Dzamefe report: 'We welcome BNI probe' – GFA

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has said it is prepared for a forensic probe into their activities by the Bureau of National Investigations as directed by government.

The Association says it has nothing to hide and, therefore, sees no need to shy away from an investigation.

A government White Paper on the report of the Dzamafe Commission that conducted an inquiry into Ghana’s shameful exit from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil said government has adopted a recommendation that the GFA must be probed for claims of financial malpractices in some friendly matches leading to the Mundial.

The investigations would seek to ascertain the claims of losses totaling $1,002,000 during the matches involving Ghana and Cape Verde, Ghana and Nigeria, and Ghana and Togo.

Again, the investigations would establish the claim by the GFA that an amount of $350,000 it received from the Japan friendly game was used to offset the deficit incurred in the Ghana - Cape Verde qualifying match.

Another area to be investigated is whether match fees for the Ghana versus Holland and Ghana versus South Korea friendly matches were eventually paid by the match agents or organisers after the request by Cabinet to the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC) to fund the matches and how the funds were applied.

Speaking to Morning Starr host Kafui Dey Friday, spokesperson for the GFA Ibrahim Sanni Diarra said although the FA is yet to be served with the White Paper, they are ready for any further probe into their operations.

“ If this indeed is government’s position, then it is clear that as we stand now, nobody has been accused of anything; it (Dzamafe report) is asking that further investigation be conducted by the BNI. We have not been accused of anything damning.

“From day one, we have said that we have nothing to hide. Some of these things that were stated in the report are things that auditors have done already. The auditor general has audited us already and so we have nothing to hide,” he said.