Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the former Minister of Youth and Sports has revealed that some Black Stars players begged him to make certain payments to referees so as to ensure their qualification to the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Vice-Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee, Wilfred Kweku Osei Palmer once suggested that, if “unclassified payments” was made available to pay referees, the Black Stars would have qualified for the World Cup.
Following the Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ expose on football, Nii Lante Vanderpuye shed a little more light on the perceived corruption at the GFA.
“National team players came to my office to plead with me to end the sort of adventures I am having with the FA and give them the money to be able to pay the unclassified payments so that we will qualify for the World Cup,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye on the Citi Breakfast Show.
“I don’t want to injure the reputation of these players because they are playing in Europe,” he added.
“Osei Palmer came out and said I was the cause of our failure to qualify for the World Cup because I didn’t give them the money to buy the matches and to pay to the referees.”
After the Anas’ expose was made public, football fans in Ghana have been left shocked at the confirmation of alleged rot within the sport.
President Kwesi Nyantakyi and several members of the GFA including referees have been captured in the corruption scandal.
Nii Lante has now called for the government to dissolve the entire hierarchy of the GFA as the only solution.
“The government must dissolve the GFA with immediate effect and face the consequences from FIFA… it is the only thing that will save Ghana Football. Nigeria did it, and today they are reaping the benefits. They incurred a six-month ban for it, but today they are in the World Cup,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye said.
