Accra, Feb 8, GNA - The Disciplinary Committee (DC) of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has cleared Accra Hearts of Oak and Heart of Lions of the match-fixing allegation levelled against them by Kumasi Asante Kotoko last season.
Isaac Addo, Administrative Officer of the GFA in a release copied to the GNA Sports said "after a careful consideration of all the evidence put before us, the Committee finds Hearts and Lions not guilty of playing a fixed match".
He said the Committee was unable to determine the persons behind the recorded voices presented by Kotoko to enable it prosecute any accused persons.
"The Committee was unable to determine from the recordings any specific incidents of match fixing and whose voices were on the recordings".
The recorded tape, according to the release lacked the clarity desired to enable the Committee punish the culprits. The Premiership leaders accused Hearts and Lions for fixing a league duel after the Phobians requested the FA to look into allegations that Real Tamale United (RTU) threw a league game to the "Porcupine Warriors".
Kotoko subsequently furnished the Federation with a recording, supposedly containing the voices of Hearts' Thomas Okine and Lions' Victor Ahiakpor for fixing a game.
The Committee said even though Kotoko in an earlier circular to the Media identified the voices as that of the two Chief Executives, they were unable to do the same when they appeared before it. Kotoko further failed to present the supposed witness who gave them the said tape claiming, "he/she feared for his/her life". The Committee underscored the need for stakeholders to rid football of corruption.
It further said "The committee takes a very serious view of the fact that persons involved in the football fraternity make serious allegation but fail to substantiate same when called upon", it concluded.
