The Great Ghanaian Football Scandal

[Thunderblaster]

Clubs demoted in Ghanaian scandal
Durosimi Thomas
BBC Sport, Accra



The scandal is a blow to the 2008 Nations Cup hosts Ghana

Four clubs in Ghana's second tier of football have been demoted to the fourth tier by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for match-fixing.

The quartet - Great Mariners, Nania FC, Okwawu United and Tudu Mighty Jets - were also fined US$20,000 following Wednesday's findings.

The GFA also decided to ban certain players and officials from the clubs for a year.

All the players who were on the pitch at the end of both games, including two late substitutes, have been banned for 12 months from all competitions organised by the GFA.

The ban affects three-time African Footballer of Year, Abedi Ayew Pele, who owns and manages Nania FC.

Nania and Mariners were level on points in their group and needed to win their final matches to qualify for the country's top league, the Premiership.

Nania beat Okwawu United 31-0 while Great Mariners triumphed 28-0 over Mighty Jets in the First Division last month.

Pele was banned because he was present on the technical bench of his side on the day of the match.

Meanwhile, Mighty Jets have indicated that they will appeal their second ban in four years.

The Tudu-based club were banned for one year in 2003 for withdrawing from a competition organised by the GFA but were later reinstated after a court action.

"Our lawyers are studying the verdict but for sure we will appeal against this gross injustice that has been perpetrated without evidence," Mighty Jets president Abubakar Nallah told BBC Sport.

"There should be no illusions about this because we will fight this to the hilt, like we did in 2003."

A different scandal from a different continent!!

[superfrank]

I'm not familiar with the Ghanaian Second Division but I'd imagine scores like 31-0 and 28-0 aren't that common.

[stojkovic]

I'm not familiar with the Ghanaian Second Division but I'd imagine scores like 31-0 and 28-0 aren't that common.

Is this recent.

I remember reading about this two or three years ago or maybe something similar happened in another country.

Little known fact ;

The biggest scoreline is credited with 36-0 for Arbroath (I think) in a Scottish Cup match back in 1880's. But on the SAME DAY another team won 35-0.

It's in John 'Motty' Motson's book. Who else.

[Lionel Ritchie]

The biggest scoreline is credited with 36-0 for Arbroath (I think) in a Scottish Cup match back in 1880's. But on the SAME DAY another team won 35-0.

It's in John 'Motty' Motson's book. Who else.

There's a story about a fife versus forfar game running late but being included in the classifieds with a latest score of four all. As yer man was getting to it Forfars late winner was registered leaving the announcer to have an unrehearsed pop at 'Fife four -Forfar five'.

Anyway -as regards Ghana -tis a cold a comfort to know there's an association out there even more corrupt than in this neck of the woods.

[EalingGreen]

There's a story about a fife versus forfar game running late but being included in the classifieds with a latest score of four all. As yer man was getting to it Forfars late winner was registered leaving the announcer to have an unrehearsed pop at 'Fife four -Forfar five'.

The version I heard was: "And news is coming in of another goal at Methil, where the visitors are coming back strongly: it's now East Fife five, Forfar so far four..."

Which reminds me of one of my favourite commentary stories, also from Scotland. Apparently the Jocks were playing Bulgaria, or some other team of players with exotic, hard-to-pronounce names. One of the radio stations had sent a new guy to report, who was woefully unprepared. Before long, he had made a thorough nuisance of himself, by continually asking all the other journos for help.

However, this only dawned on him fully in the second half, immediately after he updated his audience with the words:
"And the Bulgarian No. 5 is coming off, to be replaced by No. 16, Fuctiffvyno..."