Masawudu Suleiman is out for two months

Medeama have confirmed  midfielder Massawudu Suleiman has been ruled out of the rest of the season after undergoing a successful operation on a broken hand.

Suleiman completely broke his right hand during Friday’s training session ahead of Sunday’s 1-0 win over Ashantigold in the Ghanaian top-flight league.

The enforcer has undergone a successful operation at the Ridge hospital in Accra and expected to be out for more than two months.

“Massawudu Suleiman has undergone a successful operation on his broken hand,” an official club statement read on their official website.

Suleiman has been an integral part of the Mauves and Yellow this season which has seen them occupy the top position for many months.

Mohammed Gargo

Ex-Ghana midfielder Mohammed Gargo has made an astonishing claim that he was among three players who were asked to pay bribes for their inclusion in the Black Stars 2006 World Cup squad. 

The ex-Serie A player said he along with Sam Johnson and Augustine Arhinful could have played for the Black Stars at the tournament in Germany but for their refusal to pay monies to some persons.

But Gargo admits that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) or the then Black Stars technical team had no knowledge of the bribe demanded by the faceless individuals.

The former Udinese player made the claim on Saturday, SEVEN YEARS after the tournament was played in Germany.

Gargo as well as Arhinful and Johnson were not on the periphery of the Black Stars squad at the time as the likes of Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari were the country’s leading players.

Despite not being part of the Black Stars then, Gargo claims they were contacted by some individuals to pay money to be included but refused to name the individuals.

“The GFA called myself, Augustine Arhinful and Sam Johnson and told us they were preparing our invitation to come and join the Black stars squad for the World Cup in 2006,” Gargo said on Joy FM.

“We came down and the story turned around to be that we have to see some people at the FA to issue some envelopes.

“I believe we have served Ghana enough that one must not pay money to get an opportunity to represent the country at that stage.”

When pressed to name the person who asked them to pay the bribes, Gargo refused insisting that the GFA and the coaches had no knowledge of the dodgy demands.

“I’m not sure the officials of the GFA or the technical handlers of the Black Stars then were aware of this. And I eventually realised that the person engaging in this did not even have any influence in the technical team.

“We the players discussed it amongst ourselves and realized we just have to let it go because and not give them the chance to start this ‘black’ business if I may call it,” he added.

According to Gargo, the Black Stars could have gone past the second round of the 2006 World Cup if he and his two other colleagues were included in the squad.

Sammy Kuffuor was the only player of Gargo’s generation to have played at the 2006 World Cup.

But Gargo’s refusal to name and shame the alleged persons involved makes his claim difficult to prove as several players in the past have accused officials of taking bribes to call undeserving players.

Yet when they are pressed to bring evidence of their claims they are not able to substantiate it.

Last month Ishmael Yartey sent some elders to apologise to coach Sellas Tetteh for claiming the trainer took bribes to drop him from Ghana U20 team for the 2009 World Cup in Egypt.

Medeama beat AshantiGold to preserve lead and open three-point

Medeama recorded a narrow 1-0 win over AshantiGold to open a three-point lead at the top of the Ghana Premier League table.

Samuel Nzemaba’s sublime free-kick from 25 yards was enough to hand the Mauves and Yellows all three points at the Tarkwa and Aboso Park.

The two teams sold out an entertaining contest with Medeama coming out of the blocks early to pick the points.

Medeama started brilliantly and after just five minutes Samuel Nzemaba steered a well-controlled shot but goalkeeper Fatau Dauda was equal to the task.

The former Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko defender however put the home side in front with a racketing free-kick 20 minutes later.

Nzemaba nearly went from hero to villain three minutes later as he mistimed a challenge on Aaron Amoah and caught the Miners midfielder on the shin with a high boot, but he escaped punishment.

AshGold carved out a couple of chances to equalize before the interval without really enjoying a sustained period of pressure, with Louis  Agyemang initially a peripheral figure and the main threat from Malik Akowuah, who had a shot well saved from a tight angle by Muntari Tagoe.

Samson Kudjoe also powered a thunderbolt off target, but Medeama continued to look lively in attack and nearly added to their lead in the second when Jacob Apau poked a shot wide and Bismark Asiedu produced a rasping drive which nearly beat the AshGold shot-stopper.

The narrow victory leaves Medeama three points clear at the top of the table after second-placed Berekum Chelsea were held 1-1 at All Stars.

Medeama 1-0 Ashantigold

Medeama host Ashantigold in an old familiar grounds for coach Bashir Hayford while Hearts and Kotoko face tricky duels as the Ghana Premier League reaches home stretch. 

Medeama 1-0 Ashantigold

Hearts 1-0 Amidaus

New Edubiase 1-1 Asante Kotoko

King Faisal 2-1 Aduana Stars

Ebusua Dwarfs 6-1 Real Tamale United

Tema Youth 1-1 Liberty Professionals

All Stars 1-1 Berekum Chelsea

Arsenals 0-0 Heart of Lions