Two days after the match in Kampala, I am thinking about the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the fact that we will not be there.

Does it hurt? Yes. As a fan, it is always fun seeing your country at the biggest gathering in world football and as a journalist, it would have been a great experience.

But all that is now a dream. A dream that can only come to life if we see that we have been given an opportunity to reset the system and go at it again.

But have our eyes been opened to this fact? Some of us have seen this but others need a little time to see the writing on the wall.

That group seems to believe that the first thing we need to do is to protest against South African referee Daniel Bennett will work. We can file our case to CAF because it is our right. We feel aggrieved and we must let the continent’s governing body know this.

We were denied a good goal by a bad decision on the day.

However, that will have to give way to the glaring truth. We have fallen off a few steps and we need to get back there. But then, part of the work has been started and I feel that that we need to quickly see and understand the times.

The Black Stars have one more match in the World Cup qualifiers and the rest of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers.

These matches, I believe, are the perfect platforms to test up and coming players. We should be grateful for the competitive settings in which Kwesi Appiah and his new charges find themselves.

There is no better way to gauge a player’s emotional readiness and technical ability than in a match that has great value. How do know if Kwesi Appiah is learning when he cannot show his abilities in a crucial qualifier leading to a tournament?

I do not believe that we should target winning the 2019 AFCON. I feel we may not be fully ready for it but we need to get there to measure the evolution of this new crop and then, go full throttle for the 2019 AFCON tournament.

However, all this is premised on one simple thing: the understanding that missing the 2018 World Cup tournament is a good thing.

As for finding a new philosophy and implementing many other things in the Dzamefe Commission Report, it has become clear that the people in power have decided not to bother their heads over these.

They choose to believe in fixing the national team. That is very good because I am for it too but then, our long-term success lies in finding the proverbial plain field and building a new football structure from the ground up.

We will not be the first to do it.Others have done it and it has worked. We can take the lessons and apply them to our own context. That should not be too hard, should it?

Congrats to Egypt and Nigeria for booking their tickets for the 2018 World Cup. Nigeria are going back to the tournament after going to Brazil.

But Egypt are finally back among the big boys after 27 years. 27 years of heartbreak and waiting. 27 years of seeing others go while they watch the games at home.

This group of players was put together in the chaos of political crisis and they found unity and purpose to make it to Russia.

It is pleasing that one of the continent’s brightest players, Mohammed Salah, will get his turn at the World Cup. We wish them well.

We cannot say same for Argentina who are in all sorts of problems. They face Ecuador on Tuesday and they are 6th on the log with 25 points.

Here is the breakdown of Argentina’s fate as explained by the Mirror website:

“…a draw (between Ecuador and Argentina) will be good enough for Messi’s side if Colombia beat Peru and Paraguay fail to win (at home, against last-placed Venezuela). A single point could also see them move above Chile and Colombia… as long as both those teams lose by a two-goal margin. 

There is a way Argentina could even end up in fifth place and a play-off spot with a DEFEAT. If Paraguay fail to win and Colombia beat Peru, a defeat in Quito won’t matter.”

That is how complicated things are for Argentina.

By Wednesday morning, we will know if Lionel Messi will be in Russia or not. Football is a crazy game, I tell you.

That’s it for this week.

Hit me up on Twitter @nathan_quao

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A new report released on May 12. 2014 by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington DC-based research and advocacy organisation said through these fraudulent trade transactions, $14.39 billion in illicit capital flowed either into or out of Ghana due to trade mis-invoicing, while under-invoicing of exports amounted to $5.1 billion and under-invoicing of imports came to $4.6 billion.

The report said the under-invoicing of exports was the primary method for shifting money illicitly out of the country while the under-invoicing of imports was used mainly to illegally smuggle capital into the country.

As a result of these illicit financial deals, Ghana’s tax loss has been put at roughly 11 per cent of total government revenue during the 10-year period.

Apart from Ghana, the study, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, also looked at four other African countries, namely Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania, and found that the over-invoicing and under-invoicing of trade transactions allowed at least $60.8 billion to be illegally taken into or out of the five countries between 2002 and 2011.

In the case of the other four countries, the potential average annual tax loss from trade misinvoicing during the 10 years reviewed amounted to $2.43 billion or roughly 12.7 per cent of Uganda’s total government revenue; $1.68 billion for Mozambique (10.4 per cent); $3.92 billion for Kenya (8.3 per cent); and $2.48 billion for Tanzania (7.4 per cent).

“It is deeply disconcerting that illicit financial flows are taking such a serious toll on the economies of Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda,” noted Mogens Jensen, Danish Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation.

“Denmark has for several years supported Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda in fighting poverty and promoting economic growth and job creation.

“These efforts are clearly at risk of being ampills.com undermined by fraudulent trade transactions, which rob the people of these countries of funds that could otherwise have been used for investments in infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and other much needed public services. I hope that the study can help the governments in their efforts to curb illicit financial flows,” Mr. Jensen said.

“Trade misinvoicing is stymieing economic growth and likely decimating government revenues in these countries,” said GFI President Raymond Baker, a long-time authority on financial crime.

“The consequences are simply devastating. The capital drained from trade misinvoicing means that local businesses in Uganda and Tanzania have less money to grow their companies and hire more workers.

“The potential revenue loss from trade misinvoicing means that Ghana has less money to spend on healthcare, Kenya has less money to devote to education, and Mozambique has less money to invest in infrastructure. Trade misinvoicing is perhaps the most serious economic issue plaguing these countries,” Mr. Baker said.

Authored by a team of GFI experts, the analysis reviewed the components and drivers of trade misinvoicing in the five countries and estimated the potential impact on tax revenue for each government.

It analysed the policy environment in each country, and provided general policy recommendations, as well as specific suggestions tailored to the circumstances in each nation.

The GFI report recommended greater transparency in domestic and international financial transactions, and greater cooperation between developed and developing country governments to shut down the channels through which illicit money flows.

“It is our view that this is just the beginning of the conversation surrounding trade misinvoicing and illicit flows in these countries.

“Our analysis makes it clear that more research can and should be done to further identify areas for improvement. It’s our desire to work constructively with the governments of Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda to meaningfully curtail the scourge of illicit financial flows,”  Mr. Baker said.

Source: GNA

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