The President of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi has hit out at embattled Asante Kotoko boss Dr. K.K. Sarpong for a lack of transparency with regard to player transfers.
The club’s International Relations Manager, Kwame Baah Nuako had mentioned in an interview with Accra-based radio station Asempa FM that when the club transferred Ben Acheampong to Petro Atletico, the transfer fee was $150,000 with a co-operation fee of $100,000 between the two clubs.
Baah Nuako alleged on the same platform that Nyantakyi had gone to complain to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II that Asante Kotoko had under declared the transfer fee for Ben Acheampong.
In a no-holes-barred interview with Accra-based Happy FM, Nyantakyi stated that such a co-operation agreement will not be accepted by CAF or FIFA, describing it as a bad agreement.
“The co-operation agreement is null and void. For starters, Kotoko has no co-operation agreement with any Angolan club. How can you agree on a transfer for Ben Acheampong and at the same time have a co-operation agreement? It infringes the spirit and rule of competition. There are nine rules of competition. One is competitiveness of the competition. So any two clubs that have an arrangement that would compromise the competitiveness of the competition, such an arrangement will not be accepted by CAF and FIFA. I have served as the chairman of CAF’s ethics committee and so I have come across most of these cases and CAF has rejected such agreements. Petro Atletico and Asante Kotoko are potentially playing in the CAF Champions League so if they are accused of playing a match of convenience because of such an agreement, what would you say?”
Nyantakyi also told Happy FM that, as the owner of Wa All Stars, Ben Acheampong was one of four players he transferred to Asante Kotoko, recounting all that took place from the time the transfers were done.
“It is true that Wa All Stars sold Acheampong to Kotoko. Kotoko couldn’t finish the payment of his transfer fees. Indeed, Kotoko did not finish payment of fees on Nathaniel Asamoah, Fatau Mohammed and Sabato Mohammed. When Acheampong went to Angola, we at Wa All Stars had not received his full transfer fee. After he joined Petro Atletico, Asante Kotoko soon called and told us that the transfer fee paid by the Angolan club had arrived. They informed us and asked for our bank account, which we gave to them.”
Nyantakyi revealed that some money was paid to Wa All Stars without a letter detailing the transfer fee involved and the percentage accruing to Wa All Stars. He also narrated the events that took place after the money was received.
“They paid the money, but I expected an accompanying letter stating the amount of money coming in and the accruing percentage to us. That did not happen. What we got was based on $150,000 but we had information that the transfer fee was $250,000. I called Dr. Sarpong without response and when I sent a text I got no reply. I then informed George Afriyie who went to meet Dr. Sarpong in Kumasi. When George came back, he told me that initially, after a tentative agreement to pay the difference, Dr. Sarpong refused to pay the difference. George said when he told Dr. Sarpong that he would be called before the Player Status Committee; he responded that that even if he is asked to pay the money by the Committee, he will take the matter to FIFA.”
The GFA President told Happy FM that after this, he asked his club’s CEO, Samuel Oduro Nyarko to write letters to Kotoko asking for details surrounding the transfer fees
“I asked my CEO Oduro Nyarko to write to Kotoko asking about how much accrued from the transfer and our percentage. We had no response. So Oduro Nyarko wrote a second letter again without response. So until today we have not been officially informed by Kotoko as to the real figures. The letters were sent via email. We thought we were entitled to 40% of a certain amount.”
Nyantakyi went on to say that just before George Afriyie left to meet with Dr. Sarpong in Kumasi, he obtained copies of the transfer and co-operation agreements, copies of which he gave to Afriyie.
“When George was about to leave for Kumasi, I gave him copies of two agreements I received from Angola; one was the agreement for a transfer fee of $150000 and the other, which was a co-operation agreement of $100,000 between the two clubs.”
Nyantakyi cast doubt on the veracity of the co-operation agreement by revealing that after enquiries he made, he found out that Asante Kotoko had no such agreement with TP Mazembe when Daniel Nii Adjei and Yaw Frimpong were signed by the Congolese club.
“I was told that when Asante Kotoko sold two players to TP Mazembe, they had signed a similar agreement with TP Mazembe. After trying in vain to contact Dr Sarpong, I contacted TP Mazembe’s owner, Moise Katumbi who told me that they had not signed any such agreement with Kotoko because of problems experienced in the past. It means that the agreement was a bad one.”
Nyantakyi also told Happy FM that the contention of Wa All Stars is that the transfer fee for Ben Acheampong was $250,000 and not $150,000 as declared by Asante Kotoko, noting that it is time for everyone to be fair and transparent when it comes to player transfers.
“Our disagreement with Kotoko is that we think the transfer fee is $250,000 not $150,000. Let everyone be fair and transparent when it comes to player transfers. If you recall, the Gbadegbe commission report frowns on such agreements which ultimately amount to revenue concealment. Such agreements must be condemned in no uncertain terms.”
The GFA President noted that he had actively supported Asante Kotoko in player recruitment and transfers, making specific references to the likes of Awal Mohammed amongst others; bemoaning the fact that despite all he did for the club, he is being repaid in this manner.
“There is no management I have helped more than the current management of Asante Kotoko. After giving them those four players from Wa All Stars, we almost got relegated but by the Grace of God we survived. Also in transferring their three players outside, I recommended the players to their clubs. I am referring to Awal Mohammed. I was invited for a board meeting at Maritzburg United and they told me that they needed a central defender. I recommended Awal and I called Maxwell Konadu and Dr. Sarpong and told them. I recommended Yaw Frimpong and Daniel Nii Adjei to TP Mazembe and they were signed on without trial because Katumbi told me that if I am recommending those players, then he would sign them without trial. Nobody has even thanked me for what I have done and instead this is what I am being subjected to.”
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