Rashid Pelpuo applauds FIFA for stopping GFA dissolution

Former Youth and Sports Minister, Dr Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, has commended the government of Ghana and football world governing body, FIFA, for coming to an amicable solution regarding the uncertainty that was surrounding the status of the Ghana Football Association. But the former Minister was quick to add that the initial decision to dissolve the GFA by the government was a lapse in judgement which shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

On Thursday, August 16, 2018 a Ghana government delegation led by Sports Minister Isaac Asiamah met with FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland, to find a solution to the GFA/government impasses after FIFA threatened to ban Ghana from international football activities if the government does not withdraw a court case intended to liquidate the assets of the GFA.

At the end of the meeting, the government of Ghana resolved to take steps to discontinue the process for the winding up of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

Also, government and FIFA have resolved to work closely to eradicate corruption, malfeasance and other associated criminal conduct from the administration of football in Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo and the Federation have committed to work together to offer leadership in reforming football administration in Ghana and in Africa.

The parties again resolved to "establish a joint task force to create proper disciplinary, governance and auditing mechanisms as well as ensure that persons who are found culpable are punished in accordance with Ghanaian domestic laws and FIFA statutes."

Speaking on Joy News programme, the Pulse, Dr Pelpuo said, “The new directive from FIFA is good for us all because I was getting worried at the kind of rhetoric that I was hearing from government side and government agents urging government on and raising issues about sovereignty and encouraging government to violate FIFA deadline and so on. This has brought sanity and strengthened Ghana’s football.

“I have always advocated for reforms within or not reform without. We need to always have a super-structure and if we dismantle it there is nothing that you are reforming so this new directive is a good thing and we can work with that.” Asked if he thinks governments demonstrated poor judgement in its discussion to liquidate the GFA, the former Sports minister said “that was terribly a bad mistake and I think the government shouldn’t have done it.

The FIFA/ Ghana government meeting seems to have produced positive results with the two parties resolving to collaborate to advance their respective interests.

Portions of a Press Release issued after the meeting state “FIFA upon consultation with government and CAF shall establish a normalization committee to replace the Executive Committee of the Ghana Football Association.

“In consultation with government and CAF, FIFA shall appoint persons with integrity and competence to constitute the membership of the normalization committee; Satisfied with the above measures, the government has promised to take steps to discontinue the process for the winding up of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).”