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Soccer News of Tuesday, 2 September 2008

Source: www.ghanasoccernet.com

Damba to sue over fixing claims

Former Ghana international Abubakari Damba has threatened to sue a Canadian journalist over claims that he helped to fix the 2006 World Cup match between Ghana and Brazil.

Declan Hill will accuse Damba, in his book to be published tomorrow, that he acted as an intermediary between an Asian betting syndicate and the Black Stars to throw the second round game.

The former goalkeeper says he is upset about the allegations and will resort to the law courts to clear his name.

"This is a devious attempt by Hill to besmirch my name but I will not take in lying down. I have am talks with my lawyers to sue him," Damba told Ghanasoccernet.

"This guy approached me suspiciously after I had an interview at Joy FM claiming he wants to help me.

"He was just desperately trying to tie me to a betting syndicate and he has come out with this rubbish.

"He thinks he can just come and write anything including falsehoods and get away with it. It won't happen.

"This has brought great pain and difficulty to me, my family and country. He will have to answer for his folly."

The German Football Federation is looking into the allegations trumpeted by the Canadian journalist even though they were aware of no evidence of match-fixing.

Hill will write in his book that 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 France.

Hill, whose book on match-fixing will be published in Germany on Tuesday, said three years of research had shown that a former Ghana international Abubakari Damba had acted as the middleman between Ghana's players and the head of a betting syndicate in Bangkok.