Attempts to place injunction on GFA elections fails

Accra, Dec 30, GNA - Attempts by one of the candidates who contested for the presidency of the Ghana Football Association, (GFA) Mr Joseph Kobina Ade-Coker to place an injunction on the Extraordinary Congress to elect a new president for the Association, failed when the bailiff was denied entry into the auditorium of the Congress. The bailiff was denied entry into the Kama Conference Centre where 123 delegates had converged to elect the new president, because he was not given accreditation to attend the congress and this ensured that his mission remained unaccomplished.

This compelled Mr Ade-Coker to walk out of the conference room only to return barely an hour later with two policemen and the bailiff to present the writ to the congress while counting of ballot papers was in progress.

The second attempt also failed with Justice A.K.B. Ampiah, President of Congress refusing to accept the writ, insisting the venue of the conference was not his known office.

Mr Ade Coker, had earlier before the congress sought to place an injunction on the elections arguing that the GFA had not complied with the provisions in the new statues, which mandates the FA to furnish candidates with electoral register 14 clear days before the election as well as the clarification of other modalities concerning the elections. The events infuriated Ade-Coker who told the GNA Sports that some people within the FA manipulated the system in favour of some of his opponents.

He claimed such manipulations created an unbalanced playing field for contestants insisting "some people had the luxury of getting the documents about a week to the elections whilst some of us had it only 48 hours ago".

The former Accra Great Olympics Football Club Capo said "all I was asking for was for the right thing to be done which obviously made me unpopular".

The event that lasted for almost two hours and gifted Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, former Vice Chairman of the defunct Management Board of the GFA, an overwhelming majority was, however, not in anyway affected by the legal tussles.

Mr Nyantakyi polled 91 votes (74 per cent) of the 123 votes cast to leave his closest opponent, Yussif Ibrahim Adam, trailing with 25 votes (20 per cent), Kojo Bonsu attracting seven votes with two other candidates, Vincent Odotei-Sowah and Ade-Coker failing to grab a single vote.

The 37-year-old lawyer who was inducted into office by Justice Ampiah promised to form an all-inclusive administration underscoring the need to require the expertise of everyone to ensure the progress of the game.

Mr Adam, his close competitor told the press that, the result was a fair representation of the desire of delegates.

He expressed his willingness to put his services at the disposal of the newly elected President if called upon to do so.

Mr Nyatatkyi would now head a 22 member newly Executive Committee of the GFA tasked with the administration of Ghana football. The Committee would include six representatives from the Premier League Clubs, four from Division One League Clubs, Chairmen of the 10 Regional Football Associations (RFAs), a representative each from the Schools and Colleges and the Security Services Sports Associations (SESSA).

Among the 123 delegates, who voted at the congress were three delegates from the 10 Regional Football Associations, two each from the 16 Premier League Clubs, one each from the 48 Division One League Clubs, and one each from the Security Services Sports Association (SESA), Schools and Colleges Sports Association and Tertiary Institutions. The Coaches Association, Referees Association, Women Soccer League Association, Juvenile Football Associations and the Retired Players Association had two delegates each at the Congress. 30 Dec. 05