FIFA delegation arrives in Ghana for crucial meeting over GFA crisis
Joy News sources say three officials from FIFA arrived in Ghana Thursday evening for a crucial meeting with the Sports Ministry following government’s decision to initiate a process to dissolve the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The meeting will discuss recent developments at the GFA and government’s ongoing legal process to dissolve the Association following Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s investigative documentary.
The explosive documentary captured some top officials of GFA allegedly accepting bribes to fix matches and change the natural outcome of some games.
Former GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, was also seen in the video allegedly convincing undercover agents to bribe top government officials for a chance to control football in Ghana.
The FIFA Council Member has since been charged with defrauding by false pretence and could be sentenced to prison for 25 years if found guilty.
Also, Mr Nyantakyi’s conduct in carving percentages for himself in a sponsorship for the Ghana Premier League has also led him to an investigation by FIFA who have already slapped Nyantakyi with a 90-day ban, as it looks into the allegations.
Until this temporary ban, Nyantakyi was a member of the FIFA Council, member of the FIFA Associations Committee, First Vice President of CAF and President of Zone B of the West African Football Union (WAFU).
Listen to Nyantakyi explaining why he resigned
Ahead of the meeting between FIFA and the Sports Ministry Friday, Chairman of Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee, Alex Agyekum, said he expects FIFA to ban Ghana.
Mr. Agyekum also announced that the work of Parliament’s Special Committee established to probe the bribery allegations against some officials at the GFA has been truncated because of government’s resolve to dissolve it.
Last week, an Accra High Court granted the government a 10-day injunction preventing GFA officials from undertaking all football-related activities.
Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo, says it would be irresponsible and an act of criminality should the government fail to dissolve the GFA following the fallout from the documentary.
The meeting was initially scheduled to take place at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland but instead, the world football governing body has decided to send its officials to Ghana.
The meeting is also being held at the request of the Ghana government after the steps to overhaul GFA.
Government’s eventual target of dissolving the FA has drawn FIFA into the situation especially as the body has rules against government intervention in the running of football in its member states.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
