The three permanent members of the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association appointed by the GFA Executive Council yesterday resigned their posts over negative yet serious comments attributed to the Minister of State in charge of Youth, Education and Sports, Rashid Bawa.

The three, Justice I.R. Aboagye, chairman, Mr. Nsiah Akuetteh the vice chairman and Mr. I.B. Eshun resigned their posts in a joint letter sent to the Executive Council "in order to give Minister Bawa sound sleep" over disciplinary decisions taken against clubs in the country.

The minister was on Monday quoted by the Ghana News Agency as saying that a decision of the Committee to deduct 12 points from Goldfields for fielding an unqualified player in matches was ‘unbelievable’ and also found it strange the way things were being handled.

The minister was also quoted as saying that he had been getting sleepless nights for sometime thinking about the way forward for our game and wondered why the same association ‘whose representatives were supposed to have checked on the documents on the registration of the player in question okayed the player but later turned round to propound different theories to disqualify him.

It is these comments that have so irked the three members into early resignation ahead of a December tenure. They could still have been eligible for re-appointment for another three-year term. The resignation throws Ghana football into serious turmoil and could prove the undoing of many clubs both in the premier and other divisions.

It is these comments that the three find unfortunate since Goldfields is not the only side to have been punished for doing the wrong thing. Sources close to the committee members said Mines Stars, B.A. United, Okwawu and a couple of others have all been punished with points deductions which attracted no comments from Minister Bawa or others.

They were even expected to sit on very delicate cases involving Mine Stars, Hearts of Oak and Bofoakwa yesterday when they let out their decision. It thus leaves the Executive Council led by Y.A. Ibrahim to search for and replace the three men quickly before it becomes too late.

The GFA regulations provide that an Appeals Committee composed of three persons appointed by the GFA Executive Council who shall be permanent, four members of the GFA Executive Council and the General Secretary of the GFA or his representative should be established with powers to adjudicate, arbitrate or settle grievances and differences referred to it by the GFA.

The Committee is also mandated to hear and determine appeals from decisions of the Disciplinary Committee and the Status Committee at the instance of a club, official or player.

The rules also provides that the Committee’s decision in any matter shall be final provided that the Appeals Committee shall have power to review its own decision on application by an aggrieved club, official or player.

With this development, the Executive Council will now have the difficult task of scouting for very capable replacements one of who should not be below the rank of a judge of the Appeals or Supreme Court to chair the committee.

That also means that within the month or so that this assignment is likely to be completed, litigants would accept the decisions of the Disciplinary Committee and avoided showing up at the Appeals Committee.

Already the cases pending before it could be disastrous enough and could plunge the season into turmoil if not properly handled.