BY:
PATRICK OWUSU ANSAH
The journey to 2014
World Cup in Brazil has just become a bit more complicated for the Ghana Black
stars .FIFA have ruled that Zambia are awarded a 3-0 victory for the June 2
game they lost 0-2 in Sudan because the Sudanese fielded Saif Ali, who was
ineligible because he should have been serving suspension for a red card
received in their previous competitive game against none other than Zambia at
the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
FIFA ruled “lost by
forfeit by Sudan” whilst also hitting the Sudanese with a US$6,430 fine. It
means that Zambia, who already beat the Black Stars, now have maximum 6 points
to Ghana’s 3 and also have the easier set of matches ahead, at least on paper.
In fact, the Black Stars need to win all matches to ensure Zambia do not win
the group before the match day 6 qualifier in Accra.
Ghana Blackstars have
qualified for the Fifa World Cup on two consecutive occasions, and can’t stand
the chance of missing out this time round. The only team that would be a threat
in Ghana’s group is Zambia, who also leads the group after Fifa’s decision to
award them, three points and three goals in the Sudan game. They are now three
points clear of the Blackstars. Zambia has never qualified for Fifa World Cup
before, and would want to qualify this time after winning the 2012 African Cup
of nations.
Ghana has a chance to
outwit the Zambians, by scoring them when they meet in the leg return of their
2014 World Cup qualifier in Accra. After they lost one goal to nil in Lusaka,
the capital city of Zambia. The last time that Ghana lost a home game, was
against Cameroun in the 2008 African Cup of nations. This shows that the Ghana
Blackstars are a force to reckon with when it comes to home games .The other
team in Ghana’s group is Lesotho, who hasn’t been impressive so far.
Football is a game of
win, lose or draw. Are we going to witness something dramatic at the end of the
World cup qualifiers? Will Ghana qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive
time? Will Zambia qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever? All these
questions will be answered by the end of the qualifiers because anything can
happen on the way.
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