A Germany-based Ghanaian social media sensation, Richmond Appiah, known widely as 'Mad Lion', has detailed how he absconded in Germany after traveling to the country for a football tournament.

In an interview with the ‘Abrokire y3d3’ YouTube channel, Richmond Appiah explained that once the opportunity came for him to travel with the team, he did everything possible, including offering bribes, to allow him to travel.

“I used to play football in Sunyani with the likes of Afriyie Acquah and other guys. One day, we had an opportunity to play a tournament in Germany, and I made the team. To make the trip, I had to make money offerings to some people, but that is Ghana for you. Once we got here, because of the plans I already had, I absconded and that's how I settled in Germany," he said.

"Even the supporters who came here to cheer us on ran away, how much more me? Our coach was the first to abscond and the rest of us followed. We were about 24 and all of us were Ghanaians. Of the 24, only six were players; the rest were hustlers who paid money just to be part of the team because they wanted to leave Ghana.

"We lost all our games in the tournament and our best record was a 4-0 defeat. I planned to run away at the airport, but they had eyes on me, so after the tournament, I managed to run away with one of the players to stay with an uncle of mine for some time. After the tournament, a bus was supposed to take us to the airport. We managed to sneak out of the bus and boarded a taxi. We told the driver to take us to the train station, and that's how we managed to escape," he recounted.

The confessions of Berlin Lion follow recent events where some Ghanaian Paralympic athletes absconded after arriving in Norway for a tournament.

The bizarre incident was reported in a letter signed by the National Security Minister, Albert Kan-Dapaah, giving an account of how the team fled following accusations of impersonation.

The letter noted that the 11-member team was expected to participate in the Fjordkraft Bergen City Marathon on April 27, 2024.

The team was said to have arrived in Norway on April 25, 2024, but failed to register for the competition and thus were not in attendance for the event two days after their arrival.

Nana Antwi, a member of the team, was later arrested by the Norwegian security officials while on his way to Sweden from Norway.

Moreover, the team coach, George Gyamfi Gyasi, reportedly collapsed and passed away at the Oslo University Hospital (ULEVAL) on April 28, 2024. No further details surrounding his death were given.



EK