GFA Mediates In BA United

The state of anarchy, ill- feeling, nepotism and rancour that engulfed the Apostles of power soccer, Brong Ahafo United Football Club, for the past weeks has prompted the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to intervene to restore sanity and order in the club.

A three-man delegation led by a board member of the GFA, Yaw La Danso, which was in Sunyani over the weekend on a fact-finding mission, had it extremely tough uniting the feuding factions. The members who had intended striking a deal within 24 hours were compelled to stay for 48 more hours, due to the complex nature of the case.

The delegation, which comprised the FA scribe, Kofi Nsiah, and C.K Yeboah, Ashanti Regional branch of the Football Association's chairman, as other members, met the life patron, management, board, playing body, old players, women's wing, and the supporters.

After series of marathon meetings from Friday to Sunday, the delegation came out with the following submissions/recommendations among other things: A 13-member Interin Management Committee (IMC) was asked to run the affairs of the club.

The IMC which is made up of the six-man reconciliation committee set up by the District Chief Executive (DCE) and the seven-man committee set up by the reconciliation committee has been given a mandate of two months.

The IMC was charged to elect a chairman from the 13-member committee. Among the functions of the IMC, it is to draw a proper constitution for the club, specifying the hierarchical order of authority as stated in Article 39(2a) of the GFA regulations.

The IMC was again asked to study the statement of account submitted by the management and come out with an appropriate response as soon as possible.

The delegation appealed to the life patron, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, Omanhene of Sunyani Traditional Area, to intervene for all cases to be settled out of court to pave way for the IMC to work.

The members of the 13-member IMC are J. N. K. Oppong, F. N. Amoakohene, Nana Obiri Yeboah, J. A. Yawson, Supt. K. Johnson Zu, Rev. Enerst Mensah, Nana Kobi, Kingsley Osei Bonsu(Zico), Ransford Antwi Yeboah, Paa Kwasi Twumasi, Amosa Asare, Asante Nketiah, George Arthur.

The once united club that won the Guinness Gala trophy this year was plunged into a state of rancour when a former player, George 'King' Arthur, presented an office complex to the board of the club and later accusing the chief executive officer (CEO), Kingsley Osei Bonsu (Zico), of gross mismanagement.

The CEO refused to use the office complex on the grounds that as the CEO and board member himself; he was not aware of the presentation and therefore suspected that George Arthur was up to a mischief. The relationship between the board and the management deteriorated further, culminating in the dissolution of the Zico-led management by the board of directors.

The life patron of the club, Nana Asor Nkrawiri II, reacted swiftly by dissolving the board - accusing them of arrogating to themselves powers that were not conferred on them by him (Nana)."How can the board dissolve the management of the club without reference to me, the life patron, who appointed them?" Nana questioned in the release.

The board in a counter-release to the press signed by its secretary, Joe Boahen, insisted that it (the board) had the constitutional mandate to appoint and fire the chairman of the club.

In the thick of events, the DCE of Sunyani, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, acting upon instructions from the regional minister set up a reconciliation committee to unite the feuding factions.

The committee in turn set up a seven-member IMC to run the affairs of the club. Before the IMC could settle for business, a supporter of the club, Kofi Manu, popularly known as Blue Boy, took the reconciliation committee to court for what he described as political/governmental interference which according to Blue Boy, FIFA, and for that matter GFA, had always abhorred. The court case is still pending.

Meanwhile intensive pre-season training continues at the Sunyani Coronation Park. In a friendly, last Sunday, the team annihilated King Faisal babies 3-0.