Nyantakyi’s 90-day suspension extended by another 45 days

• Posted on September 5, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Former Ghana Football Association president, Kwesi Nyantakyi’s provisional 90-day suspension from world football governing body FIFA, has been extended for another 45 days.

“During this time, Mr. Nyantakyi will continue to be banned from all football-related activities at both national and international level”, FIFA said in a statement.

The extension of the ban will commence from 6th September, 2018.

On June 8, Nyantakyi, a member of FIFA’s decision-making Council, was banned for a provisional 90 day period following revelations of alleged acts of corruption after undercover investigations by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

Nyantakyi resigned from all his positions at FIFA, CAF, GFA, and WAFU, same day he was banned by FIFA for possible ethics violations having been accused of taking kickbacks in the investigation.

The investigation, among other things, captured top officials of the football association including its President Kwesi Nyantakyi, taking bribes to influence the offer of an invitation of players to the national team, influencing the duration of playing time offered to some players, and influencing the selection of unfit players and referees to participate in games.

Also, more than 100 referees were caught on tape taking bribes to manipulate the outcome of games in a team’s favour.

Nyantakyi denied all wrong doing.

Gov’t halts GFA dissolution process; court orders release of assets

On August 28, 2018, an Accra High Court ordered the government to release all assets of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in its possession. The order of the court followed a formal withdrawal of a suit by the Attorney General to dissolve the GFA, after an agreement reached between government and FIFA, over the cleaning of the Association due to corruption claims.

In July, a Solicitor General was appointed as the official liquidator to take charge of all assets belonging to the GFA. Following the court order, a Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, indicated that the normalization Committee to be constituted by FIFA will be announced in the coming days.

“The membership will be made known to the public, and then they will assume the powers of the GFA,” he told the media.

He said the Committee “will review the statutes of the GFA and in due course, accordingly, they will organize elections for a new GFA.”

The government begun moves to end the dissolution after the government, CAF and FIFA agreed to set up a normalization committee to run Ghana football. This committee will replace the current Executive Committee of the Ghana FA.

It initiated processes to dissolve the GFA in June, but came to a compromise after FIFA threatened to ban  the country over the lawsuit against the GFA.

FIFA held that the government was interfering with the GFA.