Sports News of Friday, 25 August 2017

Source: footballghana.com

Match fixing scandal hits Division One League

Mustapha Riga has been accused of giving out GHC 20,000 to Berekum Arsenal Mustapha Riga has been accused of giving out GHC 20,000 to Berekum Arsenal

Division One League club B.A United have been slapped with another match-fixing scandal with some agitated players in the club revealing their 5-2 win over Berekum Arsenal on 20th August 2017 was fixed.

The players who have been expelled from the club for expressing concerns over the scandalous development feel cheated for being ousted from the club for complaining about what they see to be a genuine concern.

B.A United miraculously made a huge comeback from 2-0 down to win 5-2 in a dubious manner in a game the Berekum Arsenal defenders tell the B.A strikers to push for more goals.

Club President, Mustapha Riga who recently called on Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo to intervene to save Ghana football from corruption is believed to have dashed out over GHC20,000 to officials and selected players of Berekum Arsenal in the build-up to the game that produced the huge score line.

According to one of the agitated players who spoke in an interview on Ark FM in Sunyani, the club has been engaging in the illegal activity of winning matches, intensifying it in the second round of the season.

In a tape chanced upon by GHANAsoccernet.com, the wife of club president Mustapha Riga, who is the Krontihemaa of the Sunyani Traditional Area tells one of the players who was earlier dashed out of the club for complaining over match fixing that the phenomenon is not considered a criminal scenario in Ghana football hence it’s not a crime for B.A United to fix matches.

Screen shots of WhatsApp messages from Mustapha Riga to one of the players concerned, trying to skew him from not releasing the audio evidence of the wife have also leaked on social media.

B.A United have been caught up in numerous match fixing scandals with the most popular being Gargo Mohammed’s claim that the players were betting with their matches two season ago when they were playing in the Ghana Premier League.

The former Black Stars midfielder was hired to replace Frimpong Manso who had qualified the team to the Ghana Premier League but Gargo lasted for only two matches after realizing that his own players were betting with their own matches, skewing the results to always favour their odds.

The troubled players have threatened to lay bare more evidence of the activities of the B.A United Club President Mustapha Riga in fixing matches in his quest to see his side gain promotion into the Ghana Premier League.

The Apostles of Power Soccer are now third on the Zone 1 league table with 47 points, 7 points away from table toppers Nea Salamina but have five more matches to play to end the season.