Ghana Premier League remains suspended as court case adjourned

Ashanti Gold president Kwaku Frimpong and chief executive Emmanuel, his son, were both banned from football in Ghana for match manipulation, but are contesting that ruling

Ghana's Premier League remains suspended after a court case between club side Ashanti Gold and the country's Football Association (GFA) was adjourned on Friday.

The top flight was halted indefinitely by the GFA in the last week of September after Ashanti Gold filed a court injunction against the organisation.

The Obuasi-based side is challenging its demotion from the top flight to the third tier after being found guilty of match-fixing by the GFA earlier this year.

The governing body's quest for a swift return of Premier League football in the West African nation suffered a fresh setback after the case was adjourned until 20 October.

The decision at Accra's Human Rights Court was made after Ashanti Gold, who argued the GFA's ruling had infringed its rights, applied to file a supplementary affidavit.

Next week's scheduled hearing will set a date for the hearing of the substantive case between the club and the Ghana FA.

The 18-team Premier League was suspended after just three rounds of the new campaign, and will now endure further disruption ahead of next month's World Cup in Qatar.

Ghana will face Portugal, South Korea and Uruguay in Group H at the finals, with their first match against the Europeans on 24 November.

Match-fixing saga

Ghana's top flight was thrown into turmoil in May after the GFA relegated Ashanti Gold and Inter Allies to Division Two, and sanctioned players and officials from both clubs for match-fixing.

The ruling came after a Premier League match between the two sides in July 2021 ended 7-0 to Ashanti Gold, ensuring the club would avoid relegation.

Hashmin Musah scored two own goals for Inter Allies - who were bottom of the table and had already been consigned to a place in Division One - claiming he was trying to prevent a pre-arranged 5-1 scoreline.

Musah's claims and notifications of suspicious betting patterns were investigated by the GFA, who found both teams guilty of match manipulation and handed out a range of punishments.

The most severe sanction was given to Inter Allies volunteer Emmanuel Nii Amoah, also known as Nii Gogo, who was barred for life for his role in the fix.

Ashanti Gold president Dr Kwaku Frimpong was given a 10-year ban and fined 100,000 Ghanaian Cedis ($13,000) while his son Emmanuel Frimpong, the club's chief executive, got an eight-year ban and a fine of 50,000 Ghanaian Cedis.

Musah himself was banned for two years but his sanction was reduced to six months for his role in "unravelling" the fixed match.

A total of 26 players - including Musah - were hit with bans between two and four years while the respective head coaches and team managers were handed two-year suspensions.