Jerry John Rawlings and Muammar Gaddafi
Legendary Ghanaian footballer Rev Osei Kofi has disclosed that former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi attempted to influence Ghanaian officials to lose the 1982 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against his country.
According to him, while the team was preparing for the final against Libya, the late president was influencing Ghanaian officials with financial inducements for the team to deliberately lose the final.
However, after getting privy to the information, he informed then-President Jerry John Rawlings, who quickly spoke to the team officials to desist from taking bribes and win the trophy for the nation.
Speaking in an interview with Sporty FM, Rev Osei stated that Rawlings’ intervention helped the team win the AFCON trophy for the fourth time.
“Muammar Gaddafi wanted to ‘buy’ the match in the 1982 AFCON final. Ghanaian officials were interested, but I alerted Rawlings, and he intervened,” he said.
The legendary player further attributed Ghana’s inability to win the AFCON since 1982 to a promise made to the squad that was not fulfilled by the state, which the ex-players grieve about.
“Ghana hasn’t won AFCON since 1982 because it has not honoured its promise to us,” he added.
During the 1982 AFCON finals, the Black Stars drew 1-1 in regulation time and went on to defeat Libya on penalties by 7-6.
The Black Stars have failed to win the AFCON despite making it to the finals in 2010 and 2015.
The team missed out on the 2025 edition, which will take place in Morocco, after an abysmal performance in the qualification stage.
Meanwhile, watch as Ghanaians applaud Black Stars for excellent performances against Chad, Madagascar
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