Match-fixing: Allegation vs Evidence

Journalists on roof top doing their work at the Kpando Park. 

Questions of whether or not there are compromised matches in our Premier League never come up until the competition is about to end. For example, in the 2014/15 First Capital Plus Premier League, I didn't hear allegations of match fixing until after match day 23. This was the week where the then struggling Accra Hearts of Oak thumped Heart of Lions 4-0 at the Robert Mensah Sports Stadium in Cape Coast.

Heart of Lions – now relegated were in much better shape going into that match with Hearts but they surprisingly tumbled against the rather poor Hearts team. The public’s suspicion was that, because Hearts were dangerously caught in the relegation web then, they badly needed a lifeline. It didn’t matter how they would win; the win was all that mattered.

So Hearts won massively amidst allegations of Heart of Lions playing it soft. Subsequent matches by Hearts and other clubs were also smeared with similar allegations. The Liberty-Hearts; Liberty-Hasaacas at Dansoman; Kotoko-Aduana Stars in Kumasi and the Olympics-Ashgold matches all had their outcomes allegedly pre-determined, according to sections of the media.

An Executive Committee member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Fred Pappoe, who doubles as a Board member of Great Olympics subsequently in a radio interview alleged that, some of the last round matches in the league were prearranged. Fred Pappoe, a football personality I admire so much, was emphatic but unfortunately he didn’t provide any proof.

GFA spokesman, Ibrahim Sannie Daara not surprisingly disagreed with Fred Pappoe.

Most local football enthusiasts including media commentators however sided with Fred Pappoe. They cited varying stories from the past to support their suspicion that, match-fixing in our league was not only a perception but a reality.

Though the position of the GFA’s Ethics Committee is being contested, the news of Techiman City FC and Wa African United being found guilty of bribery and match fixing by the FA’s Ethics Committee doesn’t do any good to the image of our domestic football.

We live in a perverse, corrupt society – where there is no truth or honesty in our dealings as a people. The key elements of being honourable – which are truth and honesty can hardly be found in today’s life so how much more football? That should make us sad but I also think we don’t have to be throwing match-fixing allegations around anyhow because, no matter how convinced we are about the pervasiveness of the menace, we do ourselves no good if we publicly make those allegations but are unable substantiate them.

Evidence matters so much in eliminating malpractices of any kind. With evidence, the prosecution of corrupt practices in any legal setting is made easier. It is important therefore, that, those who publicly make allegations of corruption in our football are encouraged to come forward with evidence to back their allegations otherwise we will not make any progress with fighting the scourge.

If we are so desirous of ridding our football league of corruption, we should be courageous to come to the table with incontrovertible evidence all the time. I’m not naïve to know that, proving corrupt practices committed in the dark is difficult but we also cannot continue making allegations as if that’s all there is to the issue.

Naturally, law breakers don't easily admit their wrongdoing. There those who are courageous enough to deny wrongdoing even when they are caught in the act. With such human predicament on our hands, only hardcore evidence and the right activation of the justice delivery system will ensure the establishment of the guilt or innocence of those we accuse of match-fixing.

Let me stress that, it is not enough to publicly make allegations and decline to substantiate them. We should be bold to defend our claims with the media demanding the right answers. Otherwise, we will continue to have the case where people will hurriedly come public with allegations of match-fixing only to chicken out when demands for evidence are made.