It is ironical that at such a crucial moment, wizard manager Alex Ferguson should get his permutation wrong. His starting line up against Barcelona was most incapable to withstand the impeccable passing game of his opponents. The huge gap in the midfield looked like a stable without a gate and the dominance of the Spanish team was not in doubt.

No one begrudges Sir Alex for his innate affection for Ryan Giggs but it is now obvious the amazing winger is past his prime. He has achieved so much for Manchester United that he has nothing more to add to his legendary status and he should be given a break. I admire Ferguson’s penchant for always wanting to create history and I suspect he wanted Giggs to end his illustrious career with another European glory being a part of the all- conquering 1999 squad but it turned out to be an anti climax. Infact, I did not notice Giggs’ presence on the pitch until he was substituted.

All this is not to take the credit away from Barcelona for their splendid show. They were the better all round team on the night and the two goals they scored were excellent. The curtain raiser by E’too was typical of a good striker’s quick thinking. In a matter of seconds he completely mesmerized three defenders plus the goalie. And the second goal by Messi was also superb. This was precision header at its best and Messi showed that despite his diminutive size (5ft 7in) he could also be dangerous in the air. Messis’s performance on the night confirmed his claim to be the world’s number one as his close challenger Cristiano Ronaldo was eclipsed and almost took refuge in uncharacteristic robust tackling.

Barcelona deserved their victory and all those who are uncomfortable with the domination of English clubs in European football must be on cloud nine by now So also are the numerous football fans who openly display their dislike for Manchester United for “selfishly grabbing too many trophies.” In my home country Ghana, there were several radio announcements calling for an alliance against Manchester United and victory parties continued late into the night. This is the magic of football.

On a lighter note, I would suggest that Barcelona presents the trophy to the Norwegian referee who handled their semi final against Chelsea. The knight of the whistle was extremely generous to Barcelona on the day and when the history of the tournament is written his name must be in letters of gold.

It is too bad that the euphoria surrounding the European Champions’ league has completely eclipsed the sudden revival of Ghana’s champion club Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the local premier league. Within a week in change of management of Kotoko the fast dwindling warriors are back to their traditional winning ways scoring two important victories on the trot. First they survived an early goal deficit to beat Sekondi Eleven Wise 2-1 in an away encounter and returned home to whip Tema Youth 3-0 at the Baba Yara Stadium.

These two spectacular victories have set the stage for an epic battle against league leaders Accra Hearts of Oak on Sunday May 31. It was Hearts that set Kotoko reeling on the path of destruction with a neat 2-1 win in Kumasi in front of a record gate. Kotoko never found their poise after that defeat. The Porcupine Warriors struggled to survive until those dramatic changes in management brought Coach Herbert Addo who has won six points in two matches as against the previous one point in four matches that he inherited.

Ghanaian football authorities are worried that European football is overshadowing the local competition. It is therefore God send that just at the close of the European season we should have on our hands an attractive fixture that will definitely top the charts.

Matches between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak have their peculiar attractions often bringing in its wake over crowding and violent scenes. It is hoped measures would be taken to avoid the nasty overcrowding we had in the first match at the Baba Yara Stadium which is a much bigger venue than the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.

I repeat my message that sporting venues must be made to remain a place of entertainment and not where lives are lost due to poor planning by sports authorities.

Cheers everybody and keep loving sports.

FROM MY ARCHIVES (May 27th)

May 27th 1993: Frankfurt’s Ghanaian striker Anthony Yeboah, scored once in his

Club’s 3-0 victory over Kasierslautern to stay on top of the German Bundesliga goal king race.

Meanwhile, UEFA has ruled that the four goals scored by Yeboah in Frankfurt’s 5-2 victory over Uedingen should stand to his credit. UEFA says the decision to field four foreign players in the match instead of the stipulated three was the fault of Frankfurt officials not Yeboah.

May 27th 1994: The sparkling new uniforms that Colombia national soccer team was going to wear for the World Cup have mysteriously disappeared, the FA said in Bogota.

May 27th 1995:Liverpool are to put up a memorial inside their Anfield ground for the victims of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

May 27th 1998: Tony Ayala a former world junior middleweight contender who went to prison in 1983 for raping a neighbour and has said he is eager to return to the ring has been denied parole.