Techiman City, Wa African Utd banned
The Ethics Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has demoted two Division One League (DOL) clubs, Techiman City and Wa African United, to Division Two for conniving to fix a league match in the ongoing Zone 1 league.
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The committee found the two clubs guilty of engaging in bribery and match-fixing in contravention of Article 68 (2) of GFA Regulations.
The five-man committee, chaired by DCOP Kofi Boakye, found Techiman City FC and Wa African United guilty of bribery and match-fixing after investigations into their Matchday 22 game played at the Damango Park.
Also affected were the chief executive officers of both teams who have been suspended from all football-related activities for six months.
The Team Manager of Wa African United, Kofi Adams, and Coach Yaw Baah Suleman and Yaw Adamu Acheampong were also banned for one year from all football-related activities. In addition, Wa African Utd FC are to refund GH¢2,000 to the GFA for the development of juvenile football.
The ruling said although the President of Techiman City FC, Charles Kwadwo Ntim, aka Micky Charles, vehemently denied knowing Yaw Adamu Acheampong who allegedly paid the bribe of GH¢2,000 to the coach and Team Manager of Wa African United FC, the referee’s report presented to the Disciplinary Committee had Adamu Acheampong as one of the officials of the club.
“In addition, the handwritten team sheet submitted by the counsel for Wa African United also has the name Yaw Adamu Acheampong as the Masseur. This team sheet has the name and signature of the Team Manager and captain of Techiman City. All these point to the fact that Yaw Adamu Acheampong is either an official of the team or an agent purposely used for the bribery and match-fixing operation,” it stressed.
It added. “The Committee did not find the President of Techiman City FC a very credible witness. He was very evasive in his answers.”
“From the foregoing, it can be concluded that although the match seemed to have been played in a competitive spirit there was an initial bribery to influence the outcome of the match.”
The Ethics Committee noted that allegations of bribery and match-fixing had become so prevalent in our football matches and the time had come for all to assist in removing that negative notion. “Therefore, any punishment should be deterrent enough to other teams and officials,” the committee said.
