LIVERPOOL have made plans for any departure of Fernando Torres by registering an interest in Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan.
The powerful attacker, 24, enhanced his reputation in South Africa and would cost in the region of £20m from Rennes.

Milovan Rajevac has expressed his desire to stay on as coach of Ghana, after leading the Black Stars to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Officials of the Ghana Football Association have sounded their intent to keep the Serbian who has enjoyed a tremendous support since taking over the reigns of the national team.

Ghanaian World Cup (Youth) winning coach Sellas Tetteh has rated the damnable hand ball incident by Uruguay’s Luis Suarez that stopped Ghana from making World Cup history as a desperate but patriotic act.

Suarez, lead attacker for Uruguay in their quarter final match-up against Ghana in South Africa, found himself on his own goal line to add up to Uruguay’s defence as a Ghana late raid after 120 minutes of play threatened his nation. With his goalkeeper stranded in a goalmouth melee and a point-blank header by youthful Ghanaian striker Dominic Adiyiah only bound for the net, Suarez applied his hands in a dramatic fashion to stop the ball for a red card and a penalty. The resultant kick was wasted as Asamoah Gyan’s effort grazed the bar and went off! Uruguay eventually won the ensuing shootout to advance to the semi finals of the tournament. Many a Ghanaian, and indeed South Africans and others on the continent have yet to forgive Suarez and have branded him in uncomplimentary adjectives.

Sellas Tetteh, in South Africa to be part of the soccer fiesta that has gripped the entire continent and world at large, could not hide his pain at the elimination of the Black Stars and under the not too fair conditions.

He however was emphatic in an interview with Myjoyonline Editor, Isaac Yeboah, in Cape Town, that any player worth his national jersey, would have done similarly.

“In that situation, at that time, you have to be desperate to save your country. He did that, we weren’t too happy that he did that because eventually it did not go in our favour, but any other player would have done that.”

Sellas Tetteh, now coach of Rwanda, explained that Suarez was prepared to suffer the consequences and took the risk to save his country while Ghana was unlucky enough to have failed to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the award of a penalty.

Sellas Tetteh expects that Suarez’s act to generate a lot of discussions among FIFA’s Technical Committee when it meets to review the tournament, explaining that controversy is what grows the game and its rules through modifications.


Story by Isaac Yeboah/Myjoyonline.com

FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) today announced the shortlist for the Hyundai Best Young Player Award consisting of the three best young players in this year’s FIFA World Cup™. The award continues the tradition of officially recognising the positive impact made by young footballers and is open to all participating players born on or after 1 January 1989.

Three Spain players have been named on the 10-man shortlist for the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball award - given to the player of the tournament. Striker David Villa is joined by midfield pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Ghana's Black Stars has been ranked the seventh best team at the ongoing South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup.The Stars, the only African team to advance past the group stage before they crashed to Uruguay at the quarter-finals, were ranked ahead of reigning and defending World Champions Italy and are also the only African team in the top 10.

Parliament yesterday hosted the senior national team, the Black Stars, after their heroics in the on-going 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Dressed in suit, like Parliamentarians, the Stars were given a tumultuous welcome on the Floor of the House as the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo introduced them one after the other to members of the August House. Shouts of Yeeyee! Yeeyee! greeted the Stars when they waved to acknowledge the cheers.

The Ghana Football Association is yet to determine whether there was justifiable basis for Sulley Muntari to arrive in Ghana ahead of the Black Stars team. The Inter Milan midfielder is reported to have arrived two clear days before his colleagues were given a heroic welcome at the Kotoka International Airport on Monday.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has confirmed talks on goal-line technology will recommence in October. The issue has come to the fore following a number of incidents at the World Cup which includes Dominic Adiyiah's goal against Uruguay which was disallowed when Luis Suarez handled the ball on the line to deny Ghana.