Samartex SC defeated Sekondi Hasaacas on the occasion of Match Day 6 of the Division One League in the Zone 2 but instead of congratulating the former for their sporting performance it has emerged players of the former premier league side were allegedly bribed by Samartex officials to throw the game.
Fans of Samartex have been left disappointed season after season due to the failure of the club to qualify to the country’s elite league after seeing younger clubs like Elmina Sharks, Karela United achieve the feat withing short periods of time.
The club is owned by Samreboi-based Samartex Timber and Plywood Company Limited but premier league qualification which is a prime target has eluded them for far too long and promotion remains a top priority this season.
Winning at all cost?
Hasaacas captain Thomas Aboagye – who is also a trained Ghana policeman – reportedly received an amount of 3000 Ghana Cedis via Mobile Money from one person by name Lincoln – clandestinely acting on behalf of the Samreboi-based side – is at the center of this scandal. Aboagye , as we understand, handed over the recorded conversations and all evidences to authorities of Hasaacas but it is not clear whether he reported the case to his club management before the game was honored or after Hasaacas were beaten at home 2-1 by the visiting Samartex.
SportsworldGhana is in possession of five separate recorded telephone conversations that took place – in Fante language – between the Hasaacas captain and persons acting on behalf of Samartex and have been transcribed into English below.
How the match-fixing conversations all started before the game
Thomas Aboagye – [Good evening boss]
Lincoln acting on behalf of Samartex- [Have you heard from the people?]
Thomas Aboagye – [No boss I haven’t heard from them]
Lincoln acting on behalf of Samartex-[They told me they will call you but I have called them they are not responding]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay I have heard you]
Lincoln acting on behalf of Samartex-[Are you in camp?]
Thomas Aboagye – [No we are not in camp. We will go to camp tomorrow]
Lincoln acting on behalf of Samartex– [Okay]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Part 2. Thomas Aboagye speaks to one man who introduced himself as a Samartex official. This Samartex man is labeled as Unamed Samartex official in the conversation below.
Thomas Aboagye – [The line was not clear]
Unnamed Samartex official – [I was hearing a voice of a lady]
Thomas Aboagye – [Really? No It was the line that was bad. Not a lady]
Unnamed Samartex official – [My coach discussed something with me. Has he called you?]
Thomas Aboagye – [No he hasn’t called me but he let someone call me on his behalf]
Unnamed Samartex official – [Oh okay. That one guy called Lincoln. That is Afriyie Amoah’s manager. Do you know him? ]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes I know him].
Unnamed Samartex official – [Okay. Okay. So what did you talk about?]
Thomas Aboagye – [Oh he told me coach (Samartex’s coach) will call me. That is what he said. But please who are you speaking to me now?]
Unnamed Samartex official – [Me I am at Samartex. Coach (Samartex’s coach) gave me your number. He (Samartex;s coach) said he will call you. That is why I am asking you what you discussed]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes he (Lincoln) called me and he was telling me issues and I ask him what he actually has on the table. Please who are you?]
Unnamed Samartex official – [You, just call Lincoln. He will tell you everything. Okay. I will call you back]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay. You tell Lincoln for him to call me now.]
Unnamed Samartex official – [Okay.]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Part 3. Lincoln and Thomas Aboagye on the phone again.
Thomas Aboagye – [Hello good afternoon boss]
Lincoln – [Good afternoon. Are you home or at the office?]
Thomas Aboagye – [I’m in the house now.]
Lincoln – [Okay. Okay. Errm th guy said he called you. ]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes he called me moments ago but I wanted to know who really he is and he said I should call you. So I told him in turn to let you call me.]
Lincoln – [Okay so what is your interest. How much will be enough for you?]
Thomas Aboagye – [Right now I don’t want to say anything. You let the person come to Takoradi so we meet here in Takoradi to discuss everything there is to talk about.
Lincoln – [No you name your price and lets strike a deal. He does not have to come to Takoradi. Because you are seen together there will be trouble. So let’s agree as we are talking now on the phone. Agree on the price and I will tell him (the unnamed Samartex official) . They (Samartex) will give the money to me to be given to you only after you have lost the game. If Hasaacas wins the game then I refund the money to them (Samartex SC). So simple]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes this is no big deal so you let the person come here (Takoradi). When they come I will meet them one one one so that I know who the person actually is whether he is the team manager of the club or what. I just want to know that.
Lincoln – [But you just need money and so knowing who the person is shouldn’t matter. You just need the cash and thats all Aboagye]
Thomas Abogaye – [You let them come here to meet me one -on-one. I will be available anytime.]
Lincoln – [What if they come and you are in camp?]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes I will come. I will sk for permission from my club to go out and I will see them. Just let them come.I know how to go out of camp to meet them.]
Lincoln – [Why don’t you name your price and they pay you. They will give the money to me to be handed over to you if Hasaacas loses the game.]
