Winful Cobbinah
Ghana’s talented midfielder, Winful Cobbinah, has been sentenced to four months in prison in Albania after being found guilty of ‘forgery of official documents’, Ghanasoccernet.com exclusively revealed.
The former Hearts of Oak playmaker was hit with the shocking sentence at the Tirana court on Tuesday after he was found guilty of forging his residence permit.
However, there is big relief for the FK Tirana superstar as the judge commuted the sentence to 100 hours of community service because the midfielder was declared a person of exemplary conduct.
Cobbinah’s good conduct since his move to Albania made the judge ask him to serve the community for 100 hours because, as he put it, “he is not a threat to the society.”
This means the humble Ghana star walks free from any confinement in prison and can continue to play for his top-flight side, FK Tirana – the club he recently helped to win the title.
Cobbinah landed himself in unnecessary trouble when he was caught by the police authorities in Rinas with a forged residence permit which sparked his problems.
It was an unnecessary problem as he is legally entitled to a residence permit in Albania because he is legally and gainfully employed by one of the biggest clubs in the country.
His problems came to light last month when the country’s President Meta granted him an Albania passport within a record eight hours to enable him to qualify as an Albanian player.
Cobbinah follows other African football players, including the well-known Abraham Alechenu, Charles Ofoye and James Adeniyi, who have all received Albanian passport in the past.
The former Hearts of Oak star played an influential role for the side as they clinched the Katergoria Superiore last season, ending an 11-year top-flight drought, with their last success dating back in the 2008/2009 season.
Since joining from Ghanaian giants Hearts of Oak two years ago, Cobbinah has been a mainstay of the side, scoring 10 goals in a combined 58 matches so far and making several assists.
The poster boy has been rewarded by the country’s President after granting his citizenship just within two years.