ghana): Son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele, Andre has been causing waves for Ghanaian youth sides over the past season. Dede - as he’s know - captained the U20 side to victory in the African U20 championships in Rwanda earlier this year and impressed continental and international pundits with his performances. Like Gervinho, Dede is regularly used as a winger/second striker for both club and country.


A quick turn of pace, good eye for goal and a decent box of tricks, he should develop into a more than useful asset for the Ghanaian national side. My worry with Dede is his build; relatively short and slightly built there are times when simply disappears in more physical games. For me he has to address this as the foremost area of development in his game if he's to be a success in South Africa.

9. Clifford Mulenga (Zambia/Bidvest Wits): Voted CAF Best Young Player in 2008, Zambia’s Ryan Giggs is one of Zambian football's biggest superstars. The speedy winger was, in his youth, linked to such clubs are Real Madrid and Lyon but the player has suffered from an hugely inflated opinion of himself over the past few seasons. His ability to striker fear into the eyes of covering defenders with his direct style of play has won over some Zambian journalists, but his petulance and ego leads him to over do the basics and frustrate team mates at club and international level. He has undoubted potential, and at 21 has plenty of time to grow up and realize that talent. Let's hope a World Cup stage will allow him to do that.

10. Anthony Annan (Rosenborg/Ghana): You may all rave about Ghana’s midfield three of Appiah, Essien and Muntari; but the apple of my eye is 22 year old Anthony Annan. I have saved the best for last folks, he’s brilliant in the tackle, quick in the transition and he will be coming to a TV screen near you in 2010. Those who worry that the decline of Stephan Appiah will have a detrimental effect on the Ghanian side, worry no more! With Appiah sitting in front of the defense - unable to move those old legs of his, Annan and Essien will do all the running... and then some.


Annan could become everything that Michael Essien has developed into, and more; his range of passing is far superior to Essien, with the young Rosenborg defender as comfortable with a 40 yard pass then he is with a 5 yard one. I hope for Ghana’s sake they play five across the middle when defending, then allow two; Muntari and Essien/Annan to bomb forward and support a loan striker.

Besides the players above there are two other players that you will not be seeing in 2010, but should hear more about in the coming two seasons.

Mcdonald Mariga and Osmane Jallow.

Osmane (Brondby/Gambia) is one of Gambian football's best kept secrets. Jallow currently plays for the famous Brondby IF in Sweden. Netted 5 in 10 this season and one Brondby fan I know has said the tall and agile Gambian is already a fan favorite. After a spell in Qatar with Al Ain and then Raja Casablanca, he made the move to Sweden at the start of this season. Already a full international with Gambia - 3 games and 1 goal - Jallow is one African player who's stock is rising by the game. He hit 11 in 15 for Al Ain and 15 in 19 for Raja. This kid is going places people. I've seen one league game this season - Brondby against SønderjyskE - where Jallow scored a sublime over-head kick. Big, quick and with a goals ratio to write home about, the striker will no doubt be on the radars of some of Europe’s elite this coming summer.

McDonald Mariga (Parma/Kenya) has not only blossomed into one of Parma's best players this season, but one of Serie B's most consistent and impressive midfielders. The tall midfielder was already on the verge of a Premiership move in 2007, but his £2.7 million pound move to Pompey broke down due to work permit problems. He moved to Parma instead, initially on loan, but impressed so much that cash strapped Parma decided to splash the cash on Mariga and make his move permanent.


This season's performances have drawn speculation that the midfielder will move to new pastures in the summer, with AC Milan and Juventus the most likely destinations. I only hope that if he does move in the summer, he will not be warming benches in Turn and Milan next season.

African Teams Slide Down World Rankings

FIFA released their world rankings last week and African teams feel heavily ... ouch!

Cameroon dropped two places to 16th and are now the only African side in the top 20.

Nigeria were 17th but have fallen six places to 23rd in February's list.

The biggest decline sees African champions Egypt drop 15 places from 15th to 30th position.

The Pharaohs' slump in the table is due to less importance being placed on their results over the last three years - namely their successes at the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008.

The wider decline in the rankings of African teams is caused by the fact that FIFA place more emphasis on recent results than those over the past four years.

Ghana's Black Stars are down 10 places to 35th, while Ivory Coast are down nine places to 36th.

The only non-movers from Africa in the top 50 are Morocco, who remain in 41st position.

The African sides that dropped down this month will be looking to improve on their positions in the upcoming final round of World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifiers, which begin next month.

Arsenal Linked With Steven Appiah

Looks like Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with Ghana skipper Stephen Appiah, who is out of contract and available on a free transfer.

Appiah trained with Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for almost a month, but coach Harry Redknapp has failed to sign him up.

The 28-year-old has had persistent knee injuries that have brought his club career to a halt, but he continues to feature for the national side and scored in the Black Stars’ 2-2 draw with Egypt in Cairo yesterday.

Appiah has previously played for Fenerbahce, Juventus, Parma and Udinese.

