MTN FA Cup: 'Alleged match fixing' ahead of semi-finals

The Ghana MTN FA Cup has been hit with a sensational allegation of a hatched plan targeting at ensuring giants Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko progress to the final on October 29 ahead of the semis on Super Sunday.

In a volatile claim set to further deepen suspicion ahead of the semi-finals on Sunday, the alleged manipulation cabal has been set in motion with referees expected to be used as conduits.

But GHANASoccernet.com cannot independently verify the allegations being peddled in the football corridors.

Media reports have surfaced in the West African nation on Wednesday that there are clandestine attempts to aid the two teams to progress to the finals at the expense of Wa All Stars and Medeama for monetary reasons.

Hearts will take on Wa All Stars in the first semi-final game at the Obuasi Len Clay stadium before Kotoko battle nemesis in the second semi-final clash at the same venue.

However, growing reports of a cloak-and-dagger attempts to get the powerhouses in the finals is gaining currency in the country.

It has been claimed by the local media that referees are likely to be used as conduit in the reported hatched agenda to ensure the two teams edged past their opponents and set-up a final in Tamale on October 29.

Referee Nuhu Liman has been banned for the rest of the season after he awarded a dubious penalty to Asante Kotoko in their MTN FA Cup quarter-final against NEA Salamina.

GHANAsoccernet.com understands there is growing disquiet in Wa and Tarkwa amid mistrust ahead of their semi-final meetings against Hearts and Kotoko in Obuasi.

It's unclear if the claims are fabricated without basis or the ritual suspicion by teams ahead of major competitions like the FA Cup.