It is good news that the Ghana Football Association has reacted quickly to that dangerous accusation of a bribery scandal against the Black Stars of Ghana in their 2006 World Cup match against Brazil in Germany. A Canadian investigative journalist by name Declan Hill has seriously indicted Ghana’s senior national football team in a book titled"THE FIX" which is about betting on sport around the world

Hill’s allegation is that large sums of money had been placed on Brazil winning the match in question by at least two goals. The initiators according to the story are an Asian betting syndicate and a former Ghana international goalkeeper Abukari Damba who acted as an intermediary.

Both Damba and the Ghana Football Association have decided to take legal action so I will reserve my comments on the matter. My only prayer is that the Black Stars would dismiss the allegation with the contempt it deserves and concentrate on Friday’s crucial World Cup/Cup of Nations second round qualifying match against Libya in Tripoli.

The first leg in Kumasi in June ended in a pulsating 3-0 victory. This was a rather flattering result for the Black Stars because the Libyans in sincerity played quite a determined game and they were just unlucky to miss the net at least twice when they came close.

The Libyans naturally rued the chances they threw away in Kumasi and so when their club side Ittihad got the opportunity to face Ghana’s favourite club Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the Confederations Cup match in Tripoli they made the best of the chance and whipped Kotoko 2-1.

Not too satisfied with the narrow score-line at home Ittihad had harboured plans to spring a surprise in the return leg in Kumasi. Full of fight they gave Kotoko quite a tough time and it took some doing before Kotoko could mount a 2-0 lead that appeared good enough to cancel the Tripoli result and send Kotoko to the money zone of the series. But the Libyans would not give in that easily Displaying amazing bravery they pulled a goal back midway through the second half throwing the contest into a possible penalty shoot out.

But the Libyans might have underestimated Kotoko’s ability in attack and they started to make careless mistakes that resulted in Kotoko carrying the day through a well taken last minute penalty through top striker Eric Bekoe.

It was a rather painful defeat but the visitors abandoned sportsmanship and in their fury destroyed a TV set and some electrical fittings in the dressing room If the trap was to get Kotoko fans to react violently so that an excuse could be found to maltreat the Black Stars in the impending World Cup/ Africa Cup match in Libya, then it failed The visitors were left to go in peace and their officials even agreed to pay for the damaged items.

Whilst national attention was focused on preparations for the Black Stars trip to Libya it came to pass that the Libyan Under 17 team had been billed to face their Ghanaian counterparts Black Starlets in the 8th African U-17 qualifiers in Accra… It turned out to be a one sided match. The Starlets proved too superior for the visiors. They showed no mercy and as if taking a cue from their seniors (Black Stars) they spanked the visitors 3-0 The Libyan youngsters are anxiously waiting for the return next week.

The similarities in the score-line for both the junior and senior matches in the matches against Libya creates quite an interesting scenario. For the Black Stars another similarity is the coming in of Serbian Coach Milovan Rajevac to take over the team at the start of the second round of the qualifying series. In the 2006 World Cup/ Africa Cup series a Serbian coach Ratomir Djukovic took over the Black Stars at the start of the second round. His first assignment was an away encounter against Congo Republic.

The only difference now is the position on the league table of the Black Stars at this stage of the competition in the two instances. In the 2006 series The Black Stars were second on the table with eight points, a point behind South Africa. This time round the Black Stars share the top spot with Libya on nine points but have superior goal difference.

Djukovic made an excellent debut by guiding the Black Stars to a pulsating 1-1 draw in Kinshasa after a rather unimpressive goalless home draw. In contrast Rajevan is taking the Black Stars to Libya on the shoulders of a marvelous 3-0 first leg win.

Let’s see how the Serbian connection will work out this time.