MY POV: Would be a nice pickup. His persistent injuries haven't helped his career but he's a good player and needs consistent play to achieve his former level. I love this move.

A Slew of African Friendlies

Tomorrow is World Cup qualifying for some of the world (USA-Mexico and some Asian Cup qualifying).

For Africa, it's all about getting ready for March's final Cup qualifiers.

With that in mind, the BBC's Durosimi Thomas looks ahead at the African friendly matches taking place on Wednesday ...

Nigeria play Jamaica in London.
Tunisia squares off against the always-tough Holland.
Reigning African champions Egypt play Ghana in Cairo.
South Africa plays Chile in Polokwane and Turkey takes on the Ivory Coast in Izmir.

Following is the Nigeria-Jamaica preview. Please click the link for a full preview.

This game is certain to attract a big crowd, given the large Jamaican and Nigerian communities living in London.

The John Barnes-coached Reggae Boyz are way below the Super Eagles in the world rankings, and Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu has named a strong squad.

Chelsea's Jon Obi Mikel, Joseph Yobo of Everton and Portsmouth's Nwankwo Kanu are set to turn out.

Amodu has stressed he sees the game as a crucial part of his preparations for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, which begin in March.

ESPN's Outside the Lines: Hungry For a Better Life

This article from today's ESPN.com Outside the Lines series really touched me.

It's about the Right to Dream football academy, which helps 'talented underprivileged African children play sport, obtain a first class education and develop key lifeskills to help them to achieve a better quality of life.'

The story takes place in Ghana and follows the scouts as they try to fill positions at the academy.

It's a gripping tale of poverty, helplessness and ultimately hope that will thoroughly move you.

Many families in Ghana see football as their only escape from the gripping poverty that overwhelms their daily lives. The kids in this story fight for their hope. Ultimately, only a few get to see their dreams fulfilled.

Please take the time to read this story.

For those of you in the States, the story appears on their Outside the Lines program today at 3pm.

Here is the beginning of the article. For the rest, please click here.

On the most important day of his life, Shadrak Kwabena wakes up hungry. He is 9 years old, his pencil legs covered in knee-high, hand-me-down yellow socks. This is the moment his mother imagined when she took him to the coach three years ago with a request: Please give my son a future.

He makes his way toward the mosque for morning prayer, the dirt streets pocked with rock and rubble. Around town, other boys slip into the predawn darkness. The ones who own soccer cleats wear them; parents save for months to afford the $12 shoes. Many come barefoot. Word has spread: A scout is in Tamale, with strange words and customs, who possesses the mystical power to change a person's destiny forever.

The coach, Sharhabib Mumuni, is at the mosque waiting on Shadrak and the rest of the Great Eagles. Mumuni has procured the best breakfast he can. Last year, the boys started game days with hearty porridge. Today, it's bread and tea.

Once they've prayed and eaten, the boys walk toward the field, which is ringed in barbed wire and, thanks to last night's monsoon, covered in large patches of standing water. Andy Farrant, a 23-year-old from England, surveys the damage. He hardly looks mystic. More like a first-year law student, with a lean build, a friendly, boyish face and a mother who worries about him in Africa, so far away from home. This is his show -- he's head scout, a volunteer, for the Right to Dream Academy. He will decide which boys come to the capital city of Accra and which stay behind. Playing God makes him uncomfortable. He's not blind. He sees the desperation. This is one of the poorest places in the world. He sees that the 20 coaches the academy invited have shown up with more than the allotted 10 players each -- one coach, who was not invited, has brought his team anyway. "Those boys who come from the North," Farrant says, "you're their chance in life."

Ghana Denies Match Fixing Allegations

In yesterday's post, we talked about allegations that the 2006 World Cup match between Brazil and Ghana was fixed.

Today, a strong statement by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), who say they are going to take legal action against Canadian author Declan Hill and his publishers over claims the Black Stars 2006 World Cup clash with Brazil was fixed.

The GFA is denying claims made in Hill's book 'The Fix' that has been serialized in the German news magazine Der Spiegel.

The claims are that an Asian betting syndicate influenced the result which led to Ghana's 3-0 loss to Brazil in the second round in Germany.

The football association has also lodged a complaint with the Ghana Police Service to investigate the matter in view of the allegations made against the FA and players of the senior team.

"Without prejudice to the foregoing, we have decided to seek the advice of our lawyers on any further cause of action that may be available against Declan Hill, and publishers of the defamatory statements."

Randy Abbey, a GFA spokesman, said that as much as it was a serious allegation, the FA would not jump to hasty conclusions but will read the book before investigating.

"We have to investigate the matter because it is a very serious allegation on the credibility of our country and our players," Abbey said in an interview.

"Since we are yet to read the book to know its detailed contents with regards to Ghana, making any definite conclusions would be jumping the gun, but we are not taking it lightly despite we being innocent."

The book has accused players of the Black Stars of taking less than US$1,000 each to lose the game against Brazil, a claim Abbey describes as a bizarre and serious indictment on the integrity of Ghana's world star players who featured in the match.

