Richmond Lamptey, an offensive midfielder, was wrongfully accused of a match-fixing incident that occurred while he was playing for InterAllies, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an impartial institution that promotes settlements of sports disputes, has found in his favour.
In the 2020/21 season, the midfielder was suspended for 30 months by the disciplinary committee of the Ghana Football Association for his alleged involvement in a game between his previous team, Inter Allies, and Ashantigold, which resulted in a 7-0 loss for Inter Allies.
After an inquiry by the DC, Kotoko’s Richmond, who had joined the team at the start of the 2021/2022 season, was found guilty and sentenced to a suspension.
Asante Kotoko, however, filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the player’s behalf, hoping to have the suspension overturned.
Administrative manager Emmanuel Newton Dasoberi commented on the development, saying, “The CAS decision is a big relief for all of us and Richmond.” This was reported on scasantekotoko.com. For a player of his calibre, it was crucial that we take that step, and we’re relieved that the judgement went in our favour. He’s a real professional and a fan favourite.
The CAS also ruled that the GFA must pay CHF 3,000 (three thousand Swiss francs) to Richmond Lamptey as compensation for his legal bills and other expenditures incurred as a result of the arbitration.
After reviewing the case thoroughly, CAS determined that there was insufficient evidence to uphold the original ruling against the player and reversed the verdict in Lamptey’s favour.
