SCANDAL: Ex-Ghana defender Sammy Kuffour claims Bayern Munich offered him €200,000 to miss AFCON 2002

By Rahman Osman

Follow on twitter @iamrahmanosman

Ex-Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour has shockingly revealed that German side Bayern Munich offered him €200,000  in a bid to convince him not to represent his nation in the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations.

This brings into sharp focus why European clubs refuse to release their players for Africa's flagship tournament with Leicester City refusing to release the player Jeffery Schlupp to Ghana.

Kuffour, measured by many as the best center back to ever emerge from the African continent is a UEFA champion’s league winner with German giants Bayern Munich where he had his best footballing career.

His claims underlines a strong conviction within some football associations in the continent, that clubs deliberately fake injury and block players from participating in CAF flagship competition.

Ghana and Leicester city utility player Jeffrey Schlupp failed to make Ghana’s squad for the tournament but represented his club four days after the tournament started in Equatorial Guinea.

Senegalese Football association want English side West Ham United to be banned after suspicions that striker Diafra Sakho, forged injury after playing in their FA cup tie days after claiming ineligibility to represent his nation due to a back injury.

Senegal coach Alain Giresse also lamented on the situation

‘I’m very surprised to learn that he played. When you cannot fly for six weeks and then suddenly you’re playing a football game. There must be miraculous medicine in England.” This latest revelation is expected to raise questions about the true state of players who are unable to represent their nations due to injury.