Vote-buying protest hits Ghana FA Presidential candidate Nana Yaw Amponsah

Nana Yaw Amponsah's hopes of contesting the Ghana FA Presidential election is hanging by a thread as evidence is being prepared to accuse him of brazen vote-buying in a move to swing the polls in his favour in violation of the GFA and FIFA regulations.

Video evidence will be presented to the Ghana FA Ethics Committee, FIFA Ethics Committee and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the next 24 hours to show that jerseys he has bought to be presented to clubs just before the elections is designed to win him votes.

This comes just hours after Wilfred Osei Palmer secured a favourable response from CAS over the decision to disqualify him from the Presidential race compelling the Ghana FA to answer to unfairness charges.

According to Amponsah's accusers this is in direct breach of Article 20 of GFA Code of Ethics (2019) as well as FIFA rules that bar any member of the body to accept or give a gift worth more than $50.

But Amponsah has bought jerseys and footballs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to be distributed to clubs in the Division One as well as second division teams just before the elections.

Video evidence to be presented to the Normalisation Committee and CAS shows that the ambitious football administrator has bought jerseys for to be gifted to the voting clubs before the elections.

Boxes of the jerseys have logos of several division one clubs embossed on it from Turkish company VIP Spor to be shared to the clubs in Ghana under the sponsorship of Amponsah in violation of FIFA laws.

Relevant FIFA Rules and Regulations in the FIFA Code of Ethics (2018) spell out various sanctions for officials who violate the rules of 'Offering and accepting gifts or other benefits' and state that:

Persons bound by this Code may only offer or accept gifts or other benefits to and from persons within or outside FIFA, or in conjunction with intermediaries or related parties as defined in this Code, where such gifts or benefits:



a) have symbolic or trivial value; b) are not offered or accepted as a way of influencing persons bound by this Code to execute or omit an act that is related to their official activities or falls within their discretion; c) are not offered or accepted in contravention of the duties of persons bound by this Code; d) do not create any undue pecuniary or other advantage; and e) do not create a conflict of interest.

Any gifts or other benefits not meeting all of these criteria are prohibited. 2. If in doubt, gifts or other benefits shall not be accepted, given, offered, promised, received, requested or solicited. In all cases, persons bound by this code shall not accept, give, offer, promise, receive, request or solicit from anyone within or outside FIFA, or in conjunction with intermediaries or related parties as defined in this Code, cash in any amount or form. If declining the gift or benefit would offend the giver on the grounds of cultural norms, persons bound by this Code may accept the gift or benefit on behalf of their respective organisation and shall report it and hand it over, where applicable, immediately thereafter to the competent body.

“Any board member (including the members of the Council), committee member, referee, assistant referee, coach, trainer or any other person responsible for technical, medical or administrative matters in FIFA, a confederation, a member association, a league or a club as well as all other persons obliged to comply with the FIFA Statutes (except players and intermediaries).”

Requirements of Article 17 further states; “Persons bound by this Code who become aware of any infringements of this Code shall inform, in writing, the secretariat and/or chairperson of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee directly.”

Also Article 17 of the FIFA Code of Ethics provides; “Failure to report such infringements shall be sanctioned with an appropriate fine of at least CHF 10,000 as well as a ban on taking part in any football-related activity for a maximum of two years.”