Ghanaian female football goalkeeper, Alima Moro, who plays in the Italian female football league for ‘Vicenza Calcio’ has denied ever giving bribe to coach Anthony Edusei of Ghana’s female football national team - Black Queens.
A story by a Ghanaian newspaper and also published on the website: www.soccernet.com claimed that there is a tape conversation on which Alima was heard saying she paid €1000 in addition to other gifts to coach Edusei in order to get a place in the Black Queens squad during the team’s qualifying series matches for the Olympic Games. The tournament is to be staged in England next year but the Black Queens playing against Ethiopia and Guinea failed to qualify.
Speaking from her base in the northern Italian city Vicenza, emotionally distraught Alima indicated she has no idea of the tape conversation and have not given any money to bribe the Ghanaian coach. She was a member of the team but did not play in any of the qualifying series matches. She said, she had information about the publication through a friend and since then more than 15 Radio Stations from Ghana have called her On-Air to clarify the story which she has vehemently denied.
According to her, most of the people she knew in Ghana and have listened to the tape insisted the voice on that tape is hers and that’s fueling the argument she granted that interview to the reporter.
“The first day the news broke up Mr. Fred Crentsil – Chairman of Black Queens Management Committee – called and asked me about it. I told him I don’t know anything concerning the story so he requested I write formally to the Ghana FA to confirm my position on the matter. I insisted the voice on the tape is not my voice but a fake one depicting me,” Alima pointed out.
Explaining further what led to her inclusion in training with the Black Queen’s team for the Olympic Games Qualifying series, Alima stated, she was in Ghana in October last year for her mother’s funeral and when the coach got to know about her presence in town asked her to join the team and was with them for two months. She said, at training she did her best to have a place in the team and play for Ghana but was not selected; adding, some people were surprised and asked her why she was not selected to play. According to her story, she did not at any time grant interview to any reporter or spoke to anybody about the coach. Alima mentioned she has since called the coach and denied the story.
Asked why anyone should come out with such story, the Ghanaian female goalkeeper responded: “I think they want to disgrace the coach and taint his image. He is a decent man and don’t know why anyone will want to do something like that to him.”
Alima also told of how she received an anonymous call from Ghana of a male voice later when the story was making rounds. “He was apologising to what has happened on the said story. The person was saying he didn’t know things will go to such extent. I don’t know him and did not want to go on with the conversation and hanged up,” she added. She however said she will take the matter to its conclusion to prove her innocence.