"It is unbelieveable that our world-class players who have served Ghana with integrity all along would throw a game for less than US$1,000 each when they stood the chance of getting US$700,000 collectively for winning the game. We have not had any such experience with our players in the past, and those making these allegations should be ready to face the music if it is found to be a hoax."

Hill claims in his book that large sums of money had been bet on Brazil winning by at least two goals, and a former Ghana international acted as an intermediary.

His work, which took three years to be published and which saw him visiting Ghana, said the research showed that a former Ghana international, Abubakari Damba, had acted as the middleman between Ghana's players and the head of a betting syndicate in Bangkok.

Declan also made inquiries about reports that some betting agents had tried to infiltrate Ghana's senior female football side, the Black Queens camp during their World Cup campaign in China last year.

MY POV: A strong declaration by the GFA. Really, what choice did they have? They needed to say something.

Still, an internal investigation needs to take place. Maybe some FIFA monitoring and maybe some independent council to further investigate are in order

Honestly, is anyone surprised? Not that Ghana is involved, but that match fixing takes place?
Let's hope these allegations are proven incorrect, for the good of the game.

Ghana-Brazil 2006 World Cup Match Fixed?

I've been away from the blog for a bit too long. That's life.

So today, Day One of a little project I'm going to undertake, where I post on the blog for 31 straight days. So dear reader, stick with me.

Today's big news, besides the ongoing transfer talk and the huge acquisition of Manchester City by a United Arab Emirates business group concerns the accusation of match-fixing at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

According to German weekly news magazine Der Speigel, the 2006 World Cup knock-out stage match between Brazil and Ghana was influenced by an Asian betting syndicate. What do we mean by influenced?

Fixed.

The magazine reports large sums of money had been bet on Brazil winning by at least two goals and a former Ghana international acted as an intermediary.

Ghana lost the last 16 round match 3-0 in Dortmund on June 27, 2006 which put Brazil into the quarter-finals, where they lost to finalists France.

The information in Der Spiegel comes from Canadian investigative journalist Declan Hill, whose book about betting on sport around the world is published in German on Tuesday.

Der Spiegel also claim their investigations show two matches in Germany come under suspicion after huge sums were placed on them by a Malaysian who has been convicted of attempted match-fixing.

According to the report, William Bee Wah Lim placed 2.8 million euros ($4.1 million US dollars) with Asian bookmakers on Kaiserslautern losing a first-division match at Hanover in November 2005.

As a result of Hanover's 5-1 victory, he won 2.2 million euros.

Lim placed almost 4 million euros on Karlsruhe beating Sportfreunde Siegen in a second-division match in August 2005. Karlsruhe won the game 2-0.

A Frankfurt court gave Lim a two years and five months prison sentence in June 2007 after he was convicted of attempted match fixing in the German regional league and Austria's first division.

He was released on conditional bail, but has since left the country and a warrant for his arrest was issued in January.

The German Football Federation (DFB) have said they will investigate Der Spiegel's allegations concerning the two Bundesliga games in 2005.

"DFB and the German League have so far no reference points that the matches mentioned are to have been manipulated," said a statement on the DFB website.

"Immediately after becoming known of the suspicious factors DFB president Dr. Theo Zwanziger and German League president Dr. Reinhard Rauball affirm both federations aim at a comprehensive clearing-up of the affair.

"Already on Saturday morning an inquiry was started to look into the games concerned."

German football endured the most serious crisis in its history in 2004 when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted having received 70,000 euros to influence the results of 23 matches, mainly second and third division games, between April 10 and December 3, 2004.

MY POV: This would be absolutely devastating news. No one wants to see professional football turned into professional wrestling, especially at an event as big as the World Cup.
If this story is true, all the work FIFA's undertaken to prevent this very situation will be for naught. An immediate inquiry needs to be undertaken, much like Germany's doing, to make sure world football isn't polluted by gambling syndicates.

I found this excellent interview on Der Speigel's website with the author of the book, Declan Hill. Here's the whole interview. I've included a small excerpt. It's a riveting account of Hill's attempts to track down the characters involved in the scandal. It reads like a James Bond 007 spy thriller.

SPIEGEL: You have spent three years investigating the international betting mafia. Have you lost all pleasure in football?

Declan Hill: I love football the way one loves a woman, but by now I ask myself quite early on in a match, whether there is anything suspicious going on. There are no precise statistics about betting manipulation in football, of course, but it is shocking how often people in the world of betting talk about matches that have been manipulated – not just in Asia or Eastern Europe, but also in the major football leagues, such as in Germany, and even during world championships.

SPIEGEL: On June 27, 2006 the match ended 3:0 for Brazil.

Hill: The Ghanaians played as though they were putting their whole heart into it, but then there were a number of stupid mistakes: passes didn’t succeed, the defense was careless, the team collected three stupid goals. After the game I was in the stands in Dortmund with tears in my eyes because I was convinced, at least emotionally, that the match had been fixed. I phoned Chin from the stadium: “I didn’t believe you, but you are a genius.” He said: “How can I be a genius if I earn so little money with this?”

