June 30th is a date I will never forget. To be precise, it was June 30th 1982 in London. I had just completed a 12-week course in journalism at the Thomson Foundation Editorial Centre then at Elephant and Castle in Southeast London and had decided to spend an extra week or two enjoying a little bit more of life in London.

The 1982 FIFA World Cup was in progress in Spain and being an avid football fan, I was always glued to my television set to take pleasure in the football action. My younger brother Eric who lives in the UK had left on holidays in the West Indies and I had the whole flat to myself.

An early phone call on the morning of June 30th halted my morning sleep. My colleague, Peter Dwaah, the Ghana News Agency correspondent in the UK had had information that three High Court judges and a retired Army Major had been kidnapped and killed in Accra. He said he needed to confirm the story and hung up.

Before I could recover from my stupor, I had three more calls from other colleagues who had heard the rumours and sought to compare notes with me. I then decided to make a few calls of my own at the same time fiddling with the radio set to get a confirmation of some sort. An hour later I managed to hit one FM Station which said curtly that four bodies had been found 20 kilometres from the capital on the Accra plains suspected to be those of the murdered high court judges and retired soldier.

By noon the story had been confirmed and the names of the judges identified. I arranged to meet Peter Dwaah in his office where we went through all the stories filed by the various international news agencies on the Ghana story. As we pondered over the events at home, Peter had to deal with a plethora of phone calls from number Ghanaian refugees who had escaped from Jerry Rawlings’ 1982 coup.

Eventually, it was decided that since it was a World Cup day with an attractive fixture between Brazil and Italy at the knockout stage, we could comfort our souls with a good football match.

Both Peter and I are avowed supporters of Brazil and were naturally backing Socrates and his Samba senors to triumph. But that was not to be. Paolo Rossi of Italy rose to the occasion scoring a hat-trick that saw Italy eliminating Brazil 3-2. I was so depressed by the events of the day that I decided to cut short my holiday. I called Ghana Airways to book me to Accra on their next available flight.

June 30th 1982 was one of the saddest days in my life and I will never forget that date.

I doff my heart to South Africa and the USA for making the just ended Confederations Cup all that exciting. When South Africa failed to qualify for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, the feeling in football circles was that they were going to waste everybody’s time by hosting the World Cup. But Brazilian coach Tele Santana’s explanation that his boys would soon mature has been proved right at the Confederation Cup when they exhibited good brand of football only to miss the bronze medal by a whisker.

Against Spain, the European champions, South Africa played a superlative game matching their opponents in all aspects of the game. They were cruising to a memorable 1-0 win but it was a loss of concentration that gave Spain two quick goals in the dying minutes to turn the scales in their favour.Coach Santana would however be proud of the equalizing free kick that sent the game into extra time. You could see that the kick came straight from the textbook in Rio de Janeiro.

Even though another free kick gave Spain the winner in extra time, judging from the performance of South Africa throughout the tournament notably the semi final against Brazil, the football world has been told in plain language that South Africa will be a force to reckon with in the 2010 World Cup. They won’t be passive hosts.

Sports lovers usually have a soft spot for underdogs, for it is said that without surprise results, sports will cease to be exciting. That may be the reason why the USA team had a lot of backing to win the cup. Having dismissed Spain, the Europeans champions and Italy the world champions, it would have fit into the script to dethrone the cup holders and five times world champions Brazil.

And it was true to their new status as giant killers that USA took a commanding 2-0 lead against Brazil but it is also an axiom in sports that champions died hard. So Brazil rose to the occasion and rattled in three goals to retain the trophy they won four years ago. It could have been four if the referee had allowed a header by Kaka which was caught right in the net by US goalie Tim Howard. TV replays clearly showed that the whole circumference of the ball had clearly crossed the line. It showed good sportsmanship that Brazil did not make too much fuss of this incident at a time they were a goal down.

This is surely good for the game and it is hoped all sports practitioners would learn to accept defeat in good faith. From what we saw on TV, the 2009 Confederations Cup was a huge success. The world says Africa is full of surprises no wonder the first Confederations Cup to be staged in Africa produced a lot of surprises which is an indication that all must watch for even more surprises in the first World Cup to be staged in Africa in 2010.

