The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) yesterday temporarily lifted various bans the Ghana Football Association (GFA) splashed on 21 players of AshantiGold SC and Inter Allies FC, following a match-fixing scandal involving the two teams, last year.
The GFA banned the 27 players of the two clubs for roles they allegedly played in fixing a 2020/21 Ghana Premier League (GPL) game.
The two clubs were subsequently demoted to the third-tier of Ghana football.
A statement signed by the Deputy President of the Appeals Arbitration Division of CAS, Elizabeth Steiner, says the ruling takes immediate effect.
It indicated that “costs of the present order shall be determined in the final award or in any other final disposition of this arbitration.”
Subsequently, the suspension imposed on Alex Aso, Felix Abuska, Mohammed Zakari, Shaibu Taufiq, Fard Ibrahim, Richard Acquaah, Eric Esso, Amos Kofi Nkrumah, Stephen Owusu Boahene, Kwame Moses, Empem Dacosta, Frank Akoto, Isaac Opoku Agyemang and Solomon Afriyie, have been lifted immediately for now, pending the final hearing of the case.
Other players freed were Mohammed Bailou, Emmanuel Owusu, Samed Mohammed, Paul Asare de Vries, Amos Addai, Abdul Kadir Mohammed and Isah Ali.
A global football welfare body FIFPRO, on August 1, this month, launched the appeal on behalf of 21 of the 27 players at CAS through the Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG) – seeking for stay of execution of the ban – until a decision was finally reached.
As it stands now, the players can be engaged and earn salaries until the substantive case is heard.
If the accused players are found guilty, the ban will be upheld.
In the meantime, Asante Kotoko’s Richmond Lamptey (formerly of Inter Allies) whose name was not in the appeal process is said to having his matter considered by CAS, following Kotoko’s application.
BY TIMES SPORTS REPORTER
