GFA has not been dissolved - Deputy AG

The Deputy Attorney General Joseph Dindiok Kpemka has clarified an earlier statement by the Minister of Sports, Isaac Asiamah that the government has dissolved theGhana Football Association and suspended all football activities following the airing of Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ latest documentary which exposed bribery and corruption in Ghana football.

The Sports Minister on Thursday, June 7, 2018 stated on Accra-based Joy FM that President Akufo-Addo has ordered the dissolution of the Ghana Football Association with immediate effect.

'It has been dissolved with immediate effect. When we say the FA is dissolved it means all functions, all activities are all dissolved", he said and mentioned the suspension of the Premier League.

This declaration by the Sports Minister was however contradicted by the Information Minister who in a press release announced that the government is taking steps to dissolve the GFA .

A statement signed by Dr. Hamid Mustapha, Minister of Information on Thursday, June 9, 2018, stated "having regard to the widespread nature of the apparent rot involving top officials of the GFA, the National Sports Authority (NSA), match commissioners, football administrators and referees, the government has decided to take immediate steps to dissolve the GFA.

"The Government would communicate these actions to the Confederation of Africa Football and the Federation of International Football Association to engage them on the developments to chart the way forward for Ghana Football.

"The Government would ensure that the necessary reforms are urgently undertaken to sanitise football in the country," the statement added.



But Joseph Dindiok Kpemka , who was speaking as a panelist on Joy News’ News File programme on Saturday, June 9, 2018, emphasized the government’s stance which was indicated in the letter signed by the Information Minister.

According to him government is acting within the appropriate legal framework to ensure that it does not commit acts of illegality its bid to cleanse the GFA of the rot that was exposed by the ace investigative journalist.

“The official position of government is as was issued by the Minister of Information which is taking steps to dissolve the GFA. We are in country laws not a country men so we are going to follow the appropriate legal regime. What the Sports Minister said was not government’s position. Government position is as was said by the Information Minister. Steps will be taken by the Registrar General and Attorney General using the appropriate statutory regime to get the issues amicably resolved”, he said.

He also made mention of the government’s intention to trigger certain laws to make it legally permissible for them dissolve the Ghana Football Association.

“We have two main laws that we are going to trigger in this, Act 179 and Act 180. Act 179 is the company’s act and we also have the official liquidation act, we are going to trigger that. We will trigger the processes there, that is if need be winding up, etc,he concluded.