When I write a book, I’ll name all those who planned with Anas to oust me as GFA boss – Kwesi Nyantakyi

• Posted on January 12, 2024January 12, 2024
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi has said when he decides to write a book in future, he will name all those he was aware, planned with Anas Aremeyaw Anas to oust him from his position in football administration with the “Number 12” documentary, which alleged he accepted bribe from an Emirati Sheikh.

In a radio interview on Accra based Starr FM on Thursday night [Jan 11, 2024] on Bola Ray’s Starr Chat programme, Kwesi Nyantakyi said he was convinced that his enemies were envious of the positions he was holding in FIFA, Africa and West African football administration and so they planned to get him out through Anas.

Mr Nyantakyi claimed the Ghana Premier League at the time had no sponsor, and so he was very eager to get sponsorship for the league, hence the decision to go meet the said Sheikh in Dubai, who had offered to provide sponsorship for the Ghana league.

Surprisingly, he claimed to have turned down the invitation and even asked the GFA Executive Member, through whom they contacted him to do the meeting on his behalf, but that Ex-Co member called back and said the Sheikh had said he was not going to offer the sponsorship if he did not meet the FA president personally.

Air tickets

He mentioned that he even spent more on that trip to Dubai than the US$40,000 which was offered him, even though the documentary claimed he was offered US$65,000 as bribe, which was not actually the case but US$40,000 [$50 notes in 8 bundles]. 

He said Anas and his team, apart from the proforma invoice they presented in court, could not provide receipts in court to also prove that they actually paid for his [Nyantakyi] ticket to Dubai, He said he personally funded the ticket in addition to other tickets for a friend and his delegation. 

He told Bola Ray that when he was going to Dubai to meet Anas’s Sheikh in ‘Number 12’, he bought a ticket on Emirates Airline from Cairo to Dubai but he was late to the airport and missed the flight.

He, however bought a second ticket on Egypt Air.

Again, he also bought flight tickets for a friend politician and his delegation. This friend, he said was then vying to become President of another country.

The said Sheikh had claimed he was going to sponsor politicians too, and so Nyantakyi introduced his friend the politician. That politician, he said later became President of his country.

On that trip, he said that politician he did not name, slept at the 7-star Burj Arab Hotel in Dubai, which cost US$5000 a night.

Nyantakyi claimed that the flight ticket costs alone he funded himself was more than the $40,000 cash [$50 notes in 8 bundles] as was shown in the video] Anas and his team gave him and claimed on video voice over that it was $65,000, even though it was actually US$40,000 cash.

Book

It was at that point that Nyantakyi added that when he decides to write a book in future, he will name all those he claim wanted him out of football administration and therefore planned with Anas to get him out.

His reason for putting it in a book is that, he wants to face the responsibility of naming them alone and don’t want to put it out in the media for any media house to be jointly sued.

He said the plots to oust him out of the office was an open secret following the numerous positions he attained “on merit” during his tenure.  

“Not all media reports are accurate; most of them are sponsored by opponents. People who see and perceive you as competitors in life, they want to clear you and make way.”

“When people planned to take me out of the GFA then I was the first President of CAF, I was one of the seven African Representatives on the FIFA Council. I was the President for the West African Football Union,” Mr. Nyantakyi stated.

He continued: “So the impression was that if you take Kwesi off then you take over those positions. But it wasn’t so he went there on merit. It was a plot to take Kwesi Nyantakyi off, it’s an open secret and clear as day light.”

Mr. Nyantakyi further stated that the move that got him ousted out of office was based on perception adding that crime is a natural occurrence and is punished when you are caught.

“Even when I was taken to court the lead witness statement said there was a perception of bribery and corruption at the GFA and they wanted to test it,” he explained.

Ken Agyapong and Bagbin

He also talked about how he did not know Kennedy Agyapong as a friend but Mr Agyapong opted voluntarily to support him and that was when their friendship started.

He mentioned he has developed a certain respect for Kennedy Agyapong and Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin because they stood up for him.

“I was disturbed by the negative publicity but I was unperturbed about the truth or otherwise of the matter. I was sure that one day people will get to know the truth.”

“That is why I have developed a certain respect and love for people like Honourable Ken Agyapong. He seemed to be the only person who stood up for me publicly and the Right Honourable Speaker [Alban Bagbin]. But you know the interesting thing, I had never met Kennedy Agyapong neither had I spoken to him,” Mr. Nyantakyi narrated.

He continued: “Some people may have thought that I went to place a plea before him to come to my aid. Apart from seeing honourable Kennedy Agyapong on TV and then listening to him on radio. I never had a personal encounter with him. Mr. Speaker I knew him long ago as my senior but I hadn’t met him for more than two decades.”

“But he in the course of his work encountered FIFA officials and got to know certain insights to the matter. So he made some public statements.”

“Some people are so gullible when they hear stories in the media they don’t bother to investigate. They just accept it hook, line and sinker,” he added.

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