Former Black Stars of Ghana and Enyimba goalkeeper Fatau Dauda has explained how match-fixing led to him leaving the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), ghanasoccernet.com reports.
Dauda joined Enyimba in 2016 but left after three years.
The 37-year-old was reacting to allegations of match-fixing in the Ghana Premier League.
The Ghana Football Association has issued a strong warning, claiming that anyone found guilty will face severe punishment.
During his time in Nigeria, Dauda claimed that some of his Enyimba teammates were happy to lose games because they had wagered against the team.
“There’s one particular reason why I finally decided to leave Enyimba FC. It’s all because of betting,” Dauda told Angel TV.
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“Betting can completely destroy football. You know Nigeria is a big country. Sometimes, we can be on the road for two days travelling for an away game.
“We will go and lose a game but when we come on the bus, you’ll see some players happy. You’ll see some players pressing their phones, and checking score lines of other league games. I later got to find out from one of our guys that some of the players in the team were betting on our matches.
“They were fixing the games. It was shocking. It was the reason I decided to leave because I can’t be part of this and it was a waste of time playing in games when some people have already planned the outcome.”
Dauda is currently without a club following his split from Ghana club Legon Cities.
Earlier this year, he was on the verge of joining Asante Kotoko.
Dauda began his football career in 2004 with Ghana Division 1 League club Okwawu United, and in 2006 Dauda signed for Ghana Premier League club Ashanti Gold S.C. in his hometown Obuasi.
He was a member of the Ghana Premier League All Star Team 2007. On 5 July 2008, he was nominated as Goalkeeper of the Year 2008 in Ghana.
Also, he was in the Ghana national team squad for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, and was the first choice keeper for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations edition of the tournament.
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