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Sports News of Wednesday, 28 February 2018

Source: goal.com

Concentrate on your GHALCA - Nyantakyi fires back at Fianoo

Kwesi Nyantakyi  and GHALCA boss, Cudjoe Fianoo Kwesi Nyantakyi and GHALCA boss, Cudjoe Fianoo

Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi has hit back at critics who claim his duties at Fifa and Caf are affecting local football.

Nyantakyi, who is CAF vice president and Fifa council member, has come under pressure recently, with a section of Ghanaians insisting he now spends less time on local football due to his international roles.

Ghana League Clubs Association chairman Kudjoe Fianoo also added his voice to the growing concerns and said on Tuesday that Nyantakyi and his vice president George Afriyie travel too much, amid a recent injunction placed on the resumption of the league.

However, Nyantakyi has rejected such claims and believes Fianoo's comments came as a result of hatred and pettiness.

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” These thoughts from Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt aptly apply to the circumstances of Ghana football today because of some pathetic and unfortunate comments by people who ought to know better," Nyantakyi posted on Facebook.

"The chairman of Ghalca, Mr [Kudjoe] Fianoo is reported to have said that GFA president and his vice travel more than pilots while making some other disparaging and degrading remarks about the chairmen of our regional football associations.

"It's a notorious fact that the presidency of the Ghana Football Association is not an executive position that requires the daily presence of the leader to implement decisions taken by its competent bodies. Even when I am in Accra, duty does not require my presence in office on a daily basis. Where my presence is necessary I have made myself available. Modern management practices have allowed authority to be delegated for designated schedules," Nyantakyi stated.

"My duties at CAF have never conflicted or disabled me from discharging my duties at the GFA. The two roles are inextricably and interwovingly connected. Just yesterday the UEFA congress passed a new amendment that makes it mandatory for members of the UEFA executive committee to hold active positions on their federations as president, vice president, general secretary or chief executive officer. My last trip to the CAF exco meeting in morocco and being part of the CAF delegation to the UEFA congress in Bratislva offered the GFA, CAF and other African FAs direct benefits through my presence.

"Mr Fianoo should kindly concentrate on his job as Ghalca chairman and desist from instigating discontent, hatred, opprobrium and dislike for me," he added.

Goal understands that executive committee member of the association Kwaku Eyiah is currently acting as the president, since vice president Afriyie has also travelled for personal businesses outside the country.