Ghanaian defender Empem Da Costa has open to return to Karela United following the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) temporal decision to lift the Ghana Football Association’s long-term bans on 21 players found guilty of match-fixing.
While the substantive case is still pending, CAS has granted a stay of execution, allowing the players to register for the upcoming season, the former Asante Kotoko defender is opted to rejoin his former club at the Crosby Awuah Memorial Park in Nzema Aiyinase.
The players who were banned are Alex Aso, Felix Abuska, Mohammed Zakari, Shaibu Taufiq, Fard Ibrahim, Richard Acquah, Eric Esso, Amos Kofi Nkrumah, Stephen Owusu Banahene, Kwame Moses, Empem Dacosta, Frank Akoto, Isaac Opoku Ayemang, Solomon Afriyie, Mohammed Bailou, Emmanuel Owusu, Samed Mohammed, Paul Asare de Vries, Amos Addai, Abdul Kadir Mohammed and Isah Ali.
In May, the Ghana FA Disciplinary Committee demoted AshantiGold and Inter Allies to Division Two for match-fixing, and the majority of their players were suspended.
The game, which ended 7-0 made international headlines when Inter Allies player Hashmin Musah admitted to deliberately scoring two goals after learning that a 5-1 scoreline had been “pre-arranged” and bets had been placed to that effect.
The two clubs challenged the Disciplinary Committee’s decision, but the Appeals Committee insisted on it.
However, with the support of FIFPRO, the global representative of professional footballers, some players took the matter to CAS, and their bans have been lifted temporarily.
The centre back had a good season with Karela United before his move to Asante Kotoko in 2019 after the NC Special Competition final.
The decision means the players can register with clubs, play games, and earn salaries until the case is heard and CAS makes a decision.
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