Bribery allegation against U-20 coach

Portugal-based winger Ishmael Yartey has launched a blistering attack on Ghana’s U-20 coach, claiming Sellas Tetteh took BRIBES before naming the final squad next week’s World Youth Championship.

The allegation made by the Beira Mar player also warned that rampant bribery and corruption by the coach is threatening the very foundations of Ghana football.

The 19-year-old was a shock exclusion from the Black Satellites final 21-man squad which was named on Monday for the World Youth Championship to be held in Egypt.

Yartey said even though many of players are in the squad on merit, those on the periphery are in squad because of their powerful connections to the coach.

“Sellas Tetteh is destroying the future of Ghana football because it is common knowledge that some of the players in the squad are not there on merit,” Yartey told Asempa FM.

“We all know how managers and agents have influenced his final decision and players who should be truly representing the country have been left out.

“I am not saying this because I am hurt to have been dropped but as a true Ghanaian I won’t stand aloof to watch our country destroyed because of the selfish interest of one person.”

Yartey alleged that some of the players have been put in the squad so that they will share their bonuses with the coach.

“Several players have come out to complain about how they have shared winning bonuses with the technical team and this is no secret,” Yartey claimed.

“So as it some of the players in the squad know that they wont play a single game at the tournament but they will receive their bonuses and share with officials.

“Corruption in this Black Satellites team is endemic and if the Ghana Football Association is serious they must root it out starting with the coach.”

The winger insists he is not afraid to pay the price for speaking out against the corruption because he is a patriot.

“I am aware that this could dent my chances of being called to the national team in future but the truth is always clear from falsehood.

“Until such a time that Ghanaian players are ready to sacrifice for the future of the football in the country corrupt coaches will continue with their bad ways.

“If this means that I am left out in future, at least God has been that I have exposed a wrong for the good of my country.

“If Kwame Nkrumah did not sacrifice himself for the good of the country we might still be suffering from colonialism.”

The surprise inclusion in the side is John Benson, the first Ghanaian winner of a talent hunt by the ASPIRE Sports Academy, has raised serious questions for the Black Satellites coaching and management team.

His inclusion has been seen in many quarters as a thank-you gift to the Qatari authorities for the free use of their world renowned facilities in Doha as a training base for two weeks in the build up to the tournament.

Even though ASPIRE is an academy they do not play competitive matches and that has been used by critics to question the inclusion of Benson in the Satellites squad.

Ghana will play Uzbekistan in their opening game of the tournament on September 26 before taking on England and Uruguay in the same group.