Ghanaian Football officials are asking the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to take a critical look and have a solution to the ill-treatment teams suffer at the hands of their hosts during qualifying matches.

This latest call follows the harrowing experience Ghana’s female Under-17 side, the Black Maidens, were subjected to during their Women’s World Cup qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Lumubashie last week.

From being abandoned at the airport, poor accommodation, through to physical attack on the pitch, almost resulting in the death of Ghana’s goalkeeper Margaret Otoo, the Maidens endured the trauma and won the game 3-0.

This they did with a brace from Florence Dadson and another from captain Mercy Myles, to progress to the qualifying round of the 2008 WWC to be staged in New Zealand.

But for the timely intervention from officials of Ghana’s Embassy in DR Congo who ensured that the team was safe and well taken care of, the Maidens would have been stranded without food and accommodation.

On arrival at the airport on May 15, there was no DR Congo football official to meet them, neither was there a bus to transport them to their hotel.

After managing to get to the hotel, they were told that no arrangement had been made for them to lodge there and when they were given rooms, they were told they would not be given food.

For two days, they survived on their own intiative, relying on the food they took along until Saturday evening when an official of the DR Congo came to them to inform them that the match originally scheduled for Sunday, May 18, had been moved to May 19.

For the entire period they were made to train on a gravel-laid park and were not given any official transportation.
Worse was during the match when a Congolese player deliberately launched a blow to the throat of goalkeeper Margaret Otoo, making her collapse instantly and it took the experience of team doctor Dr Mina Aboah to revive her after almost an hour and half.

And the GFA Deputy General Secretary, Kwaku Ampim-Darko, who led the delegation, as well as the coach of the Maidens, Abrahams Allotey, believe it is time for CAF to take punitive measures to end this deliberate act on the part of the perpetrators as it is an indictment on African football.

“This has gone on for far too long both at the club level and at the national level. The hosts always want to use such tactics to gain psychologial advantage over the visiting teams. Most times, they succeed but I think it does not augur well for the game.

Since it happens in Africa, only CAF has the authority to put an end to it. It is about time drastic measures are taken,” Mr Ampim-Darko told the Graphic Sports.

Mr Allotey said apart from the harrowing experience they went through psychologically, the referees also tried to frustrate them on the pitch, disallowing three goals all in a bid to help the Congolese win, but “it was an effort in vain as we proved to be superior and no matter how hard they tried to initimidate and cheat us, we won 3-0,” he said.

He said the Congolese ahead of the game had tried to turn their fans against them but the fans watched the game and appreciated their quality play and therefore vented their anger and disappointment on the Congolese, destroying the windscreen of their bus after the game.

He said they had expected whatever happened because the Congolese had given the warning after their 8-0 massacre in the first leg in Accra and had thus psyched his players for a confrontational match in the return encounter.

However, his main concern was when the hosts got physical to the extend of trying to get players out of the game through any foul means.

“What happened to the goalkeeper is one experience I hope we don’t encounter ever again. We don’t know what happened but the Congolese player intentionally launched at her throat and then she just dropped to the ground.

We were not sure of what was happening and it took the referee some time to call for medical attention. If she had delayed, anything could have happened as the doctor was in tears as she worked to revive her.

Everyone was scared and was in tears but surprisingly, the culprit did not even get a verbal caution for her diabolic attack,” a worried coach Allotey narrated their experience to the Graphic Sports.

He said it was important for CAF to act decisively on such issues, as well as the performance of the officiating officials. “ CAF should not wait for a tragedy to happen before they act,” Coach Allotey appealed.

After losing 0-8 to the Maidens in the first leg at the El-Wak Stadium, the Congolese promised to overturn the scoreline by any means possible to ensure their qualification. However, things did not work in their favour as the Maidens won 11-0 on aggregate.

The Maidens, who returned last Friday, looking tired but in high spirit, said they were undaunted by the ordeal encountered in DR Congo and looked forward to finishing the qualifiers with one of the two slots to the first championship in New Zealand in October.

Source: Daily Graphic