African countries urged not to allow FIFA to hold them to ransom

Koforidua, Dec. 10, GNA - The African Freedom Foundation (AFF), a Pressure Group, has urged African countries not to allow any international soccer organization to hold "the whole continent" to ransom by trampling on the sovereignty of their nations with impunity.

A statement issued in Koforidua on Friday and signed by Nana Addo-Aikins, Interim National Executive Member of the AFF, said it would be a wise political move that would help advance the cause of African Freedom, which the AFF stands for.

It said the Federation of International Football Association's (FIFA) ultimatum on appointment of a Ghanaian representative to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) together with its warning against government on its right to question its own Football Association (GFA) and its officials on suspicions of malfeasance, were a serious case of an international soccer organization imposing its rules and itself over a government and its laws. "To the AFF, the rather oppressive and dictatorial manner in which, FIFA rules have currently been operating on the international scene, interferes unduly with national sovereignty and again contravenes United Nation's Charter on international relations, in terms of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of nations".

The statement noted that FIFA again prevented Ghana from even conducting its own international relations "in a manner consistent with its national interest" as article 73 of Ghana's constitution demands. It therefore advised FIFA to tone down and be accommodating and decorous in its dealings with member nations over their associations in order to escape the blame of eruptions that may arise out of application of its current rules and regulations on soccer. "The intimidating and harsh languages used by FIFA in its warning against Ghana's President on accusations of Government interference in FIFA rules on soccer, is most indecorous, disrespectful and therefore unacceptable".

The statement called on Africa to stand up and do the best it could to influence their representative on CAF and FIFA to link up with other affected nations and fight for amendment of FIFA rules to give Africa and the soccer world, their freedom in seeking sanity and accountability within their various soccer organizations.