Nyantakyi Ban: I fought the system, not personality – Anas

Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas has said he is not a person who rejoices over the downfall of others, adding that his Number 12 documentary which exposed rot in Ghana football, and has led to the placement of a life ban on former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kwesi Nyantakyi by world football governing body FIFA, was a fight against the system.

His comments follow an announcement by FIFA, on Tuesday, 30 October 2018 to the effect that Mr Nyantakyi has been banned from all football-related activity for life.

The embattled Ghanaian football administrator was found 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 following the undercover documentary by Anas.

Asked by a journalist at an ongoing African investigative journalism conference in South Africa what he makes of the ban, Anas said he was hearing about the verdict by FIFA for the first time and would not want to comment.

He, however, said he was fighting systems and not individuals.

“I haven’t seen the story yet. So, at this stage, I will just say: ‘No comment’. A lot of these issues are in court and strategically so. I’m not one person who loves to rejoice about somebody’s misfortune, I think that I fought a system and not a personality and I’m happy that the system is down and I’m happy that changes are being brought,” he emphasised.

Meanwhile, a former Chairman of the GFA, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe has described as “unfortunate”, the life ban placed on Mr. Nyantakyi.

In his view, the ban is bad for Ghana and African football.