I don’t rejoice over misfortune – Anas reacts to Nyantakyi’s life ban

Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas says he is not elated after FIFA handed a lifetime ban to former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi who was implicated in a bribery sting operation.

The undercover investigation masterminded by Anas and his Tiger Eye PI company and was published in a documentary titled Number12. Number12 filmed Nyantakyi taking $65,000 (£48,000) from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman.

The documentary also formed the basis of Anas’ petition to the world governing football body, FIFA to investigate allegations of corruption against the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Anas who is speaking at the ongoing African Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg said Number12 fought a system and not a personality.

“I haven’t seen the story yet and so I would at this stage just say no comment,” Anas said.

“A lot of these issues are in court and strategically so. I am not one person who loves to rejoice about somebody’s misfortune. I think that I fought a system and not a personality and I am happy that the system is down and I am happy that changes are being brought. For me, those are very, very important issues”.

Background

FIFA’s adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee banned the former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwasi Nyantakyi for life from all football-related activities.

The Committee found Mr Nyantakyi guilty of having violated Article 19 (conflict of interest), Article 21 (Bribery and corruption) and Article 22 (Commission) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2012 edition.

Mr Nyantakyi was additionally fined 500,000 Swiss Francs (over GHc 2.4million).

The adjudicatory chamber carried out a formal investigation into Nyantakyi after he was filmed apparently accepting a “cash gift” in an undercover documentary titled Number12.

He was initially suspended on June 8 (two days after the premiere of Number12) for 90 days by the Committee.

On September 5, FIFA extended that ban by an additional 45 days.