Derek Boateng recounts how he was bribed to miss Hearts Of Oak game

Former Ghana international Derek Boateng has narrated how he was bribed – when he was playing for Liberty Professionals – by Hearts Of Oak fans to miss a Ghana Premier League encounter.

The former Fulham midfielder divulged that after featuring in four games for the Scientific Soccer Lads, the supporters of the Rainbow Club approached him to grease his palms in order not to play in their next game – which was against Hearts Of Oak.

Boateng disclosed that his impressive outings at the Dansoman-based club scared the supporters of Hearts and they resorted to bribed him ahead of their clash in 1999.

 
He revealed that he pocketed the money but was already on his way out of the country to undergone a trial at Greek side Kalamata F.C before they contacted him.

“I remember when I started playing for Liberty Professionals, my mum told me that if I play against Hearts of Oak, she will not allow me to eat in the house [laughs].” He told Nathaniel Attoh on the Joy Sports Link.

“We knew Liberty Professionals was the place to start your career so that was why I moved there. You know I played only four games for Liberty Professionals.” 

“The fifth game I was supposed to play was against Hearts of Oak but I had to go to Greece to sign my first professional contract. I was being played as a number 10 and I was on fire,”

“Some of the die-hard Hearts of Oak fans called me to give me some money not to show up for that game. I took that money but they didn’t know that I was already scheduled to travel to Greece before the game on Saturday. It was good money. I left on Friday.”

*They thought it was the money that made me stay away but at that time I was already done with Ghana football.”

Boateng also had stints with Gatefe, Eibar, Rayo Vallecano, FC Koln,etc.

He capped 47 times for the Black Stars of Ghana