Thoams Aboagye – [This is on phone and so you just let them come. Face to face we can talk lot better. This deal we are talking on phone and its something else.]
Lincoln – [But we trust each other or Aboagye”]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes I know that. But the other players are not trusting me. They say you won’t give us the money after we lose the game (to Samartex) and so the best way is to get the money first before the game.
Lincoln – [What about if you take the money and go on to win the game?]
Thomas Aboagye – silent
Lincoln – [You see even when you meet in Takoradi to talk this deal you can still be recorded. I hope you get that. So why don’t you agree on the price and we make the deal. Wy don’t you trust me?
Thomas Aboagye – [I trust you boss but this is happening over the phone]
Lincoln – [Look when they give me the money I will alert you. If you do the job by losing the game then I give the money to you.If Hasaacas dont lose then I refund them their money. So trust me. This is a simple matter.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay If I ask for 15 000 can they pay?]
Note – Aboagye didn’t specify which currency but since he eventually received 3000 Ghana Cedis we assume this 15 000 is in Ghana Cedis -so 15 000 Ghana Cedis.
Lincoln – [15 000. I’m not the one paying so I will tell them]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay you tell them 15 000. We are asking for 15 000.]
Lincoln – [They were saying 3000 but me I told me 3000 is a peanut]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes 3000 is too small. So tell them and call me back what ever they will say.]
……….after some minute interval
Lincoln – [Hello]
Thomas Aboagye – [Hello.]
Lincoln – [I have spoken to the CEO (of Samartex) and he says he can offer 4000 Ghc. So he will send me the money and if Hasaacas loses the game then I send it to you]
Thomas Aboagye – [Tell him to make it 5000…5000]
Lincoln – he screams “oooi”……Okay let me call him back.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Part 4. Unnamed Samartex official over the phone with Thomas Aboagye for the second time
Unnamed Samrtex official – [Has he called you?]
Thomas Aboagye – [No. He hasn’t called me. He hasn’t.]
Unnamed Samrtex official – [I gave him the number to call you]
Thomas Aboagye – huh…he sighs
Unnamed Samartex official – [If you meet face to face that is risky. You can be recorded and it will be used against you. So when he calls you try to speak to him and agree. Okay.]
Thomas Aboagye – [In the beginning I was not certain but because you have come in that is why I am softening up.]
Unnamed Samartex official – [Okay. Can you name what you want.?]
Thomas Aboagye – [If you are serious I can even give you the contact of another player.]
Unnamed Samartex official – [ but do you trust the other players? You are the captain of the side and you got to be very careful.]
Thomas Aboagye – [You are right..thats true….I give you the number of one player too…Oh I have even taken the number already..He is a defender]
Unnamed Samartex Official – [You have taken it..okay…But don’t speak on the phone with him about this. It is very risky.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay….That is no problem….I will send the number to yo tomorrow.]
Unnamed Samartex Official – [Okay..Thank you]
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
After Hasaacas lost the game 2-1 at home to Samartex
Part 5. Lincoln and Thomas Aboagye on the phone.
Lincoln – [Hello..what happened?]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes we have finished everything. We lost 2-1.]
Lincoln -[Have they approached you?]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes the coach (Samartex coach ) told me everything is in your hands after the game.]
Lincoln – [I mean your other teammates.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes. Yes they have called me about it. And I told them to relax because I haven’t received any message yet.]
Lincoln – [Okay..I will send it to you.Is your number MTN?]
Thomas Aboagye – [No. Send it to this my Tigo number.]
Lincoln – [That is not possible. MTN to Tigo.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay let me give you my wife’s MTN number.]
Lincoln – [Okay…….Hello Aboagye]
Thomas Aboagye – [Hello director I am giving you my wife’s MTN number……0247273890
Lincoln – emphasizes the number 0247273890..
Thomas Aboagye – [Yes thats it.]
Lincoln – [What is the registered name on it?]
Thomas Aboagye – [ Ernestina……Ernestina Aheabere]
Lincoln – [When I’m done you will hear from me.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay director]
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Part 6 Lincoln on the phone with Thomas Aboagye
Lincoln – [I am sending the money but it says the maximum amount that can be sent should not be more than 4000. See the message I have sent you via Whatsapp.]
Thomas Aboagye – [Okay. Okay but do it this way. Send it two times. Send 2000 first. Then send another 2000 again to make 4000.]
Hasaacas have reportedly filed an official protest at the Ghana Football Association against Samartex SC hoping for the judicial system to award them a win but potential punishments in serious soccer crimes like match-fixing well go beyond just a team losing three points.
Whilst this is certainly not the first time scandals of this sort have occurred in the Ghanaian game with no meaningful investigations done leaving offenders unpunished, the GFA are yet again challenged to take this matter up seriously just like FIFA showed in the Ghanaian referee J.O Lamptey match manipulation offense in a FIFA World Cup qualifier involving South Africa and Senegal in which he awarded the home side a ghost penalty to win the game 2-1.
