FIFA cannot ban Ghana – Foh-Amoaning

A legal practitioner, Moses Foh-Amoaning, has stated world football governing body FIFA, cannot ban Ghana from football activities at the world stage over government’s move to dissolve the Ghana Football Association GFA.

On the back of the investigative documentary by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas which exposed deep-seated corruption in Ghana’s football and among some top officials of the GFA, the government on Tuesday initiated moves to dissolve the GFA.

The action of government which some have viewed as interference in the GFA has caused fears among the football fraternity of a possible ban of Ghana from taking part in world competitions.

Commenting on the matter, however, Mr Foh-Amoaning said FIFA is not bigger than a nation state whose government is seeking to deal with cases of alleged corruption at the GFA.

He contended that there is no way FIFA with its statutes that are against corruption, will see the evidence available and decide to ban Ghana for taking an action against the GFA

“FIFA won’t ban us because the conditions under which we are proceeding are the ones that they will support,” he said on 3FM’s Sunrise morning show on Wednesday.

He stated that the corruption issues exposed in the investigative piece by Anas are bad, and Ghanaians and everyone else ought to admit it in order to deal with the situation.

“We all have to admit that we need a pause, even if FIFA will ban Ghana, it would be good. I think they would not even do it because with the evidence available I don’t think FIFA will ban Ghana because FIFA itself has come under some scrutiny in the past,” Foh-Amoaning said.

He said FIFA should be taken on if it makes any attempt to ban Ghana, saying “They wouldn’t [ban us] and if they do, we will take on FIFA”

He said it is about time that Ghana begins to initiate the process of establishing international regulations.

“We can form another international body to run the football. We have detailed in the past how FIFA itself is so corrupt, and we indicated that if they do not regulate themselves, we will declare them a rogue organization, and that is how you take on FIFA,” he said.

According to the legal practitioner, FIFA is just an ordinary international football association, and that nation states can decide to form another international body to run the football.

Mr Foh-Amoaning said there is the need for Ghana to stand up and say no to the level of corruption in the country.

He added that the temporary injunction against the operation of the GFA is a good move to sanitize the system.

“I do not understand those who say the government is proceeding in the wrong direction, they are proceeding in the right direction. I think the injunction is a temporary measure so that we can solve the problem,” he said

He noted that there is no other way any form of change can be initiated with the way structures that are currently constituted at the GFA.

“Kwesi [Nyantakyi] is just gone, but the powers and the power blocks within the FA still remain, and there is still corruption and an endemic rot,” Moses Foh-Amoaning said.