After the Anas Aremeyaw Anas football corruption video was publicly shown on June 6th the government consequently ordered for all corrupt persons that appeared in the video to be investigated. This was followed by the Accra headquarters of the GFA  declared as a crime scene by the Ghana Police Service after criminal investigation was opened against president of the football association Mr. Kwesi Nyantakyi. But till date no single person has been charged of any crime and government’s court petition to officially wind up the GFA is still pending. 

Government says , in its response to FIFA,  that the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service is still conducting investigations against members, officers and directors of the country’s soccer regulator.

When one considers the fact that it’s been almost seventy days since the corruption video was aired it is then easier for us to all agree that government has been slow and unclear on the process in charting the way forward for Ghana football.

Its obvious that there are many Ghanaians that have demonstrated their impatience towards government during this period of no local football and so how much more FIFA? Even we are beginning to give up on government let alone the global soccer regulator.

And those calling the bluff of FIFA should not be oblivious of the fact that FIFA itself has exercised enough patience with government and didn’t threaten the GFA with a suspension during the start of this state of internal chaos and so why has football’s global governing body given the FIFA/CAF Liaison team for the Ghana FA  a 27 August 2018 ultimatum now?

Before advancing. Didn’t the Black Princesses participate at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France despite the court injunction and petition to dissolve the GFA still in place?

Have Aduana Stars not played two games in the CAF Confederation Cup despite government’s political interference into football matters and FIFA was still cooperative?

Again when Ghana didn’t vote at the 68th FIFA Congress it was not even due to a FIFA ban rather government’s own decision to stop any Ghana FA representation at the Moscow Congress whilst FIFA had made arrangement for the GFA. This is the level of patience FIFA has exercised regarding the Ghana situation and people should not forget that all in the name of calling the bluff of FIFA.

It should be even added that when government objected to FIFA’s invitation to meet Elmina Sharks president Papa Kwesi Nduom and Mr. Sam Brew Butler because they would be flouting the laws of our country if they did meet with FIFA as the GFA was under a court injuction, FIFA listened.  FIFA could have rejected government’s objection and we know what would have happened.  It is also the same FIFA that consulted CAF and government to set up the Liaison team of Kofi Amoah and Oti Akenteng. All these show that FIFA, indeed, has been supportive and respectful to the government and laws of Ghana.

So one poses the question again. Why is FIFA going hard now? The first answer that comes to mind is because government , after almost seventy days,  is yet to conclude investigations against a single person following the Anas video let alone to prove something in court that indeed the GFA has been used for illegal purposes contrary to the Company Act 179 of Ghana for which the association was set up and that the association should be wound up.

Nobody even knows when the finality of this court proceedings will arrive. It is true that the majority seem to  support government’s decision to wind up the GFA but when will this be finally done? If indeed the GFA has been used for illegal and criminal purposes and there are evidences to support that then no one dares stand against the government not to dissolve it.

But if arrests have been made and investigations completed then that will lead to the next step in convicting or acquitting the accused by the court.  Facts of the matter will therefore be known for all to know see will even be relevant to FIFA whose Ethics Committee are currently investigating Kwesi Nyantakyi and FIFA would not come out threatening to ban the country when facts from criminal investigations, court trials and judgments are known on this matter as was the case in the Trabzonspor v UEFA CAS 2015/A/4345 case and Fenerbahce v Trabzonspor and UEFA CAS 2015/A/4347 cases where Turkish prosecutors within two months investigated and established a prima facie cases against various person connected to the activities of match-fixing into the 2010/11 Turkish football season.

But looking at the current situation nobody seems to know when the investigations against the GFA directors and officials and the pending court petition of government to have the GFA wound up will be concluded and thus FIFA has a legitimate reason to be impatient by issuing an ultimatum and it is up to government to convince as it seeks another engagement with the global soccer body.