Godfred Dame and FIFA President Gianni Infantino
Government has officially withdrawn from court its petition to windup the Ghana Football Association (GFA) which has been smeared with various corruption allegations over the past three months.
An Accra High Court has subsequently struck out the application. The court presided over by Justice Samuel K. Asiedu also revoked the appointment of the Registrar of Companies as the official liquidator of the GFA.
The move, according to the Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, is to pave way for a permanent interim committee and joint government of Ghana and Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) special taskforce to take over the running of the GFA.
The Attorney General, Gloria Afua Akuffo on June 4, 2018 filed an application at an Accra High Court for an interlocutory injunction on the officials of GFA as well as appoint the Registrar of Companies as the official liquidator of GFA pending the determination of the winding up suit.
The court presided over by Justice Asiedu on July 12, 2018 restrained the officials of the GFA from carrying out their official duties by granting an interlocutory injunction application filed by the AG.
He also granted an application by the AG to appoint the Registrar of Companies as the official liquidator of the GFA as government takes steps to dissolve the football governing body in the country.
But world football governing body, FIFA issued a 10-day ultimatum to government to discontinue its petition to have the GFA dissolved, or face a ban from football. In FIFA’s view, the move constitutes “government interference”.
Government officials subsequently met with FIFA executives in Zurich, Switzerland, where government decided to back down on its decision to dissolve GFA.
It also stated that a Normalization Committee will be set up to replace the GFA Executive Committee to run the daily affairs of the GFA and cooperate with the joint government of Ghana and FIFA/CAF task force once the petition to liquidate the GFA was withdrawn.
The AG then filed an application to officially withdraw the petition seeking for the official winding up of the GFA.
Moving the application yesterday, Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, stated that government and FIFA have engaged in a series of meetings to find interim measures for the administration of football in Ghana.
He said “As far as the daily operations of the GFA are concerned, FIFA in consultation with the government of Ghana shall appoint a Normalisation Committee to replace the GFA Executive Committee. The Normalisation Committee will among other things, assume the powers of the GFA, review the statutes of GFA and make all decisions regarding the future of football in Ghana”.
He added that government, FIFA and CAF will form a Special Task Force to create proper disciplinary, governance and auditing bodies in order to ensure that any wrongdoing assessed and sanctioned by the laws of Ghana are punished.
He therefore prayed the court to grant them leave to withdraw the application.
The presiding judge, Justice Asiedu subsequently granted the application and revoked the powers of the Registrar of Companies as the official liquidator of GFA.
He also ordered government to return all assets which may be in their possession during the takeover.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak