Dzamefe Commission’s GFA ‘hatchet’ report out

After several days of delay and the Government’s decision to go against the constitutional provision of releasing a White Paper together with the full Report of the Commission, the Dzamefe Commission’s Report is finally out and virtually vindicate the suspicion by a section of Ghanaians that the Commission was set up basically to do a hatchet job on the Ghana Football Association and whitewash officials of the government.

A cursory glance at both the Report of the Commission and the White Paper indicates that the GFA and its President, were singled out and made the focus of most part of the two documents.

The first example of this attempt to do a hatchet job on the GFA and its President, Kwasi Nyantakyi is captured in both the report (section 3.8) and the white paper is a supposed $200,000 paid to the latter towards a friendly before the World Cup.

Whiles this payment was clearly received by Kwasi Nyantakyi in his position as GFA President, both the Commission and the White Paper singled him out recommending an investigation.

What is even more mind-boggling is the fact that the Commission admits in Paragraph (m) of Observations under Section 3.8 that receipts were provided on the US$200,000 paid to Mr. Kwasi Nyantakyi, however, instead of verifying from the supposed source of the receipts on its authenticity and background, the Commission recommended that Kwasi Nyantakyi should be investigated on the amount because there were two separate receipts and a suspicion that one of the stamps on one of the receipts could have been easily manufactured. This is one of the recommendations which was also accepted by the Government white paper.

Again, another interesting part of the Report involves what has now become known as the Coefficient money.

In giving evidence at the Commission, the then Minister for Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who led the preparation of the Brazil 2014 Budget on the part of government, defined the monies given to the Management as a lump sum given to be distributed to all who played a part administratively to support the team.

The GFA President who also appeared at the Commission corroborated this evidence and made it clear to the commission that this had been the practice at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and also for all tournaments and matches where Management were due fees.

This definition of the Management Fees and the practice since 2006 was never contradicted by any of the witnesses that appeared before the Commission or by any documentary evidence; however, the Commission recommended that this definition of the Management Fees be dismissed.

Secondly, both the General Secretary of the GFA and the President of the GFA indicated in their testimony at the Commission that the General Secretary received the lump sum from the Ministry’s accountant, signed for it and handed it over to the Emergency Committee to determine who and who received what from the lump sum.

Again, there was no contrary evidence by any of the Emergency Committee members to discount this evidence or any documentary proof to the contrary. However, the White Paper singled out the GFA President and recommended that the GFA President be made to refund the amount outstanding if it turns out that only the 5 Management Committee Members present in Brazil received, ignoring the fact that it was the Emergency Committee that decided on the allocation of the monies.

It is interesting that these are the two issues the Commission could find to hang around the neck of the GFA President and call for him to be investigated.

On the whole, the Commission virtually whitewashed every senior Government official who played a role in the Brazil rot.

The Commission remained silent on the major issues that triggered the Probe in the first place including why and who were responsible for the delay in the arrival of the Players Appearance fees which destabilized the camp of the team and which for many led to Ghana’s early elimination.

The worst the Commission prescribed for the top Government officials, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Danny Annang, Adu Asare and Larry Acheampong were surcharges for various issues.

However, as predicted, the Commission dropped the hammer on the GFA, its President Kwasi Nyantakyi and two civil servants, Mr. Apasu, the Chief Accountant of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Chief Director of the Ministry, Alhaji Yakubu.