Ghana faces a suspension from FIFA if it fails to withdraw the lawsuit against the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
This would mean a ban from all football activities, including the upcoming African Nation’s cup qualifiers for the Black Stars.
The government initiated processes to dissolve the GFA in June after investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas uncovered widespread rot in all facets of the association.
Kwesi Nyantakyi, who resigned as President of the GFA, was caught on tape plotting to fleece the GFA of sponsorship.
Other officials were caught taking bribes to fix matches.
Also, more than 100 referees were caught on tape taking bribes to manipulate the outcome of games.
As the government moves to liquidate the association it argued existed in service of illegalities; it has gotten to the stage where the High Court had even appointed the Registrar of Companies as the official liquidator of the GFA.
But FIFA may have thrown a spanner in the works with its threat.
“To date, the scope of the investigation into the allegations of widespread match-fixing and corruption within the GFA remains unclear. However, the Bureau considers that the petition introduced by the Attorney General to the High Court of Justice to start the liquidation process of the GFA constitutes an undue influence in the affairs of the GFA in contravention of art. 14 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes.”
If the petition is not withdrawn by midday of Monday, August 27, “the GFA will be suspended with immediate effect,” FIFA warned in a letter addressed to Dr. Kofi Amoah, the head of the liaison team for the GFA.
The GFA petitioned FIFA over the matter of dissolution in July.
The 24-page petition was signed by 17 members of the FA’s Executive Committee.
The document contained 143 points of arguments from the GFA stating that government erred in its application to the High Court for the dissolution.
It also argued that the remaining members of the FA’s Executive Committee could put in place reforms without the normalization committee being proposed by FIFA after its discussion with the Government of Ghana in Accra and Zurich.
The document suggested that the rest of the Executive Committee members be given six months to implement reforms to restore confidence in the FA.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
