Serbia authorities intimidate Ghana coach

by destroying his house

Serbian authorities have started extreme tactics to intimidate Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac ahead of their World Cup clash as his US$1.5m mansion in the country has been razed to the ground.

The Serbian will lead Ghana to face his native country at the World Cup in South Africa in June and the action to destroy his expensive mansion in the tourist town of Zlatibor is being viewed as an attempt to cow him.

Since guiding the Black Stars to reach the final of African Cup of Nations in January with a depleted, the Serbian coach has been receiving threatening phone calls asking him to quit as the coach of Ghana.

This has sparked the suspicion the demolition of his house is orchestrated from the top because of their impending clash at the global tournament in South Africa even though Zlatibor authorities say he doesn't have the necessary papers to build the house.

Witnesses in Zlatibor, where Rajevac was born, told Ghanasoccernet that a desperate attmept by the wife of the Ghana coach, who was then in the house, to show them the necessary papers fell on deaf ears.

The destruction men pounced as Rajevac was away from his home country trawling the various leagues across the world to decide which players to invite for the World Cup.

The Serbian coach was in Ghana when the incident occurred and his desperate phone calls to stop the demolition were also ignored which has led the softly-spoken coach being distraught.

Rajevac is now considering legal, Fifa action and Ghana government intervention over the incident as he is expected to sue the the Zlatibor Town Council for the demolition.

"This is a very suspicious move and it is clearly an attempt to stop me from leading the Black Stars to the World Cup," Rajevac told Ghanasoccernet.com.

"This house has been here for many years and I have all the documents. It is curious that few weeks to the World Cup they decide to destroy the house.

"This is very painful because my several years of labour and working in football were invested here but because of football they want to kill my determination.

"If this is their intention they are wrongly mistaken. I am leading the Black Stars to the World Cup to make history. They should get this correct.

"To build an expensive house like this I needed a permit and I acquired all the documents before I built the house so it is heart wrenching for them to do this to me

"I have no option than to go to the courts, ask Fifa to look into the matter and also ask the Ghana government to intervene and seek protection for me at governmental levels.

"This is football and it must not come to this. I am committed to Ghana and I will do my best to achieve something momentous. They cannot intimidate me.

Ghana will play Serbia, Australia and Germany in the group phase of the World Cup in South Africa in June

The demolition men believed to be from the Zlatibor Town Council carried out the demolition of the property even though the Ghana boss says he has all the papers granting him the permission to build the property.

Only the facade remained of the house which is also rented by tourist during the high winter time as the mountainous area is famed for its skiing resources.