Richmond Lamptey was emotional during an interview with Kotoko’s media in August 2023. The former West Africa Football Academy (WAFA) graduate revealed he almost considered retiring from the sport. "It was very painful. Since the issue came up, I haven't really spoken about it. It was a really difficult time for me. The way my parents were lamenting, it was painful to see," Lamptey quipped.
"It really affected my game, going out became a problem for me and even when you go on social media and see some comments, you get discouraged.
"There was a point [when] I was contemplating retirement. I want to thank management for taking the issue to CAS and I feel vindicated now."
Of course, he had every reason to ascribe all glory to the Nana Yaw Amponsah-led management for coming to his rescue.
And it was a rescue from some predicament.
On the morning of May 16 2022, Lamptey awoke and set about his daily duties unaware that hours later he was to be plucked from the football pitch for allegedly being involved in a match-fixing scandal that involved his former employers Inter Allies and Ashantigold SC. It was a tragic tumble. The news sent shock waves across Ghana, shaking Lamptey’s relatives and close pals. They just couldn’t fathom why this was happening to such a promising young man.
Asante Kotoko, Lamptey’s new employers appealed the GFA’s decision and in August 2022, the Court of Arbitration for Sports upheld the stay of execution, which temporarily lifted the ban on Richmond Lamptey and the other players to allow them to continue to play for their desired clubs competitively. The GFA’s verdict was finally annulled by CAS in July 2023
Lamptey was born in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. He started learning the ropes at WAFA, one of Ghana’s most popular football academies, which he joined at the age of twelve. He went on to catch the eyes of more than a couple of topflight Ghanaian clubs, but it was Inter Allies that won the race to sign the budding Lamptey after seeing out his contract with WAFA.
A loan spell with Lebanese side Salam Zgharta followed. During the 2019-20 season, he came back to Inter Allies and was named the team captain. Throughout the 2020-21 season, he participated in 30 matches, scoring 3 goals, assisting with two, and earning four man-of-the match accolades. He gained attention during the season for his remarkable 40-yard goal against Hearts of Oak in November 2020, which secured Inter Allies their initial triumph of the season.
Eyebrows were raised; why were the Porcupine Warriors signing a man who had been fingered in a match-fixing scandal? Nana Yaw Amponsah paid no heed to those concerns, instead choosing to give him an opportunity to express and impress. Lamptey would vindicate Amponsah in the long run, but not without some early struggling.
He marked his Kotoko debut in 3-1 win over Dreams FC at the Accra Sports Stadium. The midfielder grabbed the bull by the horns, played like his life depended on it. He embraced the challenge with every strained sinew as he hurtled headfirst toward a resplendent new reality. An irritating presence for the Dreams midfield throughout, Lamptey drove forward at will, creating chances and making life difficult for his opponents. He was, for all intents and purposes, the main catalyst for a largely inspiring away victory. He crowned the day with his first goal for Kotoko and was adjudged the MVP.
After the game, social media swirled with rave reactions to his performance. He’d endeared himself to the hearts of Kotoko supporters especially, who began to lobby their manager, Prosper Narteh Ogum via media platforms, to make Lamptey an integral member of his setup. The lobbying worked; Lamptey locked down his spot in the middle, and went on to cement a status as a fans’ favourite.
The idolization of Lamptey at Kotoko has been intense, a phenomenon that is a result of the appeal of his talent, personality and history. He has had a conspicuous outlook of affection towards the club too. There is a depth of positive feeling towards him from the Fabulous faithful that is rare. In the eyes of the fans, Lamptey has proved to be a good acquisition - one that will certainly help restore the club’s lost image on the continent as they seek to rake in silverware.
Lamptey’s career has switched gears over the last few months, earning him high profile praise and positions. He was recently named in Chris Hughton’s final 27-man squad for the 2023 AFCON in Côte d'Ivoire.
With his cherubic face and cool demeanour, the 26-year-old will in the coming days be donning Ghana’s famous jersey and rubbing shoulders with the established names on the continent. It will be poetic: The man who just two years earlier believed he had been unfairly judged and his freedom cruelly taken away from him was now representing his motherland on the international stage.
In life there is always reality. There may be spontaneity and reality. Drama and reality. Romance and reality. But reality is always the bottom line. It’s something that can at times be both cruel and mundane, other times inspiring and uplifting. Some stories, some realities, you simply can’t make up. This – Richmond Lamptey’s story - may well be one of them. It’s a story of resilience and inspiration, a dogged refusal to go gentle into that bad day.
Just like the biblical Lazarus who was dead and was resurrected after some days, Richmond Nii Lamptey’s career as a footballer has been resurrected two years after it almost went dead.
