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Soccer News of Thursday, 27 October 2005

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CAF deny Abedi comments

The Confederation of African Football-CAF, have dismissed accusations leveled by Ghanaian legend, Abedi Ayew Pele against the soccer body over its handling of the Zambia air disaster.

Pele says CAF has treated Zambians unfairly in the wake of the 1993 Gabon air crash. The story was first published on the Kick-off Website last month.

Abedi is quoted as saying that CAF had failed to show up in Zambia since the crash.

?No CAF Executive Committee member, to date, visited Zambia from the time of the crash, ? Abedi is reported to have said.

CAF yesterday denied categorically the report made by Mr. Abedi Pele. CAF?s Ismael Bhamjee described Abedi?s story as unfounded.

?I rushed from Swaziland to represent the confederation of African football as a CAF Executive Committee member at the funeral and met with bereaved families to extend the CAF president?s deepest sympathy.

?I went again for the second time with FIFA finance director to hand over the financial assistance from the world football governing body, FIFA, to the family of the victims? said Bhamjee.

The tragedy occurred in 1993 when the entire Zambian squad en route to Senegal for a preliminary FIFA World Cup match died in a crash.