GFA elections: George Afriyie’s disqualification appeal thrown out

George Afriyie’s bid for the 2023 Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidential elections has hit a roadblock as his appeal against disqualification has been denied.

Earlier this month, Afriyie was disqualified by the Elections Committee for failing to meet the criteria specified in Article 13(2)(j) of the Ghana Football Association statutes, 2019. He also fell short of garnering the necessary support from fellow GFA members.

Although Afriyie successfully filed an appeal, the Appeals Committee has upheld the original decision, effectively preventing him from participating in the forthcoming election. In his appeal dated September 8, 2023, George Kwasi Afriyie contested the Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify him as a candidate for the GFA presidency.

The Appeals Committee conducted a thorough review, examining all relevant documents, including Afriyie’s submissions, the Elections Committee’s ruling, video footage of Afriyie’s vetting, and interviews conducted by the Elections Committee. The primary issue at hand was whether George Kwasi Afriyie’s disqualification was justified.

Afriyie argued that the Elections Committee consisted of six members instead of the required five. However, the Appeals Committee clarified that the sixth person mentioned by Afriyie was the GFA’s in-house lawyer, who played an administrative role and did not alter the panel’s composition.

Furthermore, Afriyie claimed he had submitted six GFA member endorsements for his nomination, but the Appeals Committee found that he had provided only five valid endorsements, as per the standard nomination form, which allowed for a maximum of five endorsements.

The Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify Afriyie was primarily based on an endorsement from Victory Club Warriors F/C, which was considered invalid due to the signatory, Mr. Jeffery Asare, not being a director of the club or an authorized signatory officially registered with the GFA. Despite Afriyie’s arguments, the Appeals Committee upheld the Elections Committee’s verdict.

As a result of this ruling, George Afriyie is no longer in the running for the GFA presidency in the upcoming elections, leaving incumbent President Kurt Okraku as the sole candidate.