Ex-Kaizer Chiefs star had R62,850 offer to manipulate game: ‘Some teammates were compromised!’

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu has conceded that he was once asked to manipulate a competitive fixture.

The versatile midfielder was part of the Kenya squad that had been included in the team that was to compete in the 2011 Nile Basin tournament in Cairo. Before the game against Egypt, the now 33-year-old was contacted alongside Musa Mohammed.

“The men allegedly began with a smaller incentive, pushing $100 bills towards the two players in an attempt to persuade them,” the player opened up as reported by Mozzart Sports.

According the the lanky midfielder, the match-fixers wanted Harambee Stars to lose the game 5-1. Akumu suspects foul play from some of his teammates as the national team went on to lose the game by the same scoreline.

That money could change my life, but…

“They showed us wads of cash in different denominations and requested that if we agreed to lose the match by 5-1, we would both be given Ksh500,000,” Akumu, who played for Amakhosi between 2020 and 2022 stated.

“There is no doubt that Egypt were a very strong team at the time. What is strange is that we lost by exactly the same score that the match fixers had wanted. To me, that is proof that some of our teammates were compromised,” he concluded.

“He insists that the 2011 incident was the first and last time he was directly approached by people seeking to influence a match.

“However, the former Gor Mahia midfielder says that, over the years, he has witnessed several unusual results involving the national team that have occasionally raised questions in his mind about whether matches could have been influenced,” the publication further added.