It is good that Asante Kotoko fans kept their cool when irate Ittihad players from Libya went on the rampage at the end of the Confederation Cup match in Kumasi against Asante Kotoko that they lost 3-1. The Libyans destroyed electrical fittings and smashed a large screen plasma TV set in the dressing room in protest against what they described as unfair officiating by the Tunisian referee.

Cost of damage to property was estimated at nearly 4,000.dollars and the Libyan officials promptly accepted responsibility for the players’ action. Most observers of the Africa football scene are convinced that the behaviour of the Libyan team was to tempt Ghanaian football fans to react angrily so that they could in turn have an excuse for a brutal revenge when the national team, Black Stars, visit Tripoli next month for their crucial 2010 World Cup/ African Cup qualifying against Libya.

Ghana football has a history of such revenge. Nearly two decades ago Kotoko fans were maltreated in an Africa Cup match against Asec in Abidjan and there was some sort of retaliation in Kumasi which sent wild retributions in Cote d’Ivoire and some Ghanaians were even killed. It needed tacit diplomacy between the two countries before sanity prevailed. There is a lot at stake in the upcoming Ghana – Libya match and care must be taken to reduce the tension surrounding this fixture

The Black Stars share the top spot with Libya in the group league table with superior goal difference and the Libyans are bent on avenging the 3-0 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Black Stars in the first leg in Kumasi. Both Ghana and Libya have 9 points apiece. And reports from Libya indicate that the North Africans regard this encounter as a do or die affair. Before this clash of the titans in Tripoli which will definitely decide who should top the table, Libya will face Gabon and Ghana will host Lesotho.

Libyan football fans are not the friendliest in terms of hosting teams and the Black Stars cannot pretend to be expecting any red carpet reception in Libya. Notwithstanding the warm reception given to IItihad in Kumasi they will definitely tell tales of unfriendly treatment since they lost the match and especially when Kotoko were for once lucky to have the benefit of the doubts in two sticky situations, the penalty award and the disallowed Ittihad goal for offside positioning.

It is hoped by the time of this crucial match the Ghana Football Association would have solved its long drawn search for a foreign coach so that it would have the peace of mind to organize proper security arrangements for the Black Stars trip to Libya.. It is doubtful whether the nation would be prepared to accept any excuses for a sloppy show like what happened in Gabon.

This World Cup cum Africa Cup qualifiers is a long programme that needs long term planning and the football authorities must not be allowed to take things for granted. The 12 group winners and the best eight runners up will qualify for a second group stage where the first group winners will go to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

The top three in each group will qualify for the Cup of Nations in Angola bur the nation expects nothing short of a trip to South Africa and this means hard work and taking the right decisions at the right time. Over to you, Ghana Football Association.