‘Afriyie declaration was premature’ - Osei Palmer

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Committee Chairman, Winfred Osei Kwaku (Palmer) has descended heavily on FA Veep, George Afriyie, describing his presidential declaration as premature.

Afriyie, Vice president of GFA recently made his presidential ambitions public at his 50th birthday anniversary celebration at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra.

And according to Osei Kwaku, the FA Veep has every right to contest the position of the GFA presidency, but the timing was not right, taking into account the 18 more months left for the election.

The Tema Youth Sporting Director has, therefore, slammed Afriyie on the grounds that he turned his birthday party into a political rally and added that he ambushed the attendants who had no idea of his intention.

‘Palmer’ as nicknamed in football circles said “The timing was wrong on all fronts, as a Ghanaian, he has every right to contest for the position, as the Vice-president, the natural progression was that he contests for the position but the declaration was premature.

“If he had consulted me, I would have advised him not to make the declaration, I don’t think he was fair to the attendants of the birthday party, I would have walked off if I were present.

“The second reason I am condemning the declaration was due to the fact that he made it when the FA was going through crisis – league delay and all that.

“Number three, the FA has 18 clear months to the elections and you come out to make such a declaration; when you do that you undermine the FA and it suggests you want to facilitate the removal of the sitting president.”

The Black Stars deputy Management Committee chairman added that “Nyantakyi hasn’t made anything official about the statement that he won’t contest in 2019, he should have at least consulted Nyantakyi himself, to find out if indeed he won’t contest.”