AFRICA :NEWS,CULTURE, CHINA/AFRICA/WORLD

Sulley Muntari could face sanctions after the Ghana FootballAssociation said it is “yet to come to terms” with his unapproveddeparture from camp after the team’s quarter-final exit at the World Cup.

Muntari touched down in Accra on Sunday a day before the the team’s grande arrival at the KotokaInternational Airport.

Reports claimed the Inter Milan ace had been permitted by officials toleave camp for family reasons but the Ghana FA says it’s a mystery.

“We are also yet to come to terms with that. In the midst of the euphoria, we don’t want to rock the boat. We just want all the euphoria to die down and then we will do our investigation-We we will find out exactly what happened but it’s a fact that he travelled ahead of the team. We will like to know why he did that and if there are any good reasons we will sympathize with him but if they no good reasons then the rod will strike ” Ghana FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi told Joy FM.

Muntari caused disquiet in the Ghana camp after launching a dressing room tirade at his team mates and the coach after a 1-1 draw with Australia on 19 June.

He was forced to apologize to the entire team and reprimanded for his bahaviour.

The 25-year-old was retained in the Ghana squad and played two matches afterwards-scoring in their quarter-final exit against Uruguay.

John Mensah was permitted to leave the team to undergo treatment in England

LONDON — Britain announced Tuesday one million pounds in aid to South Africa for the purchase of condoms to tackle HIV and AIDS in the world’s worst-affected country ahead of the 2010 World Cup.

The money, equivalent to 1.1 million euros or 1.5 million dollars, is to bolster the host’s condom supplies, a move health officials predict will be necessary amid the tournament’s “spirit of festivity.”

Britain said the aid, announced shortly after a visit to London by South African President Jacob Zuma, would help the country’s aim to buy one billion condoms at a time the AIDS fight has been hit by the economic downturn.

“As a consequence we face the very real prospect that progress on tackling HIV will go into reverse,” said international development minister Gareth Thomas.

“That is why (Britain) is supporting South Africa’s leadership and drive to turn the tide on their epidemic.”

An estimated 5.7 million of South Africa’s 48 million people have HIV, including 280,000 children, according to the UN AIDS agency.

A top medical officer unveiled plans last month to increase condom supplies ahead of the football tournament, due to start in less than 100 days.

“There’s going to be a large number of people who will be descending onto the country,” said Victor Ramathesele, general medical officer for South Africa’s 2010 organising committee.

“There’s going to be a spirit of festivity and… there could be a more than usual demand for measures such as condoms,” he said.

Zuma left Britain Friday after a three-day state visit, which was marred by a row over British media coverage of his polygamy and a failure to agree on Zimbabwe.

His administration has stepped up the battle against AIDS, and South Africa now boasts the world’s largest anti-retroviral programme after years of government failure to roll out the life-saving drugs.

South Africa hosts the continent’s first World Cup in June and July.

es has one. So does Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Mali, Algeria, Malaysia and Hungary. And New Zealand has two.

The United States? None. Zero. Zip.

The numbers are in from Zurich, where FIFA’s refereeing committee on Friday named the 30 officials from 28 countries who will work games at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. No American was on the list as either a referee or a referee’s assistant.

Selecting officials for World Cup games has long been a matter of contention, discussion and derision. Over the past 20 years or so, FIFA has attempted to spread the officiating wealth around the world, often with dissatisfying results.

The only United States referee at the 2006 World Cup in Germany was Kevin Stott. He was joined by the assistants Gregory Barkey and Chris Strickland.

After some questionable decisions in Germany, FIFA set up an assistance program to get top officials prepared for the 2010 tournament.

Then again, the list FIFA released is pockmarked with questionable decisions.

Does the name Martin Hansson ring a bell? The Swede found himself in the middle of a maelstrom when he failed to spy Thierry Henry’s hand ball during France’s playoff with Ireland. Henry’s infraction led directly to the goal that sent France to South Africa. Hansson will be taking along to South Africa one of his assistants from that infamous game — Stefan Wittberg — but the other — Fredrik Nilsson — will be watching on TV.

Or perhaps you are a Chelsea supporter, one still sticking pins into your Tom Henning Ovrebo doll. The referee from Norway turned a deaf ear to protestations from Chelsea players during last season’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Barcelona. The match, at Stamford Bridge in London, went Barcelona’s way on Andrés Iniesta’s goal.

