Nana Yaw Amponsah to petition General Legal Council to seek justice against Ghana FA – Reports
Asante Kotoko Chief Executive Officer Nana Yaw Amponsah has reportedly petitioned the Ghana General Legal Council over his five-year ban by the Ghana Football Association.
The Ghanaian football regulatory body has placed a 5-year ban on the Asante Kotoko CEO due to his position as shareholder of Division One League side Phar Rangers. Despite failing to officially charge Amponsah on any charge sheet by the Ghana FA prosecutor, the 2019 Ghana FA Presidential aspirant was slapped with a hefty punishment.
Background to the story
In early June Phar Rangers, a Division One League side that competes in Zone III, officially wrote to the Ghana Football Association communicating their decision to withdraw from the Ghanaian second-tier league as well as the MTN FA Cup which they had reached the round of 32. The Akuapem-Mampong based side also said in the letter than the football governing body should consider the club as defunct. However after GHALCA’s intervention the club rescinded its decision and announced that it has decided to continue their participation in the league, writing to the GFA to that effect. Ghana FA Vice President Mark Addo took a personal interest in the matter to ensure there was a complete turnaround to ensure smooth continuation of games in Zone III after Amidaus Professionals had already been expelled for failing to start the season.
However before that letter would arrive at the corridors of the football governing body, the Ghana FA prosecutor had already charged the club for withdrawing from the league. In a later interview granted by the chairman of GHALCA, the welfare body for all league clubs in Ghana, his outfit engaged all relevant stakeholders to ensure the issues between the club and the GFA was amicably resolved but the GFA went ahead to hear the case.
Two weeks later the Ghana FA issued a controversial verdict which later emerged that it was not signed by Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the GFA as spelling of his name was totally different from what was indicated below his signature on the verdict published on the GFA’s website. It was also later discovered that the verdict was authored by Ghana FA General Secretary. After Ghanasportsonline.com published the details of the suspicious discrepancies in the ruling, the GFA quickly ran to make changes to the author of the verdict and correct the suspicious inability of the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee to spell his own name.
What is Nana Yaw Amponsah seeking from the General Legal Council of Ghana?
The General Legal Council, which was set up in 1960 under an Act of Parliament, among many other things is tasked by law to ensure legal education and upholding standards of professional conduct and discipline. The body also exist for all citizens of Ghana who have not been treated fairly in a judicial process and need to be assisted to ensure the process and standard of the hearing and judgement is duly followed according to law.
The General Legal Council, on its website, has a tab where the general public can lodge a complaint in a case of injustice or breach of a legal process. [https://www.glc.gov.gh/make-a-complaint/]
The GFA’s statutes is clear who can be banned or suspended by the association for misconduct and that does not include include shareholders.
Renowned legal practitioner Naa Odofoley Nortey ridiculed the Ghana FA on the verdict after questioning how a person [shareholders and directors] who were not named on the GFA prosecutors charge sheet could be punished by the Disciplinary Committee. Nana Yaw Amponsah is no longer an official of Phar Rangers but rather an official of Asante Kotoko. He resigned from his position as President of Phar Rangers before joining Asante Kotoko in late 2020.
Currently there is no law in Ghana that bars shareholders from becoming officers, members or shareholders of a different company if their earlier company becomes defunct or liquidated.
How has the football public responded to the case?
The ruling has attracted widespread condemnation from elite in the football space with high-profile personalities including ex-Vice President of the football association George Afriyie, ace journalist Kwabena Yeboah, renowned lawyer Naa Odofoley Nortey, broadcast journalist Dan Kwaku Yeboah as well as Asante Kotoko board member Kwaku Boateng Gyenfi all speaking against the verdict.
GHALCA chairman Kudjoe Fianoo has also expressed his disappointment with the GFA for their failure to resolve the matter.
Source: Sports
