Officials took money but still dropped Tariq Lamptey for U-17 tournament – Reports

Sports Journalist Bright Kankam Boadu of Pure FM in Kumasi is alleging that Ghana's quest to lure new teenage sensation, Tariq Lamptey, to switch sides and play for the Black Stars has hit a snag because of the poor treatment meted out to him when he wanted to play for the Ghana U-17 side a few years ago.

Speaking on the Pure FM Sports Morning Show on Monday, September 28, Bright Kankam Boadu said attempts by the officials of the Ghana Football Association and Black Stars’ coach, Charles Akonnor, to meet the boy's father in London on two occasions proved futile as the boy's father had refused to meet the entourage from the GFA.

The journalist added that despite apologizing for his no show after the first botched meeting, he (Tariq Lamptey's father) again failed to show up when a second meeting was arranged.

Though Tariq Lamptey’s father, Ahmed Lamptey, did not give reasons to his constant absence to the scheduled meetings, the journalist alleged that a GFA official finally let the cat out of the bag, revealing that Ahmed Lamptey is peeved at some officials for refusing to invite his son to play for Ghana in the juvenile tournaments despite taking a financial package from him.

"People have been wondering why it has been so difficult for the GFA to convince Tariq to play for Ghana but reports we are gathering indicate that his dad is not happy with some officials of the FA. The boy adores his father and may listen to his father but his father does not want to have anything to do with Ghana due to the way he was treated. They took money from him to invite his son for the U-17 but didn't do as promised."

Though this is not an official response from Mr. Ahmed Lamptey and GhanaWeb cannot independently verify the claims, it will not be the first time that coaches or officials in charge of the juvenile national teams (U-17, U20) will be accused of asking for financial inducement before they will invite a player to play.

Tariq Lamptey came to the limelight after making his debut for the Chelsea senior team under Frank Lampard in the just ended 2019/2020 English Premier League in a London Derby against Arsenal.

He has now become one of the most talked-about right full-backs in the 2020/20221 English Premier League season after switching side from Chelsea to Brighton Hove & Albion in the winter transfer window for playing time.

Tariq Lamptey is now the favorite of many Ghanaians after his stellar performance against his Chelsea, Newcastle, and Manchester United over the weekend.

He will be a great addition to the Black Stars team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifications and the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 2021.

GhanaWeb will keep ears down and give up to date on Ghana's chances of getting the teenager to choose the Black Stars ahead of the "Three Lions of England".

Watch the allegations in the interview below.