Ghana Premier League giants, Accra Hearts of Oak have emphatically denied allegations of match-fixing leveled against them by the media.
In an interview with Joy News, the Rainbows were accused by former Black Stars midfielder, Yusif Chibsah of staging their game against King Faisal, which they won 2-0 in Accra.
In response to these allegations, the 2020/21 Premier League champions have moved quickly to address the football fraternity.
Statement from the club read: “The attention of the Board and Management of Accra Hearts of Oak SC has been drawn to a media post on www.ghanaweb.com on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 under the caption “Yusif Chibsah shares how Alhaji Grunsah discovered Hearts of Oak’s bribe to King Faisal players”.
“In the post. Mr Yusif Chibsah was reported to have told Joy Sports, among others, that, “Alhaji called one of his players and went with him to a phone booth and called an official of Hearts of Oak to complain about how one of the players didn’t receive his portion of the bribe money shared amongst the players…. To their surprise the official on the other end of the line instructed the player to go and see a particular individual to collect his portion of the money”
“Unfortunately, Mr Yusif Chibsah failed to mention the name of the official of Hearts of Oak he alleged was involved in this misconduct.
“As an ardent adherent to the GFA’s regulations and the principles of fair play, Hearts of Oak’s Code of Ethics frowns against any conduct, including bribery, that negatively impacts the credibility and competitiveness of football.
“Management of Hearts of Oak is therefore requesting Mr Yusif Chibsah to publish, immediately, the name of the person(s) involved in the bribery allegation for investigations and the imposition of appropriate sanctions by the relevant authorities.
“Management of Hearts of Oak wishes to add that it takes strong exception to the publication of unsubstantiated allegations, that undermine its integrity and the credibility of Ghana football, especially by retired professional footballers who are expected to know better. The club will take all actions necessary to protect and defend its integrity.
The club, however, urged the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana to advice its members.
“Finally, we would like to urge the Professional Footballers Association to educate its members about the important need for them to commit their time and energy to the pursuance of activities that would further the cause of Ghana football.”
