Head coach of the Ghana Black Satellites, Abdul Karim Zito has denied allegations of match-fixing against The Gambia on Monday.
Ghana were beaten 2-1 in the final Group C game to finish third with four points.
Despite the defeat, the Black Satellites qualified as the best team to qualify for the quarterfinals.
A question posed by a journalist in a post-match, Karim Zito admits his team were beaten and the idea of match-fixing is out of place.
“It is never, it is never an arranged match, we were beaten, seriously we were beaten.
“I have not even thought about that, we were beaten.
“This is a match both countries want to win and we lost.
“As a coach, you have to understand and take your defeat in good faith.
“And then when you get the opportunity again you do an amendment.
“So it wasn’t a fixed, it was a good match we played.
“You saw we were playing, we want to score, they also want to defend, they don’t want us to beat them.
“It is far from what you are thinking, we have accepted, we were beaten, that’s all.” Karim Zito said in a post-match after the defeat to The Gambia.
Ghana will next play Cameroon on Thursday in the quarter-finals.