Soccer News of Friday, 8 July 2005

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Ghana Denies Barreto?s Charges

The Ghana Football Association has denied charges by former national coach, Mariano Barreto that he left the Black Stars job because he felt threatened.

The GFA would be submitting its statement of defence to FIFA after the Portuguese coach responded to Ghana?s complaint lodged with the world body over his unexpected decision to quit his post while under contract.

Mariano Barreto has told football?s world governing body that his decision to quit the Ghana job last year was because his life was under threat during his short spell in Ghana.

He however denied claims that he abandoned Ghana to take up a new job with Portuguese club, Maritimo, claiming he had given the FA prior notice of his decision.

But the general secretary of the Ghana football association Kofi Nsiah says Barreto has only been feeding FIFA a pack of lies.

Ghana is seeking ten million dollars compensation from Barreto for breaching the three-year contract with the GFA.

In a related development, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has asked the GFA to respond to the issues leveled against them by a former Black Stars coach, Burkhard Ziese, for unlawful termination of contract.

FIFA directed the case to the Court of Arbitration after the GFA appealed against its early decision to award over thirty thousand dollars compensation to the German trainer.