Ghana
Ghana president John Dramani Mahama has ordered an official inquiry into the country’s trouble-scarred World Cup campaign. The African side went out of the finals on Thursday after losing 2-1 to Portugal, which had been preceded by the sending home of two of its biggest stars, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng, for disciplinary reasons, while there was also a fallout over a row about unpaid bonuses that had seen Mahama intervene personally and send US$3million (Dh15m) in cash by chartered jet to Brazil to placate the players. “We need to constitute a commission to shine the light on Ghana’s World Cup campaign,” Mahama said. “We have to see the whole process through to the end.”
Africa
Following the concerns Ghana’s players had over receiving their money, Fifa have said they want proof from future World Cup teams that players are paid on time. Jerome Valcke, the Fifa secretary general, said: “It’s sad that we end up with such a story where they were talking in some way about a strike.” Of the Ghana incident, Valcke said: “The fact that the money came in cash is also sad.” It was the second pay dispute involving an African team. Cameroon arrived one day late in Brazil after players refused to travel until bonuses were agreed, while Nigerian officials tried to play down speculation yesterday that their players had not trained on Thursday ahead of their knockout-round match with France tomorrow because of concerns over money. Valcke said that Fifa will “make sure” that participating national associations show written agreements of paying players by bank transfer.
Fifa
A 90-day provisional ban by Fifa on World Cup-winning player and coach Franz Beckenbauer has been lifted after only 15 days. The German had been banned two weeks ago after refusing to cooperate with an investigation into the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The 68 year old is a former member of the Fifa executive committee, which controversially awarded the World Cup to Qatar in 2010, and had received “repeated requests” to provide information, Fifa said in a statement at the time of the ban. Beckenbauer said in a statement: “I underestimated the situation mainly because such issues were usually dealt with by my management.”
Brazil
Joedir Sancho Belmonte had a ticket to attend the famous final game of the 1950 World Cup between Brazil and Uruguay but did not get to use it because he stayed home with his sick mother. But he saved the unused ticket for 64 years, and, on Friday – in a swap with Fifa – he was given three tickets for the July 13 final at Rio’s Maracana in exchange for the tiny, crumpled memorabilia he stashed away. The 85-year-old Brazilian said: “I hope Brazil will be able to win it this time.” Brazil lost the 1950 final 2-1, which gave Uruguay the second of their two World Cup titles.
Belgium
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots has said that defender Vincent Kompany is uncertain for Tuesday’s World Cup match against the United States because of a recurring groin injury. The injury to the captain compounded Wilmots’ worries, with defenders Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Ciman and Anthony Vanden Borre also injured. Wilmots said yesterday it was “impossible to say now” whether Kompany would be ready to play on Tuesday.
