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Sports Features of Wednesday, 15 August 2018

Source: Andy Mac-Carthy

Dissolving the GFA

File photo - Ghana Football Association logo File photo - Ghana Football Association logo

The other day l was discussing with my sister recent developments in Africa as has been the norm all the time. We spoke about the numerous problems bedevilling the continent especially, Ghana and Nigeria.

She was of the opinion that Africans, especially, our leaders are not able to make good choices and the right decisions because of the effect of the sun. She said the heat messes up with the brains of the leaders in Africa and as such, they are not able to think right.

I laughed the whole day because of what she said and since then l have been thinking about it, perhaps she is right.

Recently, l heard about the Anas exposé which implicated the ex-GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi and a few others. In the said exposé, Mr Nyantakyi boasted of having the ability to bribe the President and Vice President of Ghana with the aim of influencing them. As a developing nation looking to fight corruption and abuse of power, the best thing to do is to set up an investigative body to look into the matter. Perhaps the man truly can influence the President and the vice.

Maybe, it was the President and his vice that encouraged him to go and look for the opportunity for their mutual benefit. It can also be that the three of them has done something similar in the past and that is why he had the confidence and boldness to say what he said.

Instead of doing a proper investigation to ascertain the truth, the government of the NPP is trying to sweep it under the carpet. They hurriedly took the entire “GFA” (Corporation) to court to dissolve it. What l don’t understand is this, suppose a group of friends come together to form a company, namely “The Sun Is Burning Our Brains Inc” and they decide to go into the business of selling Solar Energy.

Maybe after two years in the business, one of the partners manages to get himself in a similar situation like that of the disgraced forcefully retired GFA President, would the government come in and dissolve the company because one of the partners has been compromised? NO! If there is any wrongdoing on the part of that partner, then a criminal case would have to be brought against him and not to dissolve the business.

A competent court would not allow a business to be dissolved because of such an issue. The other part l don’t understand is that the “GFA” Presidency as a position is not part of the “Corporation” (GFA), the club owners are the “Corporation” in this case.

If the “Corporation” which is the “GFA” hires an executive to run the affairs of the “Corporation” and the executive gets himself into a compromising position, the entire “Corporation” is not dissolved because of that.

Let’s look at another example, supposing the President of Ghana dips his hands into the coffers of Ghana and is caught, would the entire NPP government be booted out of office?

It is the President alone who would be booted out and per the Constitution of Ghana, the vice would take his place. It is only a government with an ulterior motive that would take such an action.

Things like these are what the opposition NDC should take up and make noise about. Rather, they are focused on what JJ Rawlings is eating at his residence.

Something like this deserves a press conference so that the whole nation would know that there is a smell of a cover-up. No right thinking people would dissolve a company this way or take such a decision if the sun is not beating their brains. As of yesterday, FIFA has instructed the government to withdraw the case from court and look for a different approach or they would ban the nation.

If the case is not withdrawn by the government, then Ghana should look forward to that ban. If FIFA entertains this and does nothing to stop the government then they are biased.

My fingers are crossed . . .