CAS dismisses George Afriyie's appeal against his disqualification from GFA presidential elections

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal by George Afriyie following his disqualification from contesting in the Ghana Football Association’s Presidential election in 2023.

CAS, in a statement issued on May 6, 2024, outlined the various reasons for dismissing the appeal submitted by George Afriyie:

1. The appeal filed on 29 September 2023 by George Kwasi Afriyie against the decision rendered on 15 September 2023 by the GFA Appeals Committee is dismissed.

2. The Appealed Decision rendered on 15 September 2023 by the GFA Appeals Committee is confirmed.

3. The costs of the arbitration, to be determined and served separately to the Parties by the CAS Court Office, shall be borne by George Kwasi Afriyie.

4. George Kwasi Afriyie is ordered to pay the Ghana Football Association a total amount of CHF 1,000 (one thousand Swiss francs) as a contribution towards its legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with this arbitration.

5. All other or further motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.

The former GFA Vice President also announced his satisfaction with the CAS ruling.

“I have today received the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding my appeal against the decision of the Elections Committee of the Ghana Football Association. The CAS, in their decision, has upheld the decision of the Election Committee of the GFA. I take the decision in good faith and express my sincere gratitude to everyone who supported me during this period,” George Afriyie stated.

Background

In the lead-up to the 2023 GFA Elections, the Elections Committee disqualified George Afriyie from contesting the elections after an unqualified person, Jeffrey Asare, endorsed his nomination forms. It was later discovered that Jeffrey Asare was not a Director at Victory Club Warriors FC as he had claimed on the forms.

Despite pursuing the case at the Appeals Committee, the court upheld the verdict by the Elections Committee, which posited that George Afriyie's nomination was signed by an official who did not meet the criteria for endorsing candidates in the GFA elections.

He later instructed his legal team to appeal his disqualification at CAS which has now been dismissed.

George Afriyie’s disqualification saw incumbent GFA president Kurt Okraku run unopposed in the presidential elections, which were held on October 5, 2023 at the Rahdach Hotel in Tamale.

JNA