Late goal robs Starlets of victory.
At the Player transfer probe-Latif to pay Montreal F/C four million cedis
Late goal robs Starlets of victory.
Accra, (Greater Accra), 11th November 99
Ghana's national Under-17 football team, Black Starlets, on Thursday gave up a one-goal lead over Spain in the sixth minute of time-added on the register a draw in their opening match at the fifth World Under-17 tournament, currently holding in New Zealand.
The Starlets playing with Ishmael Addo, Ibrahim Attiku and Bernard Bortey in attack were the more aggressive side and deservedly shot ahead on the struck of half-time through Attiku.
The Starlets looked to have exorcised the myth surrounding their losses to the Spanish in international assignments until a defensive mix-up, six minutes after full time, allowed their opponents to draw level.
Spain’s stamina edge over the Starlets saw them mounting incessant pressure in the second half, which eventually yielded dividends.
For the records Ghana attracted four yellow cards including goalkeeper and captain Owusu Banahene with the Spaniards being booked twice.
The Starlets face another tough battle against Mexico on Saturday before playing their last preliminary match against unfancied Thailand.
GRi
At the Player transfer probe-Latif to pay Montreal F/C four million cedis
Accra (Greater Accra), 11th November 99
The Gbadegbe Commission probing into international player transfers has asked Mr. Abdul Latif, an Accra based spare parts dealer to pay Montreal F/C, a second division side in Nima, four million cedis by Friday, November 26.
The amount is in connection with Yahya Hamidu's transfer from Montreal to Zamalek F/C of Egypt in 1991 even though Mr. Latif claims Hamidu was not on contract and therefore did not receive any money from the Egyptian club.
Hamidu, who testified before the Commission last week, confirmed that he was not on contract but stay with the club for nine months during which he featured in friendly matches and was paid 300 dollars a month.
Mr. Mohammed Madugu, Montreal’s former chairman, however told the Commission on Wednesday that Mr. Latif made him and other officials of Montreal to believe that Hamidu was going to work for his father in Lebanon.
"We agreed and asked him to seek permission from Hamidu's parents which he said he had done but later he came to inform us that the player had got a 4,000 dollar contract with Zamalek out of which Montreal would earn 2,000 dollars".
Based on this agreement he (Madugu) advised Latif to pay 400 dollars to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for an International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
He said that after some time when they had not received their share of the transfer, he approached Latif who told him that he had not received any money from Zamalek and also that Hamidu had left Egypt for Qatar.
He said that Mr. Latif gave Montreal a cheque for 500,000 cedis which he (Latif) said was a gift to the team before he transferred the player.
The Commission said once an ITC was issued, it means there was a transfer so Mr. Latif should pay the 35 per cent of the 4,000 dollars as stipulated in the contract.
Meanwhile, Mr Yaw La Danso, Chairman of Powerlines Colts Club, has apologised to Mr. Kwame Pokou Dogblah, an employee of Goldfields F/C for mentioning him as the principal witness in Godfred Adoube's transfer from Powerlines to Switzerland in 1994.
Mr. La Danso said had assumed that Mr. Dogblah knew about the transfer because he was involved in an earlier transfer of the player and could assist the Commission.
Mr. La Danso said he received 7,105 dollars in two instalments from the Swiss club through the GFA out of which the FA subtracted its 10 per cent share, while Adoube came to give him the final instalment of 3,000 dollars. " I do not understand why the GFA has on record that 3,500 dollars was paid as its 10 per cent share, which suggests that the contract sum was 5,000" and asked the commission to investigate.
Mr. La Danso said he now has evidence to prove that everything concerning the player's transfer was done by the GFA.
Mr. Dogblah told the Commission that he knew nothing about Adoube's transfer to Switzerland.
He said he helped the player by introducing him to an Italian player agent, Dominico Ricci, who sent him to Torino for trials after the player's brother had agreed to pay the airfare.
" Since then l have never met Adoube again and I was surprised when my name appeared in the newspapers that l was involved in his transfer to Switzerland".
In another development, Mr. John F. Mensah, Accra representative of Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs told the Commission that the club's former player Richard Ackon was transferred from Dwarfs to a Norwegian club in 1998 for 300,000 dollars and not 100,000 dollars.
The records of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) however indicate that Dwarfs declared 100,000 dollars because they paid 10,000 dollars to the GFA as its 10 per cent share.
Testifying on behalf of Nana Sam Brew Butler, Chairman of Dwarfs, Mr. Mensah said the agent involved in the transfer did not receive anything from the contract.
He named the agent as Mr. Wilgot Anderson, from Sweden, who was said to have received 180,000 dollars from Robert Boateng's 600,000 dollars transfer from Asante Kotoko to another Norwegian club in 1997.
When the Commission showed him a document, which he (Mensah) had tendered into evidence, stating that the agent received 100,000 dollars, Mr. Mensah could not explain but asked the Commission to wait for Nana Butler’s return from an overseas trip to appear before it.
The Commission asked Mr. Mensah to make available to it contract documents of Ackon and other Dwarfs players transferred by 12th November.
Abura Corners, a Colts Club in the Central Region, are demanding 20 per cent from Ackon's transfer.
According to Sergeant Andrews Kwame Charles, owner of the club, Dwarfs came for the player in 1993 with the promise that they would pay him 400,000 cedis, a set of jerseys and football but paid only 100,000 cedis.
He said because he was travelling outside the country on peace keeping duties, he prepared an agreement that entitled his club to 20 per cent of any onward transfer of Ackon.
Sergeant Charles said he left the agreement with his Secretary, Mr. Mohammed Essuman to be given to Dwarfs but when he returned, Mr. Essuman told him that the Management of Dwarfs had been dissolved. There was nobody to sign on behalf of Dwarfs as a result.
Mr. George Amissah, Counsel for Dwarfs dismissed the claim made by Sergeant Charles and said the 100,000 cedis paid for Ackon was the total transfer and not 400,000 cedis.
He said there is no contract between Corners and Dwarfs on Ackon that entitles Corners to 20 per cent of his transfer fee adding that even if there was, according to GFA regulations, the three-year time limit for Corners to benefit elapsed before Ackon was transferred.
The Commission asked Sergeant Charles to bring Mr. Essuman along on Friday.
GRi…/