Two clubs in Ghana have been punished for match manipulation. Ashanti Gold president Kwaku Frimpong and chief executive Emmanuel, his son, were also banned from football in Ghana for the same reason. Ashanti Gold and Inter Allies are the two clubs that were punished. The two clubs have been relegated to the third tier of Ghanaian football, with players and officials of both clubs also sanctioned for match-fixing.
A Ghana Premier League game between the two sides in September ended 7-0 to Ashanti Gold, with Hashmi Musah scoring two own goals as he claimed to try and prevent a pre-arranged 5-1 scoreline. Musah’s claims and notifications of suspicious betting patterns were investigated by the Ghana Football Association (GFA), who have found both teams guilty of match manipulation.
As well as both teams having to play Division Two football next season, several club officials, coaches, and players were banned from football. The most severe sanction was given to Inter Allies volunteer Emmanuel Nii Amoah, also known as Nii Gogo, who was barred for life for his role in the match-fixing. Ashanti Gold president Dr. Kwaku Frimpong was given a 10-year ban and fined 100,000 Ghanaian Cedis ($13,000) while his son Emmanuel Frimpong, the club’s chief executive, got an eight-year ban and a fine of 50,000 Ghanaian Cedis.
Musah himself was banned for two years but his sanction was reduced to six months for his role in “unravelling” the fixed match. However, Musah was “warned not to take the law into his hands” and reminded of his duty “to disclose any such occurring to the GFA” through its integrity hotline.
The coaches of the two clubs which are four, that is the coach and the assistant were all banned for two years. Fourteen Ashanti Gold players were suspended for between two and four years and the club’s sporting director was also given a four-year ban. As well as Musah, a further 11 Inter Allies players and their goalkeeping coach were suspended for between two and three years.