SPIEGEL: Did you speak with (Ghana Captain Steven) Appiah about the accusations?

Hill: Not just with Appiah, but also with the goalkeeper Richard Kingson and other national players too. They all assured me that they were completely unaware of the manipulation of the team in Germany. However one of the players did admit that he had been approached by Asian betters in 2004 during the Olympic Games. And they all said that Appiah was the captain of the team and that you would have to talk to him. I then met with him in an industrial area in Accra. We talked in his car and he said that he had been approached a number of times in the course of his career and that he had taken money too. The first time was in 1997 during the under-17s World Cup in Malaysia and also in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens; however he had been given money in order to win games, not to lose them. He had then shared the bonus among the players.

SPIEGEL: Ghana’s team captain, who was until recently signed to Fenerbahce Istanbul, says that he has accepted money from third parties twice during his career?

Hill: That’s exactly what he says. I had trouble comprehending this, so I spoke to him again over the phone, and he repeated his account.

SPIEGEL: And during the 2006 World Cup in Germany?

Hill: He was approached there too, but he says that he refused. I also asked him whether the Malaysian had gone to other players too. He replied: “Yes, I think he did the rounds.”

Ghana Coaching Situation

So what's the deal with the coaching situation in Ghana?

Claude LeRoy is out, although we're not entirely sure why.

Now who takes over? Someone like Marcel Desailly?

Let's recap the situation:

* Claude LeRoy is out as coach of Ghana at the end of the month.

The Frenchman's contract was terminated a month early by the Ghana Football Association.
It had been due to run out at the end of June, but the GFA announced on Thursday that they had brought the date forward.

LeRoy took the Black Stars to third place at the recent African Cup of Nations, hosted by Ghana. They are also the top ranked team in Africa at the moment, according to FIFA's latest listing.

* So what happened?

"They offered me a new contract but I think it's the end of a chapter," LeRoy told the French news agency AFP. "I think I've given everything that I could give, I think it's for the best. Everyone thought I'd signed for another two years but no, the federation made me an offer, that's all," he said.

The GFA said it was confident of appointing a new coach in time for a May 23 friendly against Australia. Their 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begin at home against Libya nine days later.

* In an interview with the BBC days later, LeRoy didn't fully explain his strange decision to leave the post. Was he pushed out?

"It wasn't a problem of the terms of the new contract. I was very proud that they wanted to keep me," he added. He hinted that the break-up of his coaching team did affect his decision.

"My assistant [Sellas Tetteh] left for the under-20's and with Herve [Renard] my other assistant they couldn't renew his contract for financial reasons. We built a dedicated team of staff and as it wasn't possible to work with the same staff I think it was better to start on a new adventure."

He's unsure what to do next, though.

"I will see all the proposals that I receive and then I'll choose; it can be a club in Europe, it can be a national team in Asia, a national team in Africa, a club in Europe - maybe even in England," he explained.

* So what does Ghana do now?

Speculation has been rampant that former France and Chelsea star Marcel Desailly will take over.

The 39-year-old, who was born in Ghana, had in the past expressed interest in coaching the Black Stars but he's not interested right now.

"I am very flattered that fans and the media in Ghana want me to take up the post as the coach of the Black Stars but I have to say no for now," Desailly told BBC Sport.

"I have to put on standby the proposition of the people of my country and the massive media support."

Despite ruling himself out of taking over from Le Roy, the former defender is still confident of coaching the Black Stars in the future.

"My time will come," said Desailly, who helped France win the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000.

"When it does I will give it my best shot and use all the experience I have gained in my career in Europe to take Ghana to the highest level."

Even though he is disappointed at Le Roy's departure, Desailly is optimistic about the Black Stars' future.

He said: "Le Roy has done a very good job with the squad by holding it together and also bringing in young players for the future.

"The base is already there for success because of the quality of the squad and I know the players can achieve great things for the country."

MY POV: Tough times for many African powers as Nigeria, South Africa and now Ghana have had to change coaches.

This is a normal part of the off-season, where organizations assess where they are and where they need to go. Still, odd to see so many big-name coaches leaving their posts.

Are federations jumping the gun some, letting coaches go too quickly?
Or are foreign coaches simply not suited to the African game, coming into situations they don't fully understand and overestimating their power?
An interesting debate, now that Nigeria fully lobbied for a domestic coach.

Let's see who Ghana chooses. Should be an interesting choice before their friendly May 23rd.

African Squads in Midweek Friendlies

Much of the world played World Cup qualifying last night.

Others played friendlies in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

Africa was no exception as the continent prepares itself for the much-anticipated 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

First up, African champions Egypt were beaten 2-0 by the world's top ranked side, Argentina.

A full strength Egypt side, including controversial keeper Essam El Hadary, conceded two goals in the last 20 minutes to go down to the South American giants.

But in Pretoria, the upcoming World Cup hosts, South Africa, secured a deserved 3-0 victory over their own South American opposition, Paraguay.

In the process, striker Benni McCarthy became his country's top international goalscorer.

