Betting is destroying Ghana football – Majority Leader

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has called for sports betting to be regulated in order to save Ghana football.

According to him, betting is destroying the sport and things would rather get worse, unless a deliberate attempt is made to tackle the menace.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who doubles the Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, said something must be done to save football in the country.

“Indeed betting is something which is really destroying our game. Football is and must be won on the pitch, but when people try to manipulate the results of the game even before it is played, then that is serious which needs an immediate solution,” he stated on Akoma FM.

“I have been to so many countries across Africa and I don’t see these things happening there… If care is not taken, the game will be destroyed completely in the future.”

“I believe if we will allow (betting) in our games, then there should be strict laws or measures that will help us to regulate it properly so we don’t abuse or destroy the game entirely.”

Meanwhile, allegations of match-fixing were rampant in the Ghana Premier League last season following a series of controversial refereeing decisions.

In a recent interview, a Board member of Hearts of Oak, Alhaji Akanbi, alleged that some betting syndicates were destroying the local game.

In the 2020/21 season, suspicions were raised following a high-scoring matchday 34 clash between Ashanti Gold and Inter Allies in the Ghana Premier League.

Both teams were subsequently found guilty of match manipulation by the Disciplinary Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and, therefore demoted to the Division Two League.

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