When Panthers became Crocodiles

After losing to Uganda in their opening African Cup of Nations match,Ghana then lost its Yugoslavian coach Milan Zivadinovic in a matter of days.

Things were not going quite right for the Black Stars, but the fans were still solidly behind their team.

Yet somehow, the Ghana Football Association managed to get in a fix again.This time over a friendly match against the Panthers of Gabon.

On the afternoon of the match, the Accra sports stadium was half filled with fans whose appetites had been whetted by the local press.

As far as the fans were concerned,they were paying good money to watch a decent Gabonese side take on the Black Stars.

Kick-off was delayed for over an hour and when the teams finally emerged from the dressing rooms, Ghana's opponents were not Gabon, but Lesotho.

There was shock in the stands but as always a good explanation was at hand to explain how the Panthers of Gabon were suddenly transformed into the Crocodiles of Lesotho.

According to GFA secretary general Kofi Nsiah,the Gabonese team had set off from Togo to Accra by road, but it was clear that the match could not be played as scheduled.

There was to be another twist in the story which ultimately saved the blushes of Ghana and the wrath of the fans.

By sheer coincidence, Lesotho's contigent of players and officials had to stop over in Accra on their way to Gambia for a nations cup game.

So when the GFA proposed a match between the two teams, Lesotho's coach Monaheng Monyane had few objections.

He said: ''This is just a coincidence because we missed our flight so we called the local FA to inform them that we are around.

"The response was 'Let us have a kick about.'"

The GFA were still working out other alternatives with league champions Hearts of Oak, on standby in case Lesotho could not play due to jet lag.

Tickets had already been sold for the Gabon friendly and not surprisingly,the match kicked off 90 minutes late.

With all the drama that had preceded the game,the scoreline did not really seem to matter.

But one thing is certain, Accra fans will long remember the day when the Black Stars emerged 2-1 victors over the the Crocodiles who were supposed to be Panthers