The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled in favour of the players involved in the alleged match-fixing game between AshantiGold and Inter Allies two seasons ago, overturning all punishments imposed by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The GFA's Disciplinary Committee had sanctioned 21 players, 14 of whom belonged to AshantiGold, for their alleged involvement in manipulating the results of a Ghana Premier League match on match day 34, which ended in a 7-0 victory for AshantiGold. Inter Allies player Hashmin Musah had claimed in a post-match interview that he scored two own goals to foil the match-fixing plot.
The players from AshantiGold faced various sanctions, with Stephen Owusu Banahene, Dacosta Ampem, Frank Akoto, Agyemang Isaac Opoku, Amos Kofi Nkrumah, Eric Esso, Moses Kwame, and Solomon Afriyie receiving two-year fines for their involvement. Defenders Samed Mohammed and Seth Osei were given 30-month bans for their major roles in fixing the game. Additionally, Emmanuel Owusu, Mohammed Bailou, Amos Addai, and Paul De Vries Asare were handed 48-month bans for failing to appear before the Committee despite being invited.
Following the GFA's decision to ban the players, the Professional Football Association of Ghana (PFAG) appealed to CAS through the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) to challenge the sanctions. As the case was being heard and determined by CAS, the players were allowed to register for the 2022/23 season to continue playing competitive football.
After several months of deliberation, CAS has now announced its decision, annulling all the sanctions imposed on the players. With the punishments overturned, the players can now fully participate in football activities without any restrictions.
Below is the decision from CAS:
