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Soccer News of Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Source: uriel cubagee (cubageeuu@yahoo.com

We Owe Nobody -England Vs Ghana Match Organizer Declares

The organizer of the historic England and Ghana match played at Wembley on March 29 has rebutted media reports which said the organizer Mel Goldberg Law has refused to respect outstanding monies totaling £125,000to be paid to Ghana Football Association and Bahmed Travel And Tours nearly two months after encounter.The story continued , Mel Goldberg was proving evasive over the GFA’s outstanding £74,000 for the match fee and the organiser has been dodgy over a refund of £51,000 to Bahmed Travel and Tours.

Ambrose Mendy who appeared visibly worried in his speech yesterday during a chat with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation described the allegations and remarks as callous and scandalous . He said the fabrication in the media is a grievous sin against humanity and God and that anybody involve should ask for forgiveness for trying to sow a seed of discourse between the parties and also tarnish the feat chalked by GFA and Mel Golberg Law after the splendid organization which has put the image of Ghana on a high pedestal.

Ambose went further by saying ,the entire world saw how the organization and went on by counseling those who are bent on making fabricated ,baseless , unfounded ,callous and scandalous remarks concering the Wembley match with the intention of discrediting some personalities to desist from it because it will go a long way to destroy the respect the country and the GFA have been enjoying in the eyes of the football family worldwide.

He said , Ghana Football Association release on the issue pasted on the FA official site vindicated his organization from any wrong doing and hoped the media stations especially those that joined in the propagation of falsehood will in future discharge their duties professionally . He said his organisation will not hestitate in taking legal action against any media house or persons who will be found to be behind those disgraceful remarks. Touching on Bahmed Travel and Tours , Ambrose Mendy explained his out fit never dealt with the agency and would be grateful if Bahmed Travel And Tours could produce an invoice of services received from Mel Goldberg concerning the game. Ambrose ended by saying GFA and Mel Goldberg Law have a good working relationship and the last thing his out fit would do is to do anything that will soil that rapport.

Mel Goldberg Law together with some officials of the English FA will be arriving in Ghana Next month and one of the agendas for organizers will be to discuss with Ghana Football Association the supposed return leg in Accra hopefully in 2013. Last week there were media reports with one captioned “Ghana-England Match Organiser Defrauds Ghana FA & Travel Agent” The organiser of the recent Ghana-England friendly is being pursued by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and a Ghanaian businessman for allegedly defrauding them to a tune of £125,000.

Mel Goldberg is proving evasive over the GFA’s outstanding £74,000 for the match fee and the organiser has been dodgy over a refund of £51,000 to Bahmed Travel and Tours.

The two aggrieved Ghanaian outfits are considering police action over the alleged hide-and-seek game being played by Goldberg.

The revelation has effectively ended the chance of the Englishman organising a match for Ghana in future, after even daring to report GFA officials to the police they set foot in London.

“Take notice that if there is any attempt to force your way into either our office or the offices of Coutts and Co. (the bank) the police will be called and you will be arrested,” ,” Goldberg said in an e-mail to the FA on May 10, this year.

“We suggest you take sensible legal advice before you get locked up and thrown out of the country.”

Goldberg is said at separate times to have sent different messages to indicate that the money has been lodged into the GFA account but all turned out to be lies.

The organiser, according to the document seen by GNA Sports is to refund at least, £74,000 to the FA and £51,000 to Bahmed Travel and Tours.

In the case of Bahmed Tours, the company paid for £89,000 worth of tickets but only £38,000 worth was supplied.

The last message the GFA accountant sent to Goldberg said, “I just can’t understand the whole show. We at the GFA need only a copy of the transfer advice slip from your bank and nothing else.

“Why can’t you get us that slip. All the explanations from your bankers and from you are not acceptable. Just send us the transfer advice and we will do the tracking.”

The GFA and Bahmed Tours are yet to state their next line of action but sources say they may report the matter to the British security authorities for rectification.

Ghana held England to a 1-1 draw in the first ever meeting between the two sides at senior level on March 29 at the Wembley stadium.