Ghana Denies Match Fixing Allegations

In yesterday’s post, we talked about allegations that the 2006 World Cup match between Brazil and Ghana was fixed.

Today, a strong statement by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), who say they are going to take legal action against Canadian author Declan Hill and his publishers over claims the Black Stars 2006 World Cup clash with Brazil was fixed.

The GFA is denying claims made in Hill’s book ‘The Fix’ that has been serialized in the German news magazine Der Spiegel.

The claims are that an Asian betting syndicate influenced the result which led to Ghana’s 3-0 loss to Brazil in the second round in Germany.

The football association has also lodged a complaint with the Ghana Police Service to investigate the matter in view of the allegations made against the FA and players of the senior team.

“Without prejudice to the foregoing, we have decided to seek the advice of our lawyers on any further cause of action that may be available against Declan Hill, and publishers of the defamatory statements.”

Randy Abbey, a GFA spokesman, said that as much as it was a serious allegation, the FA would not jump to hasty conclusions but will read the book before investigating.

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Another false dawn for City?

Manchester City fans aren’t used to breaking the British transfer record, but that was the headline that turned up after pub closing time once the Robinho deal had been completed. Despite what we might have feared, it wasn’t just the effect of the beer either.

The new owners, Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, immediately impressed supporters by trying to snub United, which showed intent even if the last-minute bid Dimitar Berbatov did not succeed. Beating Roman Abramovich and Chelsea to Robinho, though, really showed financial muscle.

Great news? Well it would be for most clubs. But those who have suffered through City’s if-you-don’t-laugh-you’d-cry history will not be counting chickens yet.

The last few days have typified the often farcical nature of the club — from seemingly flat broke and relying on short-term loans from directors, with an owner accused of human rights abuses in Thailand, to the richest club in England in just a few hours. 

This is a club that spent most of last season in the top four, only to lose the last match 8-1 to mediocre Middlesbrough; that spent the last few minutes of the 1995-1996 season wasting time to play out a draw when actually they needed a win to avoid relegation; and that, on its return to European competition in 2003, managed to go out to Groclin Dyskobolia despite playing Nicolas Anelka and Robbie Fowler up front.

Supporters haven’t yet forgotten those, or last year’s Thaksin- and Sven-inspired false dawn. A rosy glow from City’s nouveau riche status, the marquee signings and third place in the nascent Premier League table hangs over Eastlands.

But will this one last?

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Ghana-Brazil 2006 World Cup Match Fixed?

I’ve been away from the blog for a bit too long. That’s life.

So today, Day One of a little project I’m going to undertake, where I post on the blog for 31 straight days. So dear reader, stick with me.

Today’s big news, besides the ongoing transfer talk and the huge acquisition of Manchester City by a United Arab Emirates business group concerns the accusation of match-fixing at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

According to German weekly news magazine Der Speigel, the 2006 World Cup knock-out stage match between Brazil and Ghana was influenced by an Asian betting syndicate. What do we mean by influenced?

Fixed.

The magazine reports large sums of money had been bet on Brazil winning by at least two goals and a former Ghana international acted as an intermediary.

Ghana lost the last 16 round match 3-0 in Dortmund on June 27, 2006 which put Brazil into the quarter-finals, where they lost to finalists France.

The information in Der Spiegel comes from Canadian investigative journalist Declan Hill, whose book about betting on sport around the world is published in German on Tuesday.

Der Spiegel also claim their investigations show two matches in Germany come under suspicion after huge sums were placed on them by a Malaysian who has been convicted of attempted match-fixing.

According to the report, William Bee Wah Lim placed 2.8 million euros (.1 million US dollars) with Asian bookmakers on Kaiserslautern losing a first-division match at Hanover in November 2005.

As a result of Hanover’s 5-1 victory, he won 2.2 million euros.

Lim placed almost 4 million euros on Karlsruhe beating Sportfreunde Siegen in a second-division match in August 2005. Karlsruhe won the game 2-0.

A Frankfurt court gave Lim a two years and five months prison sentence in June 2007 after he was convicted of attempted match fixing in the German regional league and Austria’s first division.

He was released on conditional bail, but has since left the country and a warrant for his arrest was issued in January.

The German Football Federation (DFB) have said they will investigate Der Spiegel’s allegations concerning the two Bundesliga games in 2005.

“DFB and the German League have so far no reference points that the matches mentioned are to have been manipulated,” said a statement on the DFB website.

“Immediately after becoming known of the suspicious factors DFB president Dr. Theo Zwanziger and German League president Dr. Reinhard Rauball affirm both federations aim at a comprehensive clearing-up of the affair.

“Already on Saturday morning an inquiry was started to look into the games concerned.”

German football endured the most serious crisis in its history in 2004 when referee Robert Hoyzer admitted having received 70,000 euros to influence the results of 23 matches, mainly second and third division games, between April 10 and December 3, 2004.

