The reaction. And a time to form your own judgement.

Following the publication of this piece on the Ghana page of WorldCupBlog, its subsequent pulling down and the issues arising as previously discussed, Ghanasoccernet published its own statement Monday morning.


The tone and language used is quite...well, you judge for yourself. But I expected nothing less. The original press release from Ghanasoccernet can be found on their site here.

However, this is the full piece, reproduced, with my post-script below it.

I have highlighted and underlined the section that refers to me.

Please take a dictionary before reading the write-up. You will need it. Promise.

Cheers,

Gary.

***

Press Release: Ghanasoccernet to take legal action against Opoku

Over the past few days, Ghanasoccernet.com has been subjected to virulent defamation, outright lies and hostility from Christopher Opoku on various media platforms without any provocation.

The management of Ghanasoccernet has decided to take legal action against Opoku and the conga-line of me-too careerists who helped to spread his lies, jealousy and hatred.

This action is meant to set the records straight and for him to pay the damages he wreaked on the Ghanasoccernet.com brand and image.

Our attention was drawn to an article in last Friday’s edition of the ‘Graphic Sports’ titled : “Milovan Rajevac: inside story of how Ghana coach quit Black Stars” which has also been published elsewhere on the worldwide web.

Our respected friends at Graphic Sports have offered to retract the story with our rejoinder on Tuesday.

We will take a similar action against a me-too careerist who repeated the article verbatim for a UK blog. The blog have since pulled it down and issued a groveling apology over the false and damaging article.  [emphasis mine. Please note: no groveling apology was issued by anyone from WCB, the UK blog]

We are alarmed by the false and defamatory references made in the article about our website, its ownership, its leadership and even how we source our news!

It is absolutely shocking and disgraceful for Opoku to emphatically state that because we break all the big news on Ghana football because we are funded by Virtus International!

As if that was not bad enough, he went on to lie that we own Afrikansoccernet.com.

We want to state the following facts:

1. We were not set up by Virtus International, we have not received any funding or any support in any form from Virtus International.
2. Virtus International has NEVER been involved in the setting up of our website and or its running.
3. We also don’t own Afrikansoccernet.com.
4. We have been breaking all the big news on Ghana football since 2006 when we started when Virtus never even dreamt of coming to Ghana.
We started running this website late 2006 and Emmanuel Adebayor of Manchester City performed our official launch on 24th December 2007.

We work extremely hard both night and day to bring all the news on Ghana football and all of its players both at home and abroad to our cherished readers and friends.

That is why we are able to bring all the breaking news on Ghana football and God willing we will continue to be THE news source on Ghana football for the world’s media, the newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations in Ghana.

Opoku’s warped thinking doesn’t even bring him to the understanding that when we brought all the breaking news and exclusives on Michael Essien, John Mensah, Asamoah Gyan Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah, Richard Kingson and many others we were not funded by their agent Fabian Pivateau.

In his world, bringing breaking all the news on Dede Ayew, Rahim Ayew, Jordan Ayew and Abedi Pele himself surely means we are funded by the ‘Maestro’.

For Christopher Opoku, bringing news on Milovan Rajevac and the likes of Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah means we are funded by their agents Virtus International.

What about when we broke the news on Stephen Appiah signing for Bologna and Cesena even before the clubs and his personal website reported? Does it mean we are funded by his agent Frank Trimbolli?

While we continued to nurture our news sources by bringing balanced breaking football news on Ghana, Opoku tore himself down with his lopsided ‘investigations’ which have on numerous occasions brought him ridicule and trouble. Now he struts the Ghana sports media stage like a peacock on heat, convincing himself he is a major player.

Unsurprisingly some strange failed coaches masquerading as journalists tucked to the wind of traducing our name.

They wanted to rock the Ghanasoccernet.com boat not to scuttle it. But on this occasion Opoku and cohorts have bitten more than they can chew. They will pay.

If Opoku has taken total leave of his senses and he will be brought back to reality by the truth at the law courts.

For those who have tucked to the wind, it is a mess of their own making. They have handcuffed themselves to Opoku’s coat-tails are now about to throw away the key.

The mills of Ghanaian justice grind slowly but they grind exceeding small.

This is not a threat, it is a promise.

Editor,

Ghanasoccernet.com

***

As democracy demands, facts are presented for you to pass your own judgement. I still maintain that as far as I am concerned, there was nothing malicious about the piece in question.

It's shocking how this issue has gained such prominence. The insistence on not being rational is to blame, really. 

The 'Inside Story' article in question states facts as a journalist has dug up. Perhaps I'm being blinded by my own sense of judgement but if you feel strongly about the article's inappropriateness, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.