The exciting results being recorded at the closing stages of most of the European domestic leagues plus the Champions League and many of the leagues in Africa, notably that of my country, Ghana portends an enthralling FIFA World Cup in June.

I have this funny feeling that the first World Cup to be staged in Africa could provide one of the most exciting results in history. Don’t forget that Africa dubbed “the dark continent” by the colonialists is also known as the country of surprises. It should therefore not be surprising if they surprise the world in both organization and football content.

The four clubs, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Bayern and Lyon, fighting to win the accolade of Europe’s best, comprise many of the players who will represent their countries in the World Cup and their combined output so far is enough evidence that there would surely be fireworks in South Africa come June.

By a combination of circumstances, the two second leg semi finals of the European Champions League have turned out to be a real tricky affair.

Perhaps, hampered by the long 14 hour journey by road, Lionel Messi and his Barcelona gang of wonderful ball passers could not match the strict close marking by Mourinho Inter and they need to score two unanswered goals to reach the final back to back. It will be tough and this is where Messi would like to prove that the world is not wrong in voting him the best among equals.

It is all well and good that the Lyon- Bayern match would be played a day earlier. With the type of game we saw in the first leg, this fixture deserves to be a curtain raiser to the real thing in Barcelona. It is hoped both teams would raise their standards of play so that whoever reaches the final could provide a fitting opposition.

Football needs teams that can let fans wriggle in their seats like Wigan did to Arsenal by dramatically erasing a two goal deficit to win 3-2 in the last 10 minutes, or Tottenham fighting spirit in beating two serious title chasers Arsenal and Chelsea within a week, not to talk about Manchester United’s amazing winning mentality that spurred them to dismiss local rivals City barely twenty seconds to time.

Arsene Wenger has accused his players of being undisciplined. Indeed he meant tactical indiscipline because they have of recent failed to play to instructions, the sort of thing Alex Ferguson and Mourinho can boast of their players.

From Spain where Barcelona and Real Madrid are neck and neck, to Germany where it is a dog race between Bayern and Schalke 04, to Italy where it is a close fight between Roma and Inter Milan and England where it is a cat and mouse game between Chelsea and Manchester United, the players must have to take instructions from the bench in order to catch the golden fleece.

In my side of the globe where many football fans don’t put too much premium on the work of a coach, at least three coaches :- David Duncan of Ashgold , Herbert Addo of Aduana Stars and Johnson-Smith of Asante Kotoko have proved that  most games could be won from the bench.

With four matches to go, the Ghana premier league is a close contest between Ashgold and Hearts of Oak with Aduana Stars as the best outsider. Coach Johnson Smith came in as a last minute replacement for Paa Kwasi Fabin who was experiencing a torrid time. He has started well with two wins on the trot but the gap at the top is so wide that realistically his best would be a place among the top four.

Oh what an exciting football season. The World Cup fever is already here.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

FROM MY ARCHIVES

April 21 1993: Marseille booked their second European Cup final in three years and a grudge showdown with A.C.Milan who were banned for a year the last time the two sides met. Marseille beat FC Brugge 1-0. The final takes place in Munich on May 26.