GFA debunks bribery allegations over World Cup qualifiers

The football governing body says speculations of influencing the 2014 World Cup qualifiers are untrue.

Ghana Football Association is appalled by recent media reports that it influenced match officials in securing qualification to the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

A local newspaper report claimed the sports ministry and the FA spent over $700,000 on unspecified items described as "unclassified" and "indemnity" payments, considered as bribes, on the Black Stars' campaign to Brazil 2014.

The sum of $400,000 in the form of "unclassified payment" and $16,000 "indemnity payment" were speculated to have been used on the last round playoff with Egypt.

"The Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s attention has been drawn to a publication by the Ghana Sports Newspaper on Monday, 18th July, 2016, suggesting that Ghana bribed its way to secure qualification for the 2014 World Cup," a GFA statement read.

"We wish to state emphatically that the report is palpably false and that the GFA or the Government of Ghana does not have budgets for bribes or condone bribery in any form.

"Such utterly wrong suggestion denigrates the hard work and achievements of the Black Stars players culminating in the historic and indisputable 7-3 aggregate victory over Egypt that secured Ghana’s place at the World Cup.

"The Black Stars players, technical team and management worked hard to secure Ghana’s place at the World Cup and as always we will continue to win our matches through fair means.

"While urging the media to be responsible in their reportage, we will not hesitate to use the right legal channels available to us to seek redress over such false reports in future."

 Ghana secured major victories against Egypt and Zambia en route to the World Cup.

Source: Goal