In other matches, Ghana lost to Mexico 2-1.

Ghana took the lead in this game, held at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground in London, but they were not able to hold on to it.

After a goalless first half, Michael Essien gave the Black Stars the lead with a driving shot from outside the area, which went in off the post.

But Mexico equalised in simple fashion, when Ghana's substitute goalkeeper, Patrick Antwi, slipped as he prepared to deal with a back pass.

Carlos Salcido punished his mistake.

Four minutes from time, Ghana captain John Mensah hauled down Adolfo Bautista in the box and Mexico's Pavel Pardo stepped up to convert the penalty and give his side the win.

Also, Morocco bounced back from their dreadful Cup of Nations campaign with a 4-1 win over Belgium.

It was a first win for stand-in coach Fathi Jamal, who took over after the departure of Henri Michel.

"After our dramatic exit in the Africa Cup, this really feels great. It has been a long time since we played like this," Morocco playmaker Mbark Boussoufa said.

Tunisia met Ivory Coast in France, and came away with a 2-0 win.

Goals from Tijani Belaid and Radhouane Felhi gave Roger Lemerre's side victory, although the coach is soon to leave his post.

Liberia scored a surprise 2-0 win over Sudan in Khartoum, in their first game under new coach Antoine Hey.

The first result of the day was a 1-1 draw between Uganda and Libya in Kampala.

Caesar Okhuti put the Cranes ahead in the 48th minute, with the equalizer coming in the 90th minute from Younes Shidani.

DR Congo and Algeria were in France for another match taking place near Paris.

Dieumerci Mbokani put the Simbas ahead in the 35th minute, but a late penalty converted by Kamel Ghiles meant the game ended 1-1.

Tanzania's game against Mozambique was canceled due to heavy rains at the old national stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Mozambique turned down a proposal to have the match played on Thursday.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe beat Botswana 1-0 in Gaborone, with the goal scored by Cuthbert Malajila.

Continuty Helps: LeRoy to stay with Ghana

Continuity is a good thing, whether it be in life or in football.

Look at the most successful clubs in world football. Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United. You'll see one of their main hallmarks as continuity, the ability to keep their top stars, add small pieces here and there and win trophies. Money aside, of course ...

That's why today's news that Claude LeRoy wants to lead Ghana's Black Stars to the 2010 World Cup is great news for the country.

Ghana's failure to win the 2008 African Cup of Nations on their home soil prompted many to think LeRoy's time in charge of the nation's footballing interests was up.

But the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has already asked him to stay, and the Frenchman has agreed.

"I think we are building a very good team; there are lots of things to do in the next two years", he told the BBC.

"We know we didn't achieve what we wanted to achieve," the coach said.

"But I think the image we left after the African Cup of Nations was a beautiful image. The quality of the team, the way we were playing, a very strong relationship between the players, myself and my staff - that seems to me the reasons the GFA decides this way."

Thanks to their strong performance in the Cup of Nations, Ghana is now 14th in FIFA's world rankings of footballing nations. Not too shabby.

LeRoy acknowledged that other coaches in a similar position would have lost their jobs, but pointed out that he has a strong track-record of commitment.

"I spent four years in Cameroon, four years in Senegal - this isn't the first time I have stayed a long time with a team in Africa," he said.

LeRoy is currently back home in France, following the Cup.

He plans to return to Accra next month, when he and the GFA will formalize their agreement, and start serious planning for the next two years.

"I am very very happy," he said, "but first we have to qualify for the World Cup and for the African Cup of Nations in Angola."

The start of that road will be a friendly international against Mexico in London on March 26th.

The match will be played at the home of Premier League club Fulham, Craven Cottage.

More Fallout from the Cup of Nations

More news coming out of Ghana in the wake of their hosting of the African Cup of Nations.

It seems that some tournament organizers are upset with all the empty seats at Accra's Obene Djan stadium during Sunday's final between Egypt and Cameroon.

Although no official attendance was given, the 45,000 capacity stadium appeared to be only around two-thirds full with swathes of empty yellow seats behind the goals.

The crowd was boosted by the presence of groups of organized fan clubs whose expenses are paid by sponsors, soccer federations or government agencies. Not real fans, but paid ones.

The only sell-out matches at the tournament were those involving hosts Ghana, who lost to Cameroon in the semi-finals.

Some group games were played in almost deserted stadiums and even the semi-final between Ivory Coast and Egypt was played in a half-empty arena in Kumasi.

Ghanaians have complained that ticket prices were beyond their reach and there have been numerous complaints that tickets were not available at designated sales points.

The tournament has suffered other problems, including a chronic shortage of hotels, while the Benin and Namibia teams said they had been approached by an unidentified man offering them money to throw games.

I suppose you can't win them all. Had Ghana won the tournament, maybe the organizers would have seen it differently.

Still, it's food for thought for Angola 2010 and South Africa 2010.

Make sure the infrastructure is in place. Make sure transport and accomodation are taken care of.

And make sure people can afford to buy tickets to the games.
All very important qualities to have when hosting an international tournament ...