More? How about Howard Webb of England, who awarded co-host Austria a late penalty kick that resulted in a 1-1 tie with Poland in the opening match of Euro 2008. And do not forget Massimo Busacca of Switzerland. Fans of the Young Boys club saw Busacca direct an obscene gesture in their direction during a Swiss Cup game last year.

But it appears that all has been forgiven.

I was at the 1994 World Cup second-round match between Mexico and Bulgaria at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., when a ludicrous number of yellow cards — 10 — were given by the Syrian referee Jamal al-Sharif, who was sent home the next day.

What have been some of the more egregious refereeing performances you have seen in the World Cup? And to be fair, what were some of the better jobs?

Here is the list (by confederation) of officiating teams chosen by FIFA:

Asia

Khalil Ibrahim Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia, referee), Hassan Kamranifar (Iran, assistant), Saleh Mohamed Al Marzouqi (United Arab Emirates, assistant); Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan, referee), Rafael Ilyasov (Uzbekistan, assistant), Bahadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan, assistant); Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia, referee), Mu Yuxin (China, assistant), Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng (Singapore, assistant); Yuichi Nishimura (Japan, referee), Toru Sagara (Japan, assistant), Hae Sang Jeong (South Korea, assistant)

Africa

Mohamed Benouza (Algeria, referee), Nasser Abdel Nabi (Egypt, assistant), Maamar Chabane (Algeria, assistant); Koman Coulibaly (Mali, referee), Redouane Achik (Morocco, assistant), Manuel Candido (Angola, assistant), Jerome Damon (South Africa, referee), Celestin Ntagungira (Rwanda, assistant), Enock Molefe (South Africa, assistant); Eddy Maillet (Seychelles, referee), Evarist Menkouande (Cameroon, assistant), Bechir Hassani (Tunisia, assistant)

Concacaf

Joel Aguilar (El Salvador, referee), William Torres, Francisco Zumba (both El Salvador, assistants); Benito Archundia (Mexico, referee), Hector Vergara (Canada, assistant), Marvin Cesar Torrentera Rivera (Mexico, assistant);, assistant Carlos Alberto Batres (Guatemala, referee), Leonel Leal (Costa Rica), Carlos Pastrana (Honduras, assistant); Marco Rodriquez (Mexico, referee), Jose Luis Camargo Callado, Alberto Morin Mendez (both Mexico, assistants)

Europe

Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal, referee), Jose Manuel Silva, Bertino Miranda (both Portugal, assistants); Massimo Busacca (Switzerland, referee), Matthias Arnet, Francesco Buragina (both Switzerland, assistants); Frank de Bleeckere (Belgium, referee), Peter Hermans, Walter Vromans (both Belgium, assistants); Martin Hansson (Sweden, referee), Henrik Andren, Stefan Wittberg (both Sweden, assistants); Viktor Kassai (Hungary, referee), Gabor Eros, Tibor Vamos (both Hungary, assistants); Stephane Lannoy (France, referee), Eric Dansault, Laurent Ugo (both France, assistants); Roberto Rosetti (Italy, referee), Paolo Calcagno, Stefano Ayroldi (both Italy, assistants); Wolfgang Stark (Germany, referee), Jan Salver, Mike Pickel (both Germany, assistants); Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain, referee), Fermin Martinez Ibanez, Juan Carlos Yuste Jimenez (both Spain, assistants); Howard Webb (England, referee), Darren Cann, Michael Mullarkey (both England, assistants)

Oceania

Michael Hester (New Zealand, referee), Jan-Hendrik Hintz (New Zealand, assistant), Tevita Makasini (Tonga, assistant); Peter O’Leary (New Zealand, referee), Brent Best (New Zealand, assistant), Matthew Taro (Solomon Islands, assistant)

South America

Carlos Amarilla Demarqui (Paraguay, referee), Emigdio Ruiz Roa, Nicolas Yegros (both Paraguay, assistants); Hector Baldassi (Argentina, referee), Ricardo Casas, Hernan Maidana (both Argentina, assistants); Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay, referee), Pablo Fandino, Mauricio Espinosa (both Uruguay, assistants); Pablo Pozo Quinteros (Chile, referee), Patricio Basualto, Francisco Mondria (both Chile, assistants); Oscar Ruiz Acosta (Colombia, referee), Abraham Gonzalez, Humberto Clavijo (both Colombia, assistants); Carlos Simon (Brazil, referee), Altemir Hausmann, Roberto Braatz (both Brazil, assistants)