The Chairman of the Ghana League Clubs Association, Mr. J. Y. Appiah has sued former national and international player, George Arthur, currently chairman of Brong Ahafo United football club and two others for libel at the high court.
The two others are media institutions, one each in Accra and Kumasi. They are F. Giant Limited, owners and operators of Fox FM in Kumasi and Graphic Communications Group Limited, publishers of the Daily Graphic.
According to a writ filed at the High Court in Accra, the suit is for certain libellous statements made by George Arthur and also published by the two other defenders about a month ago.
The writ explains that per discussions between B. A. United through its former chairman Kingsley Osei Bonsu and Semereka Football Club based at Berekum in the Brong Ahafo region and whose chairman is Mr. Appiah, Daniel Bomfah, a player of United was transferred to Semereka early this year.
Pursuant to the said agreement Daniel Bomfah was to be transferred to Semereka for an onward transfer to an Indian club, Kochin Football Club to enable him feature for them in a competition.
Semereka therefore obtained an International Transfer Certificate for Bomfah from the Ghana Football Association to enable him travel to India. Kochin were to negotiate Bomfah's outright transfer directly with United if his performance in the competition as well as the club's total performance in the said competition was anything to write home about.
As part of the agreement, Bomfah was to revert to his mother club, United in the event that the Indian club failed to retain him after the competition.
According to the writ, having obtained the ITC before travelling to India, Bomfah ought to have returned with another ITC from the Indian Federation if Kochin were not to retain him. At the end of the competition, Kochin were not well placed and therefore decided against retaining Bomfah. He therefore returned to Ghana in conforming to the terms of the agreement.
Bomfah on his return and without the ITC, featured for B. A. United in their third week Kinapharma premier league against Berekum Arsenals who protested to the GFA. United lost the protest and as a result suffered a three p point and three goal deduction from their build up in addition to being declared losers in the said league game which they won by a lone goal.
It was after the disciplinary measures have been taken against United that its chairman, George Arthur allegedly granted interviews to Graphic and Fox in which he is said to have defamed J. Y. Appiah and consequently reduced him to public ridicule, embarrassment, hatred and scorn.
George Arthur is alleged to have said and caused to be published that J. Y. Appiah engaged himself in a fictitious and fraudulent deal by transferring Bomfah without an ITC and also described him as a corrupt man.
According to the writ, Mr. Appiah having suffered the negative effects of the said interviews and publications, caused his solicitor to write to all three defendants demanding various sums of money as compensation for libel but all to no avail.
He is therefore seeking damages for defamation and a perpetual injunction against the defendants from further defaming him.
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