Sports thread: Everything sport related here.

[SteelBird]

US beating Ghana right now 2-1 in World Cup play. Will they hold on?

Great! The US team score a goal on the 1st minute!

According to world cup 2006, the US didn't pass group stage, and 2010, game over at 2nd round. Both US and Mexico had similar fate.

 

[texx1]

For some people representing one's own country at World Cup is just not good enough. Ghana's soccer players need cash delivered via charted jets in order to continue playing. Talk about entitlements from players that are not exactly blowing away their world cup opponents.

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Ghana's Black Stars soccer team is waiting for the arrival in the next three hours of a plane with $3 million promised by the government as compensation for playing in the World Cup in Brazil.

The team is focused on the game against Portugal tomorrow that they must win in order to have a chance to qualify for the quarterfinals, Coach James Kwesi Appiah told reporters in Brasilia. The plane hasn’t landed yet, Sannie Daara, spokesman for the Ghana Football Association, said after the press conference.

“This is a situation that had to be sorted out before the competition,” Appiah said. “It’s hard to have this situation and having to tell the players each day that the money will come. But our players are dedicated and they are focused only on the game tomorrow against Portugal.”

Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama contacted the team and the arrangements for payment were made after, the association said in a statement on its website earlier today. The players requested the money in cash because many of them don’t have bank accounts in Ghana, Appiah said. The government will be reimbursed by money awarded to Ghana by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, the association said.

The team, which includes Sulley Muntari of AC Milan and Kevin-Prince Boateng of FC Schalke, has played two matches so far in the tournament, losing 2-1 to the U.S. and drawing 2-2 with Germany. They play their final first round match against Portugal tomorrow and need to win to have any chance of progressing. The Black Stars were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Uruguay in 2010’s tournament in South Africa.

President Intervenes

“President Mahama waded into the matter after agitation from the Black Stars players,” the association said. “President Mahama personally spoke to the players to assure them the money will be paid by Wednesday afternoon.”

FIFA worked with the GFA and the players to resolve the situation, Delia Fischer, a spokeswoman, told reporters in Rio de Janiero today. The governing body doesn’t like to see this kind of problem, which has happened in past tournaments, she said. She declined to say more and referred questions to the Ghanaian team.

The Ghanaian team has been dealing with issues off the field all week, as the football association asked police to investigate claims reported by the London-based Daily Telegraph that the association’s president had agreed to fix future international exhibition matches. The GFA has denied the report and says that the two men mentioned in the story never made offers to bribe them or association President Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Money Trouble

The football association may find it hard to move such a large amount of money into Brazil suddenly if it doesn’t have the necessary clearance from customs or import permits from a central bank, said Ion De Vleeschauwer, chief dealer at Bidvest Bank in Johannesburg. Bidvest is the biggest chain of money changers in South Africa. A plane with that much money also presents a large hijacking risk, he said.

“At the drop of a hat, to bring in $3 million in cash, it might get you into a spot of bother,” he said. “I don’t think the Brazilians will confiscate it but they just may not allow it to be released.”

Back at home, Mahama has taken steps to ensure that the broadcast of Black Stars games isn’t disrupted by regular blackouts. The government has asked its aluminum smelter to cut power usage during the World Cup and will buy additional electricity from neighbor Ivory Coast to ensure that Black Stars games can be shown live.

Daily electricity blackouts, fuel shortages and a plunging currency are slowing economic growth in West Africa’s second-largest economy, the International Monetary Fund said last month. Ghana is struggling to boost revenue to narrow its budget gap, which will probably exceed 10 percent of gross domestic product for a third year, according to Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.

Moody’s and Fitch both have Ghana on negative credit watch, meaning a cut in the rating is possible. Nigeria is the largest economy in the region.

 

[bd popeye]

$3 million dollars...that a lotta loot.

Back at home, Mahama has taken steps to ensure that the broadcast of Black Stars games isn’t disrupted by regular blackouts. The government has asked its aluminum smelter to cut power usage during the World Cup and will buy additional electricity from neighbor Ivory Coast to ensure that Black Stars games can be shown live.

Daily electricity blackouts, fuel shortages and a plunging currency are slowing economic growth in West Africa’s second-largest economy, the International Monetary Fund said last month. Ghana is struggling to boost revenue to narrow its budget gap, which will probably exceed 10 percent of gross domestic product for a third year, according to Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.

Man oh man!!..... I'm glad I'm living in the USA.

 

[tphuang]

To be fair, if you play really well for America, then you get corporated sponsorship/commercial deals and that appearance fee would be peanut money. I doubt such level of reward exist for Ghana players. Of course, I'm very excited about this increased attention in soccer in America. My entire office is watching.

Gerry, you have to be catching the world cup fever, right?

 

[bd popeye]

Gerry, you have to be catching the world cup fever, right?

Ahh that would be a no.. I have no interest. Sorry. Most Americans my age have no interest in the WC. None of the sports fans where I work is watching it.

Now if I still lived in San Diego I'm sure the sports fans would be talking it up...not here. Not me. Sorry.

National Football League training camps open in a couple of weeks..Yahoo!

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[Equation]

Ahh that would be a no.. I have no interest. Sorry. Most Americans my age have no interest in the WC. None of the sports fans where I work is watching it.

Now if I still lived in San Diego I'm sure the sports fans would be talking it up...not here. Not me. Sorry.

National Football League training camps open in a couple of weeks..Yahoo!

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I can't wait for the Texans team up of Jadeveon Clowney and JJ Watt together this year! There front line will be a beast!

 

[vesicles]

Carmelo Anthony just visited Houston Rockets. The Rockets welcomed him with a photo of him wearing a #7 jersey holding an NBA championship trophy.

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The problem is the #7 now belongs to Jeremy Lin who is still a member of the Rockets!!! I mean... what the heck??? What else can you do to insult one of your own players? Based on Lin' tweet, he's not too happy about it either... Is this how things done in the NBA these days? Whatever it takes to land a star player, even if it includes insulting one of your current players??

 

[Equation]

Carmelo Anthony just visited Houston Rockets. The Rockets welcomed him with a photo of him wearing a #7 jersey holding an NBA championship trophy.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The problem is the #7 now belongs to Jeremy Lin who is still a member of the Rockets!!! I mean... what the heck??? What else can you do to insult one of your own players? Based on Lin' tweet, he's not too happy about it either... Is this how things done in the NBA these days? Whatever it takes to land a star player, even if it includes insulting one of your current players??

I prefer to see Lebron James in Houston!

 

[vesicles]

I prefer to see Lebron James in Houston!

But James would be completely out of his mind if he decides to change team at this point. The Heat is still one of the best teams in the league and have gone to the Finals in each of the past 4 seasons. Give that up for something completely unpredictable? If he changes team now, he does not deserve to win.

 

[airsuperiority]

Today's game for Germany vs Brazil... it's too good. I lol'ed hard all day.



[video=youtube;IynteMtSBxo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IynteMtSBxo[/video]