Mohammed Gargo In Astonishing 2006 World Cup Squad Bribery Claim

Ex-Ghana midfielder Mohammed Gargo has made an astonishing claim that he was among three players who were asked to pay bribes for their inclusion in the Black Stars 2006 World Cup squad.

The ex-Serie A player said he along with Sam Johnson and Augustine Arhinful could have played for the Black Stars at the tournament in Germany but for their refusal to pay monies to some persons.

But Gargo admits that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) or the then Black Stars technical team had no knowledge of the bribe demanded by the faceless individuals.

The former Udinese player made the claim on Saturday, SEVEN YEARS after the tournament was played in Germany.

Gargo as well as Arhinful and Johnson were not on the periphery of the Black Stars squad at the time as the likes of Stephen Appiah, Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari were the country�s leading players.

Despite not being part of the Black Stars then, Gargo claims they were contacted by some individuals to pay money to be included but refused to name the individuals.

�The GFA called myself, Augustine Arhinful and Sam Johnson and told us they were preparing our invitation to come and join the Black stars squad for the World Cup in 2006,� Gargo said on Joy FM.

�We came down and the story turned around to be that we have to see some people at the FA to issue some envelopes.

�I believe we have served Ghana enough that one must not pay money to get an opportunity to represent the country at that stage.�

When pressed to name the person who asked them to pay the bribes, Gargo refused insisting that the GFA and the coaches had no knowledge of the dodgy demands.

�I�m not sure the officials of the GFA or the technical handlers of the Black Stars then were aware of this. And I eventually realised that the person engaging in this did not even have any influence in the technical team.

�We the players discussed it amongst ourselves and realized we just have to let it go because and not give them the chance to start this �black� business if I may call it,� he added.

According to Gargo, the Black Stars could have gone past the second round of the 2006 World Cup if he and his two other colleagues were included in the squad.

Sammy Kuffuor was the only player of Gargo�s generation to have played at the 2006 World Cup.

But Gargo�s refusal to name and shame the alleged persons involved makes his claim difficult to prove as several players in the past have accused officials of taking bribes to call undeserving players.

Yet when they are pressed to bring evidence of their claims they are not able to substantiate it.

Last month Ishmael Yartey sent some elders to apologise to coach Sellas Tetteh for claiming the trainer took bribes to drop him from Ghana U20 team for the 2009 World Cup in Egypt.

Source: Ghanasoccernet.com