<<Print>>

The Egyptian Football Association is set to call the bluff of a Ghana FA official who hinted that a $1 million bribery attempt was made in 2013.

The official, Kofi Manu, said on Asempa FM on Tuesday that federation president Kwesi Nyantakyi had to be commended for refusing "a $1-million inducement from fixers to throw the last match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in favour of the Pharaohs".

But the North Africans have officially responded to the serious claims.

"The Egyptian FA, under the presidency of Gamal Allam, will file a complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to punish a Ghanaian Football Association member called Kofi Manu and question him,” a statement read on the EFA website Thursday.

However, Allam will get in touch with his Ghanaian counterparts for preliminary talks because of the "good relationship that ties both associations", the statement noted. 

The EFA president expressed shock at the "false allegations", insisting that Egypt have always been law abiding and that he "will not give up on the association right after such accusations."

Manu is the vice chairman of the GFA's Club Licensing Board and doubles as Opeations Manager for Ghana Premier League side Medeama.

Background

Manu made the claim in the midst of a heated argument on the station about the reputation of the current Ghana FA administration.

"I'm not mincing words, I say Kwesi Nyantakyi had the opportunity to take $1million dollars in Egypt and give away that home match to the Egyptians," he had said.


He was repeatedly asked by the host of Asempa FM's Ultimate Sports Morning Show if the inducement came from Egyptian FA officials. But he just stopped short of saying that was the case.

''I won't tell you who wanted to pay but you can also understand. Unlike some people who went to Nigeria to take a bribe of $25,000 to throw away a world cup match in favour of Nigeria, Kwesi Nyantakyi looked at the national pride and ego of Ghana and refused $1million bribe. 'How many people can refuse one million dollars?"

The Black Stars, in their final series of qualifiers before the World Cup, took a commanding 6-1 lead in the first leg in Kumasi, meaning that Egypt needed to be beaten by five unanswered goals in the second leg.

Ghana lost that game 2-1, but it was enough to catch a flight to Brazil after a 7-3 aggregate score. 

The full statement (as translated from Arabic)

The Egyptian Football Association, headed by Mr. Gamal Allam, decided to make a complaint to the disciplinary committee of the Confederation of African Football to punish a member of the Ghana Football Association, Kofi Manu, named and investigated on allegations against him in broadcast remarks the Ghana Web webiste that the Ghanaian Football Federation Chairman Kwesi Nyantakyi refused to get a bribe of one million dollars as offering from an anonymous official at the Egyptian Football Association to force the Ghanaian team to lose by a big score in the second leg leg phase qualifying for the World Cup match in 2014, and that was done in order to ensure Egyptian qualification at the expense of Ghana.

Mr. Gamal Allam, President of the Federation however stressed that he will address his Ghanaian counterpart to ask for official clarifications before applying the official complaint to the Confederation of African Football to preserve the distinguished relations between the two unions.

Allam stressed that the Egyptian Football Association is keen to abide by the rules of fair play throughout its history and it is a far cry from such false accusations which aroused personal surprise and astonishment, stressing that he will not leave the right of the Egyptian Federation will not tolerate such accusation.