GFA goes to court to challenge dissolution by government

Finder Sports can confirm that the Ghana Football Association has initiated moves to challenge government’s decision to dissolve the FA and also place an injunction on the activities of the FA in the wake of the Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposé which has opened the deep-seated corruption embedded in the Ghanaian game.

According to our sources, the GFA has instructed its lawyers, led by Thaddeus Sory, to file a motion in court to fight any attempt to dissolve the association or stop it from conducting its activities.

Our sources say the GFA is not opposed to government helping in cleaning up what is widely regarded as a tainted association, but at he same time the FA is determined to fight for its rights and stop any attempts by government to set a bad precedent for the future.

Last Tuesday, June 12, 2018, the Attorney General, Ms Gloria Akuffo, went to an Accra High court to begin the process of dissolving the GFA.

As a first step, the Accra High Court granted an injunction restraining officials of Ghana Football Association (GFA) from carrying out all official activities.

The 10-day injunction secured last Tuesday, is part of the government’s efforts to dissolve the GFA and restructure it to restore public confidence in the game.

The order of the court, therefore, bars the GFA and its officials from carrying out all official duties such as, the organization of football matches, selling of the Association's assets, appointment and election of officials and other official duties.

In her argument before the court, Attorney General Gloria, Akuffo stated that the GFA was being used for illegal activities. In view of this therefore, she said government has a responsibility to protect the interest of the public.

She further added that officials of the GFA have used the association for some scandalous and corrupt activities.

Ms Akuffo also told the court the association and its former president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, used the GFA as an instrument for self-aggrandizement and a means by some officials to make themselves rich.

"The GFA has now become an instrument for self-aggrandizement by people who run it to make themselves rich,” she said.

She argued that seeing the recent investigative piece by undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the government cannot sit back and allow Ghana football to plummet further.

She says in spite of these revelations, officials of the FA attempted to travel to Russia to perform functions of the FA.

"GFA has undermined its existence and therefore in the interest of protecting the national interests, we say the Attorney-General owes the duty to take urgent measures to stop this," she argued.

But our sources say, the ramifications of dissolving the FA could attract a FIFA ban, something Thaddeus has been tasked to prevent.