Thank you South Africa for giving the football world such a surprise package both on and off the field. Give us more in 2010.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports

If the ongoing Confederation Cup in South Africa is a dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup in 2010, then we should expect a lot of surprises in FIFA’s first football fiesta in Africa. It is accepted that football is a most unpredictable game that knows no logic or mathematics but most of the results recorded so far in the Confederation Cup will baffle the most sophisticated football purist.

Who could have imagined that after Egypt’s great come back in retrieving three goals from Brazil only to lose on a disputed penalty, and then follow it up with a sensational 1-0 win over World Champs Italy, could succumb so embarrassingly to a “non- football nation” like the USA 3-0.

Analysts say Brazil are slow starters in such major tournaments but the way they surrendered their 3-0 lead against Egypt, did not give any impression that they could go far this time round but they have surprisingly netted six goals without reply in their two subsequent matches against the USA and Italy. The mathematicians will never get in right in football. If Italy beat the USA and Egypt beat Italy, then logically Egypt must win against the USA. But it doesn’t work that way in football and that is what makes it difficult to predict the outcome of the semi final pairings: Brazil v South Africa and Spain v The USA.

All I can say is that, watch out for thrills and even more excitement in the World Cup proper next year judging from the results of the qualifying series especially in Africa.

The first round has ended with giants like Cameroun and Egypt not too sure of their fate. Ghana, who the legendary Roger Milla predicted would be a World Cup threat once they make their debut, are living up to Milla’s prediction. Three straight wins in three outings have put the Black Stars in quite a safe zone but knowing the unsure nature of football, the game can only be over until it’s all over.

The worldwide notion is that, Africa is full of surprises and so don’t be surprised to see surprise qualifiers for South Africa 2010.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

I have on several occasions referred to a famous quotation by my late secondary school headmaster C.J.Bannerman of blessed memory that says “were teachers’ magicians no pupils would ever fail examinations but where native intelligence is lacking even the gods are powerless”. I would like to paraphrase it to read; “were coaches magicians, no teams would ever lose matches but where the players lack commitment even the greatest coach cannot deliver”.

I am submitting here and now that the trump card of the current senior national football team of Ghana, the Black Stars is their abundant commitment. Each player is fulfilling his role so well that the work of coach Rajevac and his assistant Kwasi Appiah has been made easy. It is just like a school teacher seeing his students pass exams creditably; he gets a real sense of satisfaction. Congratulation to this new generation of the Black Stars

As a long standing sports journalist, I have over the years had the privilege of working closely with famous coaches like Karl Weigang, Marotske, Burhard Ziese, C.K. Gyamfi, Ben Kwofie , Osam Duodu, Sunday Ibrahim, Kwasi Afranie and Sam Arday who have all handled the Black Stars one time or the other and I can say with some amount of authority that if players put it into practice what they are taught in training, football would never be a boring spectator sport no matter the final result of a game.

Unfortunately, perhaps by a combination of stage fright and lack of commitment the attitude of some players on the field of play make you wonder why they chose to become footballers. They forget that it is a tough sport and you can only reach the top through hard work and dedication.

Luckily, Serbian coach Rajevan and his able assistant have been able to assemble a Black Stars squad who don’t appear to be distracted by fame or money and are prepared to fight for honours. The future really looks bright for these young men. To score three straight wins in such an important tournament like the World Cup/ Africa Cup qualifying series is a marvelous achievement. I doff my hat to both the players and officials. This is what I call team work at its best.

In my forty years plus writing sports, I have seen Aggrey Fynn lead the Black Stars to win the Africa Cup for the first time in 1963; I was around when Addo Odametey led the Black Stars to retain the Africa Cup in Tunis two years later and I was right in the thick of the Accra Stadium crowd in 1978 that saw Awuley Quaye lifted the original Africa Cup for Ghana for keeps. I was also in Libya to see Emmanuel Quarshie leading teenagers like Opoku Nti, John Essien(zion train), Abedi Pele & co to win the Africa Cup for the then unprecedented fourth time.

