RIO DE JANEIRO — FIFA confirmed it has been contacted by the Ghanaian Football Association regarding allegations that one of its senior figures agreed to arrange for the national side to take part in rigged matches.
An undercover investigation by The Telegraph newspaper and English broadcaster Channel 4’s “Dispatches” program appeared to show Christopher Forsythe, a FIFA-registered agent, and Obed Nketiah, a senior figure within the Ghanaian FA, on camera claiming to be able to employ corrupt officials who would help fix friendly matches played by Ghana.
On Sunday the Ghanaian FA revealed in a statement that it had reported the pair to the police for allegedly “misrepresenting the GFA with an attempt to defraud,” and FIFA says it is aware of the allegations.
In a statement, world soccer’s governing body said: “We are aware of the media reports and have been contacted by the Ghana Football Association on this matter. In line with standard procedures, FIFA’s security division is evaluating the matter. It is important to note that we have no indications that the integrity of the FIFA World Cup has been compromised.
“Speaking generally, the integrity of the game is a top priority for FIFA and as such we take any allegations of match manipulation very seriously.”
