Nii Odartey Lamptey: "There was nothing like corruption in football during my time"

Published on: 19 June 2018
Nii Odartey Lamptey: "There was nothing like corruption in football during my time"
Nii Odartey Lamptey

Former Ghana international Nii Odartey Lamptey has stated that there was nothing like bribery during his time of play.

The nation has been engulfed in corruption scandal over the past few weeks in the wake of a documentary from acclaimed investigative journalist revealed massive corruption in Ghana football - where the Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi was captured to have received cash gift from supposed investors to sponsor the Ghana Premier League.

Other football officials caught red-handed were members of the Executive Committee of the GFA, notably Greater Accra Regional Football Association chairman, Nii Kormiete Doku, who was filmed taking bribe to influence player selection into the Black Stars B, and numerous referees.

However, according to Lamptey, the selection of players was purely based on talents and hard work because there was no agent or manager available at that time.

“It was hard work and nothing else. There was nothing like your father paying for you to get a position in the team but now that’s what is trending and it is affecting the system badly," he told Kofi TV.

The former Aston Villa attacker Odartey claimed that the first time he got to know corruption existed in Ghana football was when he saw the video of investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and that made him very sad.

“Let’s say we’re in the same team and you’re better than me, you have the skills and all, but because my father is rich and can afford to pay me into the team, I’ll be selected and you’ll be dropped. At the end of the day, the team will be made up of rubbish. If we go to play against a team like Germany that does things genuinely, can we cope with them? It’s impossible.” He said.

He played as a striker for Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Venezia, Unión Santa Fe, Ankaragücü, UniãoLeiria, PSV Eindhoven, Coventry City and the Ghana national football team.

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