I nearly forgot to recall that I was in Sudan in 1970 when John Eshun led giants like Robert Mensah, Oliver Acquah, Kwasi Owusu and Malik Jabir to reach the Africa Cup final only to be robbed by an overenthusiastic referee. To add confusion to disbelief, the Black Stars were deported 24 hours after the game by military leader General Nimeiry. But that is another story. My verdict is that the current Black Stars can match the fighting spirit and commitment of their illustrious predecessors if they maintain their poise and I have no reason to doubt their ability to shine when it matters most. Kudos! Boys. You have really shamed the pessimists who doubted your credentials to move Ghana football forward.

A thin 1-0 win at home and two sparkling away wins via two goals apiece is a record every football manager should be proud of. To recap, Ghana beat Benin 1-0 in Kumasi thanks to Prince Tagoe’s early strike, defeated Mali 2-0 in Bamako through Kwadwo Asamoah and Mathew Amoah and followed it up with another 2-0 win over Sudan in Omdurman last Saturday, Amoah getting both goals.

Most observers feel the Stars could have won the first home more comfortably if they had not been unduly distracted by a pre-match row over payment of bonuses and allowances. Ghana had taken a moral boosting early goal and the fans naturally expected a goal fest that never came. It is however a healthy sign of true sportsmanship that they quickly forgot the dressing room fracas and won their next two away matches in style with two unanswered goals on each occasion.

Now it is a hundred percent record at the end of the first round; three wins in three matches. The second round begins on September 5th with the Black Stars hosting Sudan. There is an away encounter against Benin in Cotonou on Oct 10 with the last match at home against Mali. It will be interesting to see the struggle for the first team to halt the Black Stars forward march to South Africa and Angola 2010. You can therefore anticipate a lot of thrills.

With nine points in the bag, Black Stars Serbian Coach Milovan Rejavec can have some sound sleep unlike his countryman Kosta Papic who is having things tough with premier league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak. The leaders established such a clear lead at the end of the first round that it appeared to be a one horse race but they have suddenly slumped terribly in the second round and the massive lead has been cut to five points with seven more games to do. Management is not enthused and the Serbian has been sacked.

As Papic leaves for home, his prayer would be that Rajevac would learn a lesson from his plight and tighten the Black Stars hold on top of the table. It is a sad story for Serbian Papic. He blames his players for refusing to play to instructions. Watch his lips, ”My players are disappointing .They are not ready to stick to the game plan and I am surprised at their behaviour on the field”. I don’t expect the other Serbian coach Rajevac of the Black Stars fame to make such remarks about his team.

This is the tale of two Serbian coaches which makes the sporting life quite interesting. Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

The Black Stars’ date with Sudan this Saturday in a World Cup/Africa Cup qualifying match quickly brings to mind a similar fixture in Omdurman eight years ago as both nations were seeking a place on board the 2002 Japan/ Korea World Cup and Cup of Nations in Mali.

On February 25 2001 in Omdurman, Sudan beat the Black Stars 1-0 in the third fixture of the qualifying series. Stars goalie Sammy Adjei, under pressure had caught the ball outside the box and the resultant free-kick won the day for Sudan.

Those who believe that soccer repeats itself are not surprised at the similarities surrounding Saturday’s match and the previous encounter eight years ago. In 2001, Ghana began the series with two matches against West African neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia before moving up north to face Sudan. And this year too, Ghana has had two ties against West African states Benin and Mali before facing Sudan once again. It had been a whirlwind start for the Black Stars in 2001 with a resounding 5-0 win over Sierra Leone and even though Liberia won the second match 3-1, Ghana was still considered a threat to outclass Sudan in the third match.

In similar circumstances this year, Ghana has started the series with convincing performances against Benin and Mali and if the form guide is anything to go by then the Stars should be able to account for Sudan despite the rather humid Sudanese weather at this time of the year.

