Retired referee narrates how he was forced to manipulate Hearts of Oak, Dreams FC matches

Retired Ghana Premier League referee Nsor Stephen, has claimed match manipulation by some top Ghana Football Association(GFA) officials led to his retirement from the profession.

According to Nsor, he was appointed to officiate an MTN FA Cup tie between Hearts of Oak and Elmina Sharks in 2017.

Prior to the match, some unnamed GFA members allegedly ordered him to ensure that the Phobians win the game so they could face Asante Kotoko in the next round.

“I went for Hearts and Elmina Sharks game some years back. It was an FA Cup game around somewhere in 2017. Before the game, some Gurus at the FA influenced the match(some are still there). They forced us to let Hearts of Oak win so that they can meet Kotoko. I’m telling you. Just to let Hearts of Oak win. It was played in Accra.

“The park was good, the weather too was very conducive for football. The Sharks taught they were going to beat Hearts of Oak, checking at the jama and their moral level. We taught we were going to officiate the game fairly but the thing changed. I’m telling you. We handled it according to what they said. You know that the game is not fair. Football is not fair in Ghana,” he said in an interview with Sunyani-based Nimdee FM, quoted by ghanasportspage.com.

Stephen Nsor added that he brought his refereeing career to an end after he was forced to manipulate the said fixture.

“I stopped officiating because of that. Officiating is not like playing football. Being a good player some big clubs can come for you but in officiating is not like who is performing but whom you know, your links and your connections will send you far…”

Hearts of Oak won the said match 2-0 against Elmina Sharks in the semi-final of the FA Cup on Sunady June 25, 2017.

They played Kotoko in the final, losing 3-1. Saddick Adams scored a first-half hat trick to seal the win for the Reds over their arch-rivals.

Nsor also revealed that he was placed on the ice list, which means although he was not suspended, he was not selected for matches either.

He explained that he failed to manipulate a win for Dreams FC in a game against Istanbul FC.

Listen to the full interview below