Cup Final Preview: Egypt vs. Cameroon

First off, congratulations to Ghana, who came from behind to claim a consolation third-place finish at the African Cup of Nations after beating Ivory Coast in a six-goal thriller, 4-2.

Sulley Muntari's swerving 25-yard free-kick gave Ghana the lead on 10 minutes before Ivorian Boubacar Sanogo hit back with a quick-fire brace.

Quincy Owusu-Abeyie equalized after half-time with a solo effort before Junior Agogo struck on 80 minutes.

Ghana's Hamanu Draman then sealed the win with a 25-yard shot on 85 minutes.

So after the tears of their semi-final loss to Cameroon, we get Ghana's joy of staging a terrific tournament and beating a skilled Ivorian squad for 3rd-place.



And as we can see above, some terrific dancing from Michael Essien and the rest of the squad!!

Good going!!

Nevertheless, the main event is tomorrow.

The Grand Finale between Egypt and Cameroon.

One one side, we have the defending champions, somewhat of a sleeper heading into the tournament. On the other, a squad fueled by the grace of striker Samuel Eto'o and the machinations of veterans such as Chelsea midfielder Geremi and defender Rigobert Song.

So who wins? I don't know. I haven't seen either side play.

Still, we have history to go by. The Pharaohs defeated Cameroon's Indomitable Lions 4-2 in Group C's opening game in Kumasi.

But midfielder Stephane Mbia said this helped: "We started slow, but losing to Egypt spurred us on to the final."

Egypt coach Hassan Shehata countered, "We are champions of Africa now and we hope to still be after the final."

"Cameroon are a big team, but we've already beaten them in this tournament and that is a good sign for us to produce a good result on Sunday. All my players are motivated, they want to keep the title to prove that we are truly the champions of Africa."

Cameroon coach Otto Pfister, who led Ghana to the 1992 final, reacted differently to their earlier loss to Egypt: "We've progressed match by match. Perhaps we started badly but we always know how to react."

Egypt seem to be peaking at the right time. And it's not like their earlier match against Cameroon was that tough for the Pharaohs. As the Guardian's Paul Doyle puts it:

... the fact is (Cameroon) were utterly dismantled, the Egyptians' clever passing and movement making the Indomitable Lions look oafish. While it's true that Cameroon have improved since then, largely thanks to the emergence of (youngster Alexandre) Song, so too have Egypt - not least because of the return to fitness of Mohammed Aboutreika, the Al Ahly playmaker whose balance, intelligence and probing have made him the classiest player of the tournament.

With their slick five-man midfield and smart attackers such as Amr Zaky and Mohamed Zidan, Egypt are experts at pulling teams apart. They won't constantly lob crosses into the box the way Ghana did, instead they will create holes and thread their way through them. Andre Bikey's suspension will make that task even easier. Wael Gomaa will shackle Samuel Eto'o and Hassan Shehata will become only the second manager to win back-to-back titles.

I think he likes Egypt in this tournament ... Also something to think about: Egypt have looked equally polished in defense and attack, with keeper Essam El Hadary in particularly good form. So they're a balanced, tricky side with few holes.

Also, they have the luxury of being healthy. Egypt skipper Shehata has a fit squad to choose from. Cameroon are sweating it out to see if Arsenal midfielder Alexandre Song recovers after being stretchered off at the end of the semi-final win over Ghana.

The young Song missed his side's final training session before the final to add to his coach's anxiety.

"The doctors reckon it's not serious. It's not a ligament problem," said the player's cousin and Cameroon captain Rigobert Song.

Cameroon are also missing Andre Bikey, the Reading defender who was sent off in the 90th minute in the semi-final for shoving a medical official tending a stricken team-mate.

So what do people in Ghana make of this unexpected final?

As writer Greg Lalas reports in today's New York Times Goal blog, not many people care.

“Cameroon-Egypt will not get people to the stadium,” Jerry Ayensu, a sports commentator for local channel Metro TV, said. “I mean, some will come, but there will be no atmosphere. You’ve seen Ghana games, how colorful, how loud, how much feeling in the Ohene Djan Stadium. Sunday will have very little of that.”

It is a final, though, so even if the Ghanaians are too saddened to care, other parts of the continent cannot wait. In Yaounde, the celebrating began right after the Indomitable Lions’ victory and will only ramp up on Sunday.

In Cairo, the traffic might actually subside for 90 minutes when everyone stops to watch the game. (There are events elsewhere, too. A friend working for an NGO in Juba, Sudan, has organized an educational match-viewing party. “We’ll watch some football and hand out some condoms to help fight the AIDS epidemic,” she said.)

What will be lacking in atmosphere, the Egyptian side might be able to make up for in performance. Coach Ali Hassan Shehata’s Pharaohs are awesome, capable of breathtaking creativity and teamwork. They calmly and collectively destroyed the impressive Ivorians the other night.