The good news for Ghana is Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac has managed to instill a lot of confidence in his new look team with players like Kwadwo Asamoah, Papa Arko, Prince Tagoe, Matthew Amoah playing with much more poise and buoyed with the defty touches of high profile Michael Essien, the Black Stars are now as solid as a rock.

Coach Milovan Rajevac

Rajevac’s philosophy that “it is far better telling players what they can do well rather than what they can’t do well” is reaping good dividends. Team spirit is high and if they play like they did against Mali the other day, they can survive the Sudan hurdle and would have had one foot already in South Africa 2010 by the end of the first round of the qualifying series.

Coach Rajevac’s philosophy appears similar to those of newly signed on Herbert Addo of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, who has been able to transform the fast sinking club to winning ways. I prefer to tag him the Guus Hiddink of Ghana, the famous Dutch coach who brought sanity into the style of play of English club Chelsea after Scolari had been sacked for inconsistency. Hiddink, with the same ingredients moulded Chelsea into a terrific force and they eventually won the FA Cup just missing the European Champions League final through a blundering Norwegian referee.

Herbert Addo has within four weeks on assumption of office, and with the same set of players transformed Asante Kotoko much to the disbelief of a large number of the most fanatical supporter of the club. Three straight wins and one away draw in four matches is the proud record of Coach Addo so far and this has brought back the crest fallen Kotoko fans into the stands. Ironically, close rivals Accra Hearts of Oak who set a blistering pace in the first round and could have been declared Champions long ago if they had maintained their poise, are now gradually losing their rhythm. This has somewhat thrown the race open and pretenders like Heart of Lions and King Faisal are giving quite a chase that should lead to a stormy finish as the competition enters the home stretch with seven more matches to go.

This weekend, Real Tamale United who snatched a point from Asante Kotoko in a mid week encounter in Tamale will face the league leaders at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra, Asante Kotoko will welcome Wa All Stars to the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi, King Faisal will travel to Agona Swedru to face the All Blacks and Kpandu Heart of Lions will host unstable Liberty Professionals.

The other fixtures are (home teams first), Kessben v Obuasi Ashgold; Berekum Arsenal v Sekondi Hasaacas Tema Youth v Bechem Chelsea, Sekondi Eleven Wise v. Sporting Mirren.

These are all exciting fixtures and patronage is expected to be high which is good for the health of Ghana football.

FROM MY ARCHIVES (June 17th & 18th)

June 17th 1993: The Ministry of Youth and Sports has sent a message of congratulations to Tony Yeboah for winning the German Bundesliga goal king title. “It is our fervent hope that you will rise to even greater heights to inscribe the name of Ghana in letters of gold in the annals of world football”.

June 17th 1994: FIFA World Cup starts with Germany beating Bolivia 1-0 in the opening match.

June 17th 1995: Michael Johnson cruised to the fastest 200m of the year at the US championships in 20.04 seconds.

June 17th 1995: Riddick Bowe jabbed Jorge Luis Gonzalez silly, then knocked the 6ft 7. Cuban flat with a right cross in the sixth round to retain his WBO heavyweight title in Ls Vegas.

June 18th 1996: Algeria bans national soccer coach Ali Fergani and his deputy Mourad Abdelouchab for coaching for life and dissolve the national federation and the league following Algeria’s elimination by Kenya in the World Cup qualifying series.

Algeria lost 1-0 at home and were beaten 3-1 away.

A government spokesman said a national committee of reflection on how to re-organise and set right the management structures of soccer will be established to be headed by a significant.

June 18th 1997: Former heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick has waived an extradition hearing and will be returned to Florida following his arrest on a probation violation.

June 18th 1997: Two players of Okwawu United have been signed on by German Club Kaiserslautern; Adolph Mensah and Fiifi Mensah. They will finalise their contracts in the first week of July.

June 17th 1998: New FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has pulled back from efforts to bring the World Cup to North Korea.

Havelange had written to North Korea last year inviting them to stage at least one match in the 2002 World Cup being co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

June 18th 1998: Glenn Hoddle to manage Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon two year contract worth 600,000 pounds sterling as well as budget of £20million to recruit new players.