I was hurt over match-fixing claims after guiding Kotoko to GPL triumph- Abdul Razak

1978 Africa Footballer of the Year ‘Golden Boy’ Abdul Razak inspired Asante Kotoko to their first Ghana Premier League (GPL) title in 2003, which was their first league title in 10 years.

However, the Sylvestre Asare Owusu led IMC made claims that some of the matches were fixed in their favour when they were asked to render accounts by the life patron of the club Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

Abdul Razak has said that he was disgusted by the news and he had to part ways with the Porcupine Warriors over the match-fixing allegation.

“The management of Kotoko at the time asked me to sign a new contract but I gave it [contract] to my manager Jones Abu Alhassan to study it and I told them [Kotoko] to wait for a while before [I make] decision to put pen to paper," Razak told Pulse Ghana.

“After the league success, [Kotoko life patron] Otumfuo [Osei-Tutu II] invited us and when we met him in the company of some of the sub-chief, they all praised us for the good job done.

“However, when the management were asked to render an account, they stated that they bought some of the games we won and that contributed to the success we chalked.

“Looking at the calibre of players I had, I couldn’t let them attribute our league triumph to match-fixing, so I had issues with the management and I had to leave.

“I was hurt so I had to part to part ways with the club,”

Since the 2003 feat Kotoko have won the Premier League on five more occasions and currently stand as the most successful club in the history of the top-flight, with 23 titles.

As a former footballer, Razak played for Kotoko in the 1970s and 1980s, helping the club to three league titles, one FA Cup gold and one Swag Cup success.

On the international scene, the former attacker played a key role as Ghana won the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil.

That year, he earned the African Footballer of the Year award.