Liberia call for Fifa probe

The head of Liberia’s football regulatory body, according to an Accra private FM station, has threatened to drag the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to soccer’s world governing body (FIFA) for an alleged football scandal involving Ghana and Nigeria.

The Nigerians are alleged to have influenced Ghana with $25,000 dollars to play a crucial World Cup qualifier soft for Super Eagles to enable them pass by Liberia’s Lone Star to the 2002 Korea-Japan finals.

The disclosure of the $25,000 handout several months after Ghana’s 3-0 loss in Port Harcourt, has generated a lot of furore in Ghanaian media circles, with officials defending the gesture as a gift from the Rivers State Governor and not a bribe as rumoured.

In an attempt to drive home a point, GFA chairman Ben Koufie, who received the said amount, acknowledged the receipt of the gift and stated that similar gestures were offered to Liberia and Congo DR who also played Nigeria in the oil-rich state.

However, the Liberian FA chairman, Edwin Snowe, said the revelation confirms their long held suspicion that Ghana and Nigeria fixed the game. As a result they were preparing a petition to FIFA to investigate the issue.

It’s belated though, but it is something we all knew of. We all saw the performance of the Black Stars against the Super Eagles and definitely we knew what went wrong,” Snowe said in an interview on Accra-based radio station, Choice FM, last Wednesday.

Nigeria needed nothing short of victory over Ghana to edge out Liberia for the group’s slot, but the 3-0 victory in which Ghana played the entire second half with nine men after first choice goalkeeper, James Nanor was replaced and his substitute, Osei Boateng was sent off- raised a lot of eyebrows.

But it is the $ 25,000 gift shared among the stars players and officials, which has strengthened Liberia’s believe that something surreptitious took place. Snowe said Liberia feel cheated but are not pressing for Nigeria’s disqualification. Instead, they hope to set the records straight and let the world know Ghana and Nigeria connived to ensure their elimination.

“We’ve always said the game was fixed. But that is the bad side of football and we are going to see what FIFA will do about it. “If nothing is done that’s it. But we need to let the world know that Liberia were robbed, that Ghanaians went to Nigeria not to defend their flag but receive a hand-out”, he lamented.

Claims that the Lone Star also benefited from the largess of Nigerians was dismissed by the Liberian FA boss, who rather ridiculed the Black Stars ,for trading their pride for pittance.

“You can ask the Nigerians; not a cent was given to us. We went there to win and qualify for the World Cup but Ghana went there for a handout. “Now the whole world knows Ghanaians are not principled as we’ve always believed, and that they go for peanuts. T hey sold their national pride to Nigeria and we are shocked that they would do such a thing”, Mr. Snowe lamented.

Ironically, Black Stars coach Fred Osam Duodu accused Liberian top striker and technical director George Weah of attempting to influence his players during Ghana’s 2-1 victory over Liberia in Monrovia. This charge was flatly denied by Weah who even threatened to seek legal action to redeem his image.