Issah Hayatou, Cameroonian President of Confederation of African Sports (CAF), cheated to enable his country to win the semi-final match against Ghana and by so doing broke the Nation's heart.
This Writer agrees with the observation made in this story he came across in GNA files: "A number of football enthusiasts, who witnessed the semi-final match of the Ghana 2008 MTN African Cup of Nations tournament between Ghana and Cameroon accused Issah Hayatou, Cameroonian President of Confederation of African Sports (CAF), of cheating to enable his country to win the match."They accused Hayatou of ensuring that Moroccan Referee Abderrahim El-Arjoun, known for his bias refereeing against Ghana, handled the match, which was played at the Ohene Djan Stadium.
"Mr John Boadu, who described himself as a serious football enthusiast, said Referee El-Arjoun gave the Cameroonians a leeway by overlooking the many brutish attacks on Ghanaians.
"He said Referee El-Arjoun should never be allowed to officiate in international matches in order not for him to continue to bring disgrace to African soccer.
"Mrs Janet Ofosuhene, a physical education instructor, who was visibly angry while she was leaving the stadium, accused the CAF Executives of belonging to a conclave that decided, which country should win the African Nations' Cup, and asked why referees were not selected through open balloting but was done in secret."
Subsequent events have convinced this Writer that Hayatou manipulated the outcome of the Ghana - Cameroon semi-final match.
Black Stars' Coach Claude Le Roy alluded to this when he said Ghana 2008 was the only CAF tournament that the host nation was not being assisted to win.
Anyone reading in between the lines of the minutes of the CAF Executive Committee Meeting held in Accra on Saturday can see clearly that Hayatou had a dirty hand in that game.
This conviction is reinforced by the appointment of Referee El-Arjoun as the fourth referee for the Ghana - Cote d'Ivoire match played on Saturday. It is clear that it was Hayatou's way of paying El-Arjoun for doing his dirty work for him. With that additional assignment El-Arjoun is going to get more money from CAF.
Some may see this viewpoint as blind patriotism but, please, wait a minute and let's do a critical analysis of the whole situation.
The Executive Committee meeting minutes presented on the CAF official website shows clearly that the Committee was being haunted by its own machinations. "Wo mo awe kwaku tire ena eso so won daye" - to wit - "they have eaten the head of the dina-monkey and are having hallucinations".
The minutes come out strongly to defend the indefensible. "The Executive Committee unanimously expressed satisfaction on the level of officiating during the tournament." The word "unanimously" gives the Committee members away. It shows that they have something to hide. Are they telling us that all the other decisions they arrived at were based on the majority's vote? The Committee behaved like the droppings of agama lizards, which is generally black but with a whitish tip. After coming out to praise the Referees, it said it would organise refresher courses for referees to improve on their performance.
Fortunately many people including those, who know more about soccer than them, watched the matches and are in a position to assess the performance of the Referees. They can only deceive some of the people and not all the people.
This Writer would like to challenge television stations in Ghana to show footage of the Ghana - Cameroon match emphasising the portions where Referee El-Arjoun waved "play-on" after Cameroonian players had brutally attacked Ghanaian players. This Writer has come across some of those scenes captured on the digital camera of GNA.
Here are a few questions Hayatou has to answer: Doesn't the Referee Selection Committee of CAF report to him as Chairman? Did he find it necessary to question the Committee about the selection of El-Arjoun to officiate in the match? Was he sure that El-Arjoun is so developed that he could live above reproach and be unbiased following the statement made by Ghana's Coach Claude Le Roy when the Coordinator in charge of the maintenance failed to water the Ohene Djan Stadium playing field for which the Coach was fined? Coach Le Roy's statement scathed Moroccans and Muslims and Referee El-Arjoun is a Moroccan and a Muslim.
Having worked with El-Arjoun the CAF President knows him very well. He must know that El-Arjoun has morbid dislike for Ghana. The track record of this particular Referee brings this out clearly and there is no need to belabour this point.
One may retort: "What did the Ghana Football Association (GFA) officials also do when they were told that El-Arjoun was to officiate? Why did they not officially protest and even refuse to honour the match unless he was changed? Our Elders say; "se wo anksa wo ayie ho a wo yi wo ayi bone" to wit "if a barber is cutting your hair and you do not look into the mirror and direct him he would end up giving you a haircut you would not be happy with".One hopes that the GFA would learn a few unpleasant facts about organisations like CAF that are responsible for organising sporting events.
There are always vested interests and these seek to influence the outcome of such events. Talk of the gamblers and other groups. GFA should also know that players on the filed of play contribute only 45 per cent towards the winning of matches whereas 55 per cent is determined in the boardroom and by behind the scene manoeuvres.
From the reckoning of this Writer the Black Stars players achieved their full 45 per cent. It was GFA that failed to do its part. One has come to this conclusion because as one was contemplating on this issue it kept recurring to him "oba kwasea na oma ose bo ka hunu" to wit - "it is the foolish child that makes the father to make unnecessary expenditure".
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