On this day 28 March 2007 (Exactly 14 years ago today) Abedi Ayew Pele’s Nania Fc beat Okwawu United 31-0 at the Sekondi Gyandu Park while Great Mariners were 28-0 winners over Mighty Jets.
On the last day of Zone 3 middle league, while Mighty Jets and Gt. Mariners were playing, Okwawu United were also taking on Nania FC and as both Nania and Great Mariners bent on qualification they scored goals in rapidity against their opponents in a manner that was seen as pre-arranged.
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) on the 29th August 2007 served the clubs involved charging the clubs together with some players and officials for misconduct with their Middle League matches played on Wednesday 28th March 2007.
Those charged were served in accordance with article 35(8) of the GFA regulations.
The clubs and their players and officials were charged persuant to Article 35(5a) of the GFA Regulations.
The clubs were charged with violating GFA Regulations 35(5a) on offences by the GFA, Clubs, Officials, Members and Players in respect of their final Middle League matches.
To wit, the regulation stipulates that “any GFA/Club official, or member, player who instigates, commands, counsels, solicits, procures, or in any manner purposely aids, facilitates, encourages or promotes the playing of fixed match or match of convenience, involving his club, or involving other clubs, the result of which may in one way or the other, affect his club, commits a grievous offence and the offender shall be referred to Disciplinary Committee for appropriate sanctions.”
After due process by way of summons, the Disciplinary Committee Chaired by Richard Akpokavie sat on 4th September 2007 to commence hearing on the cases and ended on 6th September 2007.
Some officials and players of the clubs appeared before the Disciplinary Committee. Referees and match commissioners of the two matches were invited as witnesses.
Mr. G. K. Manu, Class 1 Referee, who was in charge of the Nania Fc- Okwawu United gave evidence first and the summary is as follows:
1. That he submitted a match report to the GFA after the match and he relied on the contents therein.
2. Okwawu delayed the start of the 2nd half for about 10 minutes despite persistent calls by the 4th referee.
3. That the 1st half of the match was very competitive.
4. The 2nd half also started competively for about 15 minutes
5. That after about the 60th minute the match was no longer competitive.
6. That in the 60th minute the substituted goalkeeper of Okwawu got injured and was replaced by a field player as they had exhausted their substitutions.
7. In the 64th and 65th minutes 2 players David Mensah and Richard Mireku got injured and could not continue play.
8. That in the 67th minute his attention was drawn to an injury to Okwawu player Kwame Antwi but upon his assessment it was not serious injury but the player left the field and thus Okwawu playing with 7 players till the end of the match.
10. That the Okwawu United goalkeeper also got injured in the 65th and 72nd minute.
11. That looking at how the goals were scored and how the Nania goalkeeper who was not taking active part but got injured he concluded the match was not competitive.
12. That goals were being scored every minute at some stage in the match and any time Okwawu started the match they only kicked the ball into the half of Nania for them to take the ball and score.
13. That the conclusion from all the above was that the match was not played in competitive manner.
Under cross examination he denied the assertion that the match was competitive and reiterated his evidence that the match was not competitive.
On behalf of Okwawu United and all the affected officials and players, Mr. Oduro Nyarko observed that the written and oral evidence of the two witnesses in the case, the Referee and the match Commissioner, were contradictory.
He contended that the Referee’s conclusion that the match was not played competitively because Nania Fc’s goalkeeper injured when the game was not being played in his half is not acceptable.
On behalf of Nania Fc and all their affected officials and players, Mr. George Lomotey submitted that it is the duty of the Organisers to prove that the Match was fixed and that so long as there is no evidence to that effect, the result of the Match should be made to stand and Nania Fc qualified to the Premier League.
Sanctions
In the Disciplinary Committees’ decision which was communicated to the clubs by Deputy General Secretary/Technical of the GFS on 24 September 2007, the following sanctions were imposed on the clubs, their officials and the players:
(a) The matches were declared null and void and three points deducted from the accumulated points of the clubs as per Article 34(7) of the GFA Regulations.
(b) Each club was also fined five thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC5,000) and banned for a period of one (1) year from all leagues, events and activities organised by or approved by Ghana Football Association (GFA) in line with Article 35(5d) of the GFA Regulations.
(c) Players of the clubs who were involved in the material times that the Match turned non- competitive, were banned for one (1) year each from all Leagues, events and activities organised by or approved by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in line with Article 35(5d) of the GFA Regulations.
The affected officials were Alhaji Sulley, Adolf Botwe, John Amponsah, John Labeh and Atta Kakra all from the camp of Okwawu United with Abedi Ayew, George Lomotey, Korley Larye and Armen Brynes from Nania Fc.
The others were Abraham Lomotey, W. O. Darkwa, Nortey Sowah, Nii Kwatse and Richard Ayiku from the Mariners. Shakiru Dauda, Nat Okunor and Nortey Sowah from Migthy Jets to complete the list.
All the 22 and 24 players who played in the Nania- Okwawu and Mariners – Migthy Jets games respectively were not eligible for transfer during the period of the ban.
They were Kwame Anwti, Kwabena Boateng, David Mensah, Daniel Ackuaku, Richard Mireku, Francis Kumi, Peter Anyinator, Frank Turkson, Cudjoe F, Odoi E and Fatau A- all from the camp of Okwawu United.
Kassim Alhaji, Fuseini Aminu, Dauda Razak , Prince D, S. Sarfo, Charles Boateng, Rahim Ayew Abdul, Ebenezer Nartey, Owusu W, Addo- Boafo Lawrence and Abraziz Amankwaa made up the list of players banned from Nania Fc.
Akwasi Boakye, Godspower Igban, and Aryeetey Joseph of Okwawu United and C. K. Abbey, Yussif Ababamu and Daniel Aidoo of Nania Fc who were replaced in the second half of the second half in their respective games were however exonerated.
The following Mariners players were also affected by the ban: Ofori Nyarko, Emmanuel Okaine, Hamid Inusah, Dove Quaye, Geofred Hassan, Abraham Antobaa, Nicholas Adom, Philip Boateng, Christopher Ofori, Richard Okyere, Antwi Doe and Jerry Abbey.
From the camp of Mighty Jets the affected players were Abdallah Sumaila, Abdul Razak Alhaji, Bernard Cudjoe, Michael Nunoo, Mohammed Amiru, Gabrielle Otoo, Adamu Farouck, Abdul Razak Ishmeal, Agbashie Doetse, Abukari Issah, Salifu Mamadu and Zakari Awudu.
By: George ‘Alan Green’ Mahamah