Striker Amr Zaky is a poacher and tricky playmaker Mohamed Aboutreika could be mistaken for a Brazilian. The attack has now notched 14 goals in five games, including a 4-2 drubbing in the group stage against the same Cameroonians they will meet on Sunday. In back, they are organized and goalkeeper Essem El-Hadary is right now my vote for the Golden Ball award.

With all these players, odds are the Egyptians will defend their title on Sunday and add to their record tally of five Nations Cup trophies.

I think he likes Egypt, too. Read the rest of the blog entry by Lalas to see his theory for why the Pharaoh's African Cup success doesn't seem to translate to World Cup success.

One theory? They're just too tired. The bulk of players on the national team make up the Al Alhy football club, the most successful club team in Africa.

As Lalas points out, 'With the Cup of Nations every two years — as opposed to every four, like the European Championship — the international schedule is crowded. Add to that domestic play with big clubs like Al-Ahly and Al-Ismaily, which must also participate in the African Champions League, and it is understandable why the Egyptians are exhausted when the World Cup comes around.

“For example, many of the Al-Ahly players have been going straight for three years,” Nazhar said.'

Good point.

Anyways, that's a discussion for another time. For now, we're ready for Egypt-Cameroon in the African final.

I can't wait! And I hope you can't either.

My prediction? Egypt in a close one, 2-1.

Have fun!!

Ghana in Mourning

Ghana were oh-so-close to getting the job done, to making their way to the African Cup of Nations final on their home soil.

But with their 1-0 loss to Cameroon in yesterday's semi-final, all those dreams came tumbling down. Hard.

Today, a report from BBC News about the emotional aftermath of yesterday's loss.

People in Ghana are taking it very, very hard. Have a read here and click above to see some images from the BBC's 'Nations Cup diary.'

Ghana do have one game left, against the team many thought they'd play in the final: Ivory Coast. Should still be a good game. Just not the one everybody anticipated ...

Ghanaians are not moving with a spring in their step this morning - their dream of lifting the Nations Cup trophy remains just that.

For the 600 fans who crowded into a square in central Ho to watch the Black Stars take on Cameroon's Indomitable Lions on a big screen, an earlier cloud burst set the tone for the tears to follow.

"I am not happy about what they did," Stanley, a 12-year-old boy, exclaims passionately after the 1-0 defeat.

"They tried but - but they didn't try hard to score a goal."

As the music blares out from giant speakers to try and ease the aching hearts, some are more philosophical.

"I still have hope - this is not the end of the world and there is nothing we can do," a young man called Joseph said.

Others still believe there is still something worth fighting for.

"We're going to pray and correct our mistakes for the next match so we can win third position, which will be played on Saturday," says a man aptly named Courage.

Jinx

Few expected Ghana to err against Cameroon and the arguments and debates continued in Tank Rank square for hours.

"We had problem with the defence and midfield too. We have to have more skilful scorers to be able to break and penetrate that wall. That is our problem," says Anthony, a worker at the Volta Region Hospital.

Both semi-final results are what Ghanaian football fans least wanted and this raises the question about whether attendance will be reduced for Sunday's final in the Accra stadium - Egypt v Cameroon - and at the big-screen arenas around the country.

"No, I won't watch, because I'm sad," a teenage girl says on the verge of tears.

She seems most upset that Laryea "Rasta Man" Kingston - the Ghanaian midfielder was not selected for the match.

"As Ghana has been defeated I think the tournament will not be interesting any more. Me personally I don't think I'll follow it anymore," another man says.

But Anthony, in a more sporting frame of minds, says: "Football is a game, either you win or you lose. So each and everyone should go to the stadium on Sunday."

On the eve of the match, police across the country warned fans to contain their enthusiasm and not to over celebrate following several fatalities after Black Stars' victories.

This morning they'll be hoping they didn't jinx the result.

The Final: Egypt v. Cameroon

Talk about unexpected.

I saw a Ghana-Ivory Coast African Cup of Nations final happening no matter what.
How could Cameroon stop the Black Stars on their home turf? How could Egypt defend their title against the hungry Ivorian Elephants, who wanted revenge from their loss against the Pharaohs in the 2006 final?

I was wrong, very wrong.

Egypt, who beat Ivory Coast on penalties in the final two years ago, thumped the Ivorians 4-1 in their semi-final in Kumasi on Thursday. Cameroon reached their sixth Nations Cup final with a 1-0 victory over hosts Ghana in Accra.

So the game's set. Egypt-Cameroon for the right to call themselves African champions!

I didn't see the games today. Work pulled me away. But from what I read, Ivory Coast's reserve goalkeeper Stephan Loboue was somewhat to blame. Loboue came on for the injured Boubacar Barry in the 39th minute.

As for Cameroon, they fought and fought in what was described as a dingy, dull game.
Substitute Alain Nkong's second-half goal gave the Indomitable Lions the win and a place in the final.

Poor Ghana. What suffering must be going on in the host country. So many expectations, so much energy coming off of Sunday's super victory against Nigeria.



"I was never as sad in my career as I am today," said Ghana coach Claude Le Roy.

"It's a terrible deception to lose this game. I can understand how sad the people of Ghana are tonight."

