Abedi Pele has participated in more
FIFA organized charity matches than any other African player. He is a member of FIFA's Football Committee, and of the player status committees of both FIFA and CAF. The South African FA made him a spokesperson for their 2006 World Cup bid. In appreciation of Abedi Pele's service to the country, the Ghanaian government gave him the country's highest honour, the
Order of the Volta (civil division). He was the first Ghanaian sportsman to be so honoured. On 29 January 1997, the first UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup All-Star Match between
Europe and Africa was played in
Benfica's
Estádio da Luz in
Lisbon and was televised in 100 countries worldwide, including 30 in Africa, for an audience of 60 million viewers. Abedi Pele scored a goal early in the first half and, after
Vincent Guérin had equalised for Europe just before half-time, it was the
1998 African Player of the Year,
Mustapha Hadji, who struck Africa's 78th-minute winner in the 2–1 win. In 2001, the UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup All-Star Match format was changed slightly for the second All-Star Match to bring together players aged between 35 and 45 who now revel in their 'veteran' status and play the game purely for pleasure. The squad sparked off memories of great footballing moments at club and international level. for which the
Ghana Football Association found him and others guilty. The guilty verdict attracted fines and suspensions of Abedi Pele and others, but these were quashed by the Appeals Committee of the Football Association after determining that there were irregularities in the initial judgement of the Ghana Football Association. The allegations stem from an astonishing 31–0 victory recorded by his club, Nania FC over a much respected
Okwawu United side. A similarly farcical 28–0 result was recorded in another second division match played between
Great Mariners and
Tudu Mighty Jets on the same weekend. The clubs involved in that Second Division Promotion Play-off Zone III match were also investigated and subject to the prospect of stiff penalties and demotions. Despite his vehement denials, Abedi Pele had been chastised by some members of the
Ghanaian media, who were demanding that strong punitive actions be taken against him, by Ghana's football governing body as well as the legal system. His wife Maha Ayew was banned from football against this manipulations scandal on 3 November 2008. == Style of play ==