Tophic Sienu apologizes for false reports on Sports Cul and Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare

Two articles written by me - Sheikh Tophic Sienu, on 18th April 2017 and 18th September 2017 with titles ‘Was Sports Cul Ghana Limited’s mouth-watering $44m cash support for local clubs a scam?’ and ‘Was Sports Cul’s $44m financial package for Ghana football a scam as office miraculously vanishes?” respectively have been pulled down from GHANAsoccernet.com because it was loaded with factual inaccuracies.

The two articles along with the accompanying pictures have been removed from the website and I apologize for the harm it caused Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare and Sports Cul Ghana Limited.

The content of both articles that questioned the integrity of Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare and the credibility of Sports Cul Ghana Limited is deeply regretted and the errors and exaggerations in what I wrote have equally been retracted.

And I am very sorry for having caused significant offence to the two parties involved and for the ways it negatively impacted Dr. Kwaku Ofosu Asare both personally and professionally as well as Sports Cul Ghana Limited as a body.

I wish to state that it was never my intention to disgrace or embarrass the learned Dr. and/or Sports Cul Ghana Limited and any damages caused them are hugely regretted.

I accept without reservation that the contents of the piece were defamatory and falsely portrayed Sports Cul Ghana Limited and Dr Kwaku Ofosu-Asare as being fraudulent – an opinion that is entirely inconsistent with their genuine vision and desire of supporting Ghana football to grow.

The piece should never have been published as I got my facts wrong regarding the publication.

I wish to state that the offices of Sports Cul Ghana Limited had not vanished but had been stomached into the parent company of the organization and that the respected Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare who has never been involved in any dubious act from his journalism days to his current profession as a lecturer, is never a fraudster as the articles may have posited.

In withdrawing the article, I offer Dr. Ofosu-Asare and Sports Cul Gh. Limited an unreserved apology and wish to assure them that there is no conspiracy regarding the articles and no one influenced me to write the two articles.

It is also regrettable to know that the accompanying photo of Dr. Kwaku Ofosu-Asare used in the publication was later found to have been taken when he was mourning the death of his beloved son.

I, therefore, apologize unreservedly to the learned Dr. and his family for the damages and inconveniences caused them by the publication as I never knew when and where the photo was taken. I humbly regret using that photo and acknowledge that it is one of the major reasons why the stories had to be quickly pulled down.

It is a matter of public record that Dr. Ofosu-Asare is a man of unblemished character and would not support or join an organization that would not uphold such tenets.

As human as I am, I admit the flaws I have committed and acknowledge that every mistake is a learning opportunity.

This error has raised my consciousness to the importance of thoroughly vetting all my sources, in every instance, before coming out with a publication.

I’M SORRY.