MY POV: This would be absolutely devastating news. No one wants to see professional football turned into professional wrestling, especially at an event as big as the World Cup.
If this story is true, all the work FIFA’s undertaken to prevent this very situation will be for naught. An immediate inquiry needs to be undertaken, much like Germany’s doing, to make sure world football isn’t polluted by gambling syndicates.

I found this excellent interview on Der Speigel’s website with the author of the book, Declan Hill. Here’s the whole interview. I’ve included a small excerpt. It’s a riveting account of Hill’s attempts to track down the characters involved in the scandal. It reads like a James Bond 007 spy thriller.

SPIEGEL: You have spent three years investigating the international betting mafia. Have you lost all pleasure in football?

Declan Hill: I love football the way one loves a woman, but by now I ask myself quite early on in a match, whether there is anything suspicious going on. There are no precise statistics about betting manipulation in football, of course, but it is shocking how often people in the world of betting talk about matches that have been manipulated – not just in Asia or Eastern Europe, but also in the major football leagues, such as in Germany, and even during world championships.

SPIEGEL: On June 27, 2006 the match ended 3:0 for Brazil.

Hill: The Ghanaians played as though they were putting their whole heart into it, but then there were a number of stupid mistakes: passes didn’t succeed, the defense was careless, the team collected three stupid goals. After the game I was in the stands in Dortmund with tears in my eyes because I was convinced, at least emotionally, that the match had been fixed. I phoned Chin from the stadium: “I didn’t believe you, but you are a genius.” He said: “How can I be a genius if I earn so little money with this?”

SPIEGEL: Did you speak with (Ghana Captain Steven) Appiah about the accusations?

Hill: Not just with Appiah, but also with the goalkeeper Richard Kingson and other national players too. They all assured me that they were completely unaware of the manipulation of the team in Germany. However one of the players did admit that he had been approached by Asian betters in 2004 during the Olympic Games. And they all said that Appiah was the captain of the team and that you would have to talk to him. I then met with him in an industrial area in Accra. We talked in his car and he said that he had been approached a number of times in the course of his career and that he had taken money too. The first time was in 1997 during the under-17s World Cup in Malaysia and also in 2004 at the Olympic Games in Athens; however he had been given money in order to win games, not to lose them. He had then shared the bonus among the players.

SPIEGEL: Ghana’s team captain, who was until recently signed to Fenerbahce Istanbul, says that he has accepted money from third parties twice during his career?

Hill: That’s exactly what he says. I had trouble comprehending this, so I spoke to him again over the phone, and he repeated his account.

SPIEGEL: And during the 2006 World Cup in Germany?

Hill: He was approached there too, but he says that he refused. I also asked him whether the Malaysian had gone to other players too. He replied: “Yes, I think he did the rounds.”

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WAG, Yulia Dresses Well??

Well the Daily Mail reckons yes but I’m not so sure. yes it’s an improvement on the dreadful shell suits but its still not great!

The pregnant WAG took a trip to the shops with her fiance Andriy Voronin and son earlier in the week and looked ok, I suppose.

Well when you’ve worn an all-in-one leopard print shell suit with heels, any improvement is a good one.

Yulia wore a short silky purple dress that showed off all her bumps slightly unflatteringly, black patent heels and Louis Vuitton bag from a few seasons ago.

A little over-dressed for the shops but we’ll cut her some slack, on the positive side the colour was good and she was showing of some lovely pins. There that was nice!

Lets hope this is a step in the right direction for Yulia, and she’s burned those flippin track suits!!

But to be honest who are we to judge, she’s the one who’s bagged a footballer and he seems like a nice one too.

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BARCELONA SECURES ITS CHAMPIONS PRELIMINARY 1º LEG AGAINST WISLA WITH VICTORY (SEE VIDEO)

It was new Coach Guardiola´s debut for FC BARCELONA in its
Preliminary 1º Leg game to qualify for this years Champions League
against Polish side WISLA CRACOVIA, & his side did not disappoint.

The “new look” Barça dominanted throughout the whole game, &
although the final score was 4-0 it could have been much, much
more than what the final score reflects. Barça played well & moved
the ball in the stylish fashion they are famous for with Alves, Keita,
Henry, Puyol, Iniesta, Xavi & Eto´o standing out. However, it was
XAVI HERNANDEZ that deserves a special mention as he is
definately Europe´s best midfielder at this moment. So much so, that
Xavi got on the scoresheet tonight with his teams 2ºgoal in the 24th
min with a powerful “crack” from outside the box.

SAMUEL ETO´O showed why he has earned his place at Barça
& has made the Club “eat their words” by scoring two great goals:
in the 17th & the 83rd min. He is one of the World´s best Center
Forwards & Barça has earned itself money & regained a value
asset for its team. He is having an outstanding pre-season!

Great news for THIERRY HENRY who was mobile, in action,
quick, smart & scored Barça 3ºrd goal in the 50th min. He could
have scored more, but was unlucky & it was enough to show
everyone that he is motivated & that this could be his year.

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