And I Thought the Super Bowl Was a Big Deal: More Ghana-Nigeria

The Super Bowl was an amazing game for gridiron fans.
Drama.
Intensity.
A story line of good vs. evil that couldn't be believed.

Still, this pales in comparison to the match-up that took place in Ghana on Sunday between Ghana and Nigeria.

Here, a taste from Jeff Klein of the New York Times' Goal blog about the fall out from Ghana's 2-1 victory over Nigeria.

There were two Super Bowls happening in the world on Sunday — the one in America with the Giants of gridiron football, and the one in Africa with the two giants of African football: Ghana vs. Nigeria. Both games were amazing.

No rivalry anywhere on the continent is as intense as the one between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Super Eagles of Nigeria, and when they met Sunday at a packed Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, a berth in the African Cup semifinals was on the line. Nigeria went ahead 1-0, but Ghana rallied on goals from Chelsea’s Michael Essien and, while down a man, from Nottingham Forest’s Junior Agogo to beat the Super Eagles for only the second time in tournament history, 2-1. Highlights are here:



The victory was not only huge for Ghana in the tournament, it was huge in the Ghanaian imagination. As the Accra Daily Mail put it, “Wow!“, and within hours of the Black Stars’ triumph over their West African rivals, this song was cooked up (“These Nigerian suckas think they can come here and score, so we discipline them”). That was a response to this Nigerian joint, which was recorded before the game and told how “When Nigeria catch Ghana we go hammer them”.

As it turns out, it was the Super Eagles who got hammered, or, as The Guardian of Lagos put it, the Super Chickens.

Meanwhile back in Ghana the celebrations went on unabated. In Tamale, according to Ghana News Agency, citizens “of all ages went into joyful celebration with the noise pervading the air as though the people of Dagbon were celebrating their annual fire festival“, even as, elsewhere in the country, “Fans go gay in Sekondi”. Finally, if you think Ghanaian news organization are above gloating over knocking off Nigeria, have a look at this page and think again.

I tell you, I am falling in love with the majesty of the African game. It's intense on so many different levels than the European or even South American game is.

From my uneducated perspective, African football is on the verge of making a MAJOR breakthrough. I'm not saying a 2010 World Cup victory. But more fans will be more aware of the quality of this continent's football. It's right around the corner.

I hope I can shed even a small light on the beauty that is African soccer.

I Finally Saw a Match: Ghana-Nigeria

So after all this time writing about African football and my journey to the 2010 World Cup final, I finally got to see an African football match. And it didn't dissapoint.

Ghana-Nigeria was as good as it gets. Drama. Something on the line. Genuine antagonism. A boiling cauldron of a crowd. All the elements were there for a great football match. I can honestly say it was one of the better ones I've seen in some time.

I arrived early to grab a seat at my local football bar, Nevada Smith's. I figured many people wouldn't be there to watch the match, the bar being Irish and all. But I was wrong. By kickoff time, the place was jam-packed with Nigerians, Ghanaians and other fans curious to see the action. The place was hot and sweaty with anticipation.

The screen shots were poor. It was as if the game was being funneled to us from someone's iPhone. But the sound was excellent and we could hear the crowd pulsate with every neat ball flick and every near goal.

Here are some thoughts I jotted down from my first African football experience:

- There's loads of talent on both sides. This Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie is quite good! Where does he play?

- Yakubu is not a good finisher. He had two good opportunities in the first half and fluffed them both.

- In the first half, Nigeria had opportunities but no real penetration. They played long-ball style, which to my untrained eye means they lack confidence in their midfield.

- A penalty! The throng at the bar exploded, so I didn't catch what he called. Was it a hand-ball? Yakubu finished that one, though. 1-0 to the Super Eagles.

- Ghana has loads of possession but no real shots to show for it.

- Strike my words! Goal by Essien! Beautiful header!

- It's a scrappy game, lots of hard fouls. It's clear these teams do not like each other.

- The Ghana goalie comes off his line to head a ball out of the offensive zone only to leave his net unattended. The ball comes in, the goalie runs back and *just* flicks the ball over the net. Great save!

- The 2nd half was much quicker, fast-paced and dramatic than the 1st half. They turned the engines on.

- Red card! A mental lapse or what some may call a 'professional foul' by Ghana captain Mensah. Ghana will need all their resolve to hold off Nigeria being down to 10 men.

- I can't say Ghana is playing for a draw. 10-man Ghana is still attacking with poise. They're being given loads of space by the Nigerian defense.

- The referee isn't very good. His personality is taking over the game.

- Ghana striker Agogo missed a sitter!

- Strike my words again! He scores a fabulous goal! The crowd goes wild in Ghana and at the bar! I am being doused with beer and hugged by strangers!!

- Who is down to 10 men here? Ghana look the better of the two.

- 89th minute and Nigeria is furiously battling for the equaliser. They're coming close!

- And it's over! Ghana are through!

What a game! What an atmosphere ... I really enjoyed my first-ever African football experience ... can't wait to see more!!