Former Ghana international Daniel Opare has accused FC Augsburg’s leadership of orchestrating a smear campaign to ruin’ his reputation following his controversial exit from the Bundesliga club in 2018.

Speaking to Joy Sports, the defender claimed that Sporting Director Stefan Reuter engaged in "nasty work" by leaking false stories to the media.

Opare suggests these tactics were employed because the club realised they could no longer profit from him as his contract neared its end.

"A lot of things happened. The director came up with a whole lot of news stories as if I was the one… instigating. But I understand this is football. It’s business," Opare stated.

He argued that the club’s narrative was a calculated move to protect their interests at his expense.

The fallout began in February 2018 when Augsburg abruptly terminated contract negotiations and withdrew Opare from the squad.

At the time, the club officially cited "repeated lies" and "dishonesty" regarding unauthorised talks with Bundesliga rivals Schalke 04.

Opare, however, maintains that he was simply seeking the 'next step’ in his career, a move the club hierarchy allegedly blocked.

“Sometimes the clubs, if they cannot make money on you [they try to make you look bad]… But what the director did was nasty work. He wanted to ruin my reputation and then everything that I’ve worked for, for his gain."

“I just wanted to go to the next step. But at the end of the day, he didn’t agree to it. And then the Schalke move also collapsed."

“They wanted me to sign something I didn’t like, and I refused. They took me from the first team and said I should be training alone, which shouldn’t have happened. But they turned the story around as if I was the problem.”