We were not even given lorry fare - Sampson Lamptey on rewards after winning1982 AFCON

Former Black Stars defender, Sampson Lamptey alias Gaddafi, has revealed that the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad was not given a dime as a reward for winning the trophy.

He said president Jerry John Rawlings promised the team 'something good' and entreated them to put their blood on the line to bring the country glory, which they did.

He narrated that, following the triumph, the squad was given a fighter jet as an escort on their way from Libya to Ghana.

The former Asante Kotoko player recounted meeting the president at Burma Camp upon arrival, and all they got as a reward for their strives was a giant salute and a 'Thank you.'

"We landed in Ghana with jet fighter escorts and headed to Burma camp because Rawlings wanted to see us. Before the final, he had told us that he had something for us so we should give our all. If we had known that this was going to happen, we would have made Libya win the game. They (Libya) even showed us what they would get if they won, whereas, for us, we never received our 'something good,' even until today. Rawlings saluted us and said 'Thank you,'" he told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV.

When asked whether they were given tokens as lorry fares to their respective destinations, Sampson responded "No."

He said they were made to spend a night at the now four-star hotel Golden Tulip before dispersing the next day.

"They took us to the now Golden Tulip Hotel to spend a night there, and that was it," he said.

He said the then Ghana Football Association chief, Mr S. K. Mainoo, compensated the squad by getting each player a wad of Ghana Textiles Printing Company (GTP) fabric.

"One day, they called us to the Accra Sports Stadium. The then GFA chairman was friends with the then GTP director, so lobbied for us to get GTP fabrics, wad each."

Sampson Lamptey played for the Black Stars for six years - from 1979 to 1985. In his club career, he played for both Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak, winning league titles with both.

Watch Sampson Lamptey's interview below from the 25th minutes



EE/EK