Mills describes rumpus in GOC as "unfortunate"

Accra, Jan. 7, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Friday described as "unfortunate" the rumpus in the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) and gave the assurance that everything possible was being done to resolve the matter.

"It is regrettable. I want us to use the normal channel to resolve the matter," he told an Editors Forum at the Castle to mark the second anniversary of his presidency.

Two factions in the GOC have been fighting over which of them is the legal body to run the Committee. The matter has been reported to the International Olympic Committee, which has made some demands of government, including a Sports Bill.

The stand-off in the GOC followed the June 30, 2009, General Assembly which saw the election of Professor Francis Dodoo as President of the Committee to replace Benson Tongo Baba.

On football issues, President Mills said he had nothing against the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Apparently referring to the confusion over the government's nomination of Abedi Pele for a post on the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football, he said it was not the intention of the government to cause confusion in the GFA.

"It was a mix-up. What we were doing was for Ghana to fill a lacuna that seemed to exist...If my attention had been drawn to it I would have taken the right decision"

Abedi Pele was nominated after the government had given its blessings for Mr Nyantakyi for the post. Abedi's nomination was later withdrawn.

President Mills said "we should credit each other with the good things we do, but if people work with a hidden agenda, then we could not as a country progress".

He noted that very often, 'we seem to be fighting among ourselves' and asked, "What are we fighting over?"