Normalization Committee ‘completely vindicated’ by CAS ruling - Dr Kofi Amoah

The verdict by the Court Arbitration for Sports on the case involving Osei Kwaku Palmer and the Ghana Football Association is a ‘complete vindication’ of the Normalization Committee who in their capacity as Elections Committee disqualified Palmer from contesting last year’s GFA elections, Dr Kofi Amoah, president of the NC has said.

The Normalization Committee was heavily criticized by some persons close to Palmer for preventing the Tema Youth boss from contesting the deal.

Direct shots were aimed at Kofi Amoah who according to some persons masterminded Palmer’s disqualification from the elections.

A ‘doctored’ audio was leaked from certain quarters as some people frantically tried to drag Kofi Amoah in the case.

Palmer after failed attempts to have the decision reviewed by the NC, sought redress at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.

After two adjournments, CAS finally announced its decision on the case and as widely reported it ‘ended in tears’ for Osei Kwaku Palmer.

Palmer was seeking four relief which included a nullification of the elections as well as a declaration of his disqualification as ‘null and void’.

But in the executive summary issued by CAS, not a single one of the reliefs were granted as all four were dismissed by the sports adjudication body.

In an exclusive interview with www.ghanaweb.com, Dr Kofi Amoah said the decision came as little shock to him as he believed that the statutes were applied correctly in the decision to bar Palmer from contesting the elections.

Kofi Amoah contends that the ruling by CAS disproves claims that he carried out a personal vendetta by disqualifying CAS.

“It’s a complete vindication which must be embraced in Ghana here that organizations that are ruled by statutes and regulations, the members of those organizations must respect those regulations and statutes. This case had nothing to do with any personality clash. I didn’t know Palmer from anywhere until I joined the Normalization Committee”.

“We went strictly in doing our work by the mandate given to us by FIFA and by the regulations of football including the statutes and the GFA regulations. Here is a clear case of an association that has decided properly, discussed and enacted by Congress that to develop football any club that transfers a player must pay ten percent to the GFA. Tema Youth club is aware and so is Palmer and he confirmed that to the NC. The arrogance with which he refused to do it could not establish the integrity of such a person as to come and run an organization”, he said.