Head Coach of Dreams FC, Ignatius Kwame Osei-Fosu has asked person sclaiming the Ghana Premier League games are fixed to produce evidence of such deals or shut-up.
“All these people talking about fixed games in the GPL must back their claims with concrete evidence to prove their allegations; else they should keep quiet and stop denigrating the credibility of the competition.”
The young vibrant coach made the assertion at his post-match press interaction on Sunday after losing 3-1 to defending champions, Hearts of Oak at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Answering a question on a perceived credibility loss of the GPL owing to match-fixing allegations,Coach Osei-Fosu said those making the claims with no evidence are just ‘little thinking’ people walking around.
“I don’t believe these people can provide any evidence to back their claims; they would just disappear. Sadly, we allow them to go unpunished after tarnishing the image of a competition that provides the daily bread for a lot of people.”
According to the Dreams FC Coach, strange results or outcomes are part of the game of football but are not often, adding that, “they don’t become fixed matches when they occur once in a while.”
He described as unfortunate the recent hue-and-cry over a supposed ‘fixed-match’ when Eleven Wonders rallied from behind to beat Bechem United 3-2.
He said on that same day, Real Madrid came back from 2-0 down to beat Sevilla 3-2 in the Spanish La liga while Empoli also came back from 2-0 to beat Napoli 3-2 in the Italian Serie A, a week after.
However, in those instances, he said there were no issues about the credibility of these games, adding that, “It would have been a big issue had that happen in Ghana.”
He said it was sad to hear rumours like this spread everywhere with detractors jumping at them for their personal gains.
“I’m very sad about this phenomenon because it is an attack on my industry; this is where I earn my daily bread. If there is sponsorship for the league, my pocket gets filled; that is why I hate to hear some of these rumours. They should bring evidence to support those claims.”
“When an own goal is scored in Europe it remains an own goal but when it happens down here in Ghana, then the game becomes a fixed game, what is that? He quizzed.
On his club’s ambition for the remainder of the season, Coach Osei-Fosu disclosed that the club wants to maintain its premiership status.
Dreams FC currently occupy the 13th position on the league log with 32 points, same as 14th placed Real Tamale United and three points off the relegation zone.
However, Coach Osei-Fosu remains optimistic of surviving the drop this season.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY