Obed Ansah, a former Hearts of Oak and Black Meteors midfielder, has revealed details about events that took place in Iran in 2007, where Black Meteors players were compromised by a betting ring.
The betting syndicate accessed players through goalkeeper Abukari Damba in order to obtain the desired outcomes for the syndicate.
Damba is said to have wanted a 2-0 loss for the Black Meteors by paying six players $1,000.00 in the friendly match but Ghana lost 4-2
One of the players Tuah Khamix reported the incident to his head coach, the late Jones Attuquayefio who in turn told the leader of the delegation Randy Abbey.
Ansah divulged that a meeting was held where all players who took the money were asked to own up which many of them did.
“Black Stars got a friendly international match but the U23’s were asked to play the match…in Iran that time Claude Le Roy was managing Black Stars. Randy Abbey was our chairman and I heard that we should come for a meeting when I got to the meeting I was sitting in front. Then we were told that all those who went to Damba and he gave them money should raise their hand. I was in front and to my surprise Saban was up and counting (the hands) 1,2,3 and it was still going on,” he said Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on Youtube.
“Later on Emmanuel Alan Skido who played for Liberty told me that Damba was calling me and I told him to tell him (Damba) that I am bathing so when I finish I will come. I did not know we were all in the meeting with Damba he was the keepers trainer. What I was told was that the money was with Damba and each player was to get 1000 but when they went he gave them 500,”
“What surprised me is that time there was a new phone on the market Erisson or Nokia phone it was expensive and we were all waiting to receive the per diem so that we buy the phone. All that I saw was all the players holding the phone the hotel we were in the phone was been sold in a shop at the ground floor reception. Seven players were holding the phone and I asked myself these people when coming they didn’t have that kind of money where did they get this kind of money so later the matter got to management and I realized that the bribe issue made it possible for them to buy the phone,”