KobbyJosvan

Tag: GFA

  • Court Discharges Kwesi Nyantakyi in Number 12 Exposé Case

    Court Discharges Kwesi Nyantakyi in Number 12 Exposé Case

    The High Court has officially discharged former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, in connection with the ongoing trial linked to the controversial Number 12 exposé. The decision comes after the prosecution failed to present Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the key witness in the case.

    Nyantakyi had been facing charges including conspiracy to commit fraud, corruption, and fraud related to his actions captured in the undercover investigative footage. The Number 12 exposé, which aired in 2018, revealed widespread corruption within African football, and Nyantakyi was one of the prominent figures implicated. In the footage, Nyantakyi was seen accepting bribes from an undercover journalist posing as a businessman, while also promising to use his political connections to aid the individual’s business dealings.

    The case, however, has been mired in delays, particularly over the matter of whether Anas should testify in court while wearing his signature mask, which he uses to protect his identity. Initially, the High Court ruled that Anas could testify with the mask, but it later reversed that decision following an appeal, instructing that Anas testify without the mask.

    On February 13, 2025, when the trial resumed, the prosecution requested a month’s adjournment as they sought advice from the Attorney General, unable to produce Anas in court. Nyantakyi’s defense lawyers, citing the failure to proceed with the case, successfully argued for the charges to be dropped. Consequently, the court discharged Kwesi Nyantakyi from the trial.

  • I paid $100,000 to Anas to trash the documentary – Nyantakyi

    I paid $100,000 to Anas to trash the documentary – Nyantakyi

    Former Ghana Football Association president Kwesi Nyantakyi has disclosed that he paid $100,000 of a $150,000 bribe demanded by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to prevent the airing of the explosive documentary, Number 12, in 2018.

    His fall from grace was ultimately brought about by the contentious documentary, which compelled him to resign from the FIFA Executive Council as well as his presidency of the Football Association.

    According to Nyantakyi on Onua TV, Anas, through his lawyer Kwame Gyan, demanded $150,000 to halt the release of the documentary.

    Nyantakyi stated that he paid $100,000, but Anas released the documentary in spite of this payment.

    Despite the fact that the payments were made in installments, Nyantakyi claimed that he eventually received his money back.

    “Before the video was released, a former colleague at the GFA Executive Council, Adam Munkaila, took me to Anas’ lawyers, a certain Kwame Gyan, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon. I met him at his residence around Westland, and he told me Anas was his student and had informed him he needed $150,000 to kill the story. ‘I had never been to his house before,’” Nyantakyi recounted.

    “After the video came out, I asked for a refund, and even the refund was done in pieces. Today, they would bring $20,000, and the next day another $10,000. They were giving me stories, but eventually, I got everything back,” Nyantakyi further explained.

    This revelation came up during a conversation about his plan to run in the Ejisu by-election after Parliamentary Candidate John Kumah unexpectedly passed away.

  • I have reached my pinnacle in sports – Nyantakyi

    I have reached my pinnacle in sports – Nyantakyi

    Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) President Kwesi Nyantakyi claims he has accomplished all of his goals and does not see the need to return to football.

    From 2005 until the Anas Aremeyaw Anas scandal in 2018, Nyanktakyi presided over Ghana’s football governing body. Under his leadership, the Black Stars qualified for their first World Cup in 2006.

    FIFA banned the 55-year-old from all football-related activities following the exposé, but he was later exonerated.

    After the most recent verdict, there were rumours that Nyantakyi would return to football administration. However, he has chosen to pursue a different career, stating he has nothing more to accomplish in the sport.

    “Politics is the ultimate. In all we do…you need political guidance,” he said when asked about his decision to go into politics in an interview with Onua TV.

    “I have excelled in Sports. You can’t mention three or four people who are famous in sports in Ghana without adding me. I have reached the pinnacle of my career in sports.

    “Apart from Ohene Djan, no one has ever reached where I did in sports. No Ghanaian has served on the FIFA Council. I was the second person after Ohene Djan in the 1960s.”

    He clarified that the motivation for entering politics is the wish to use the knowledge one has gained to make a difference.

    “I want to use the knowledge, experience and connections that I have acquired for political influence and help the people of this country,” he added.

    “That is what motivated and encouraged me to see if I can help in that regard.”

    Nyantakyi has formally announced his intention to run for the Ejisu parliamentary seat in the wake of John Kumah’s passing.

  • FIFA to establish a new football academy in Ghana – Arsene Wenger

    FIFA to establish a new football academy in Ghana – Arsene Wenger

    Arsene Wenger, Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA, has disclosed that the organisation responsible for overseeing football intends to establish an academy in Ghana.

    He claims that with the opening of academies, FIFA’s Talent Development Scheme will assist five African nations, including Ghana.

    FIFA plans to establish 75 academies worldwide by 2026; the other nations are Cameroon, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Zambia.

    “Over the next six months and one year, it’s to open more academies,” Wenger told Supersport in an interview.

    “We are now close to opening a new one in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana and Zambia and we want to develop five new academies there and, at the end of 2026, we’ll have 75 academies all over the world.

    “That means football education has moved forward and that’s what we’re focusing on at the moment. We want the game to be more competitive and of better quality and there is only one way to do it: it’s the quality of the education and quality of the competitions.”

    The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) are under intense pressure to make investments in the nation’s sporting facilities.

    Arsene Wenger
    The “Save Ghana Football” demonstration was a protest that took place last Wednesday with the goal of holding football authorities accountable.

    The conveners sent a petition to Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, outlining some of the most important reforms that must be implemented, such as creating a national football policy and forming a commission to look into the underwhelming performance of the different national teams.

    The dissolution of national team management committees and accountability for the distribution of funds from competitions such as the World Cup were also high on the agenda.

  • I want to win AFCON and the World Cup for Ghana – Kurt Okraku

    I want to win AFCON and the World Cup for Ghana – Kurt Okraku

    The Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kurt Okraku, has revealed that his administration wants to bring home trophies for the nation.

    He expressed his hope that Ghana will be able to win both the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations before he steps down from office.

    Speaking to the media earlier yesterday in Kumasi, Mr. Okraku discussed the Black Stars’ dismal showing in the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) competition.

    The senior national team, which had hoped to win their fifth continental championship, was eliminated in the group stage again after placing third with two points.

    Mr. Okraku declared that, in spite of the criticism, he is determined to see to it that the Black Stars, under his direction as the GFA president, win the Mundial and the AFCON.
    “I want to win the AFCON I want to win the World Cup I want to win every competition Ghana finds itself,” he said.

    “This is the collective belief and mindset of my fellow Executive Council members.

    “My goal is to establish the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence as a world-class institution and to position it extremely well,” he continued.

    Under Mr. Okraku’s leadership, the Black Stars have finished the last two AFCON tournaments in the group stage after losing all two of their games in Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

  • German coach Jurgen Kohler applies for vacant Black Stars job

    German coach Jurgen Kohler applies for vacant Black Stars job

    Jurgen Kohler, a German coach, has applied to be considered for the coaching position of Black Stars.

    Jurgen Kohler, a German coach, applies for a position with the Black Stars.
    The 1990 FIFA World Cup winner reportedly applied for the position following discussions with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), according to Joy Sports.

    The GFA-established committee of five people is rumoured to have contacted Kohler in an attempt to find Ghana’s next head coach.

    The 58-year-old is rumoured to have applied after speaking with GFA vice president Mark Addo about the position.

    After their terrible AFCON 2023 campaign, Chris Hughton was fired, leaving the Black Stars without a coach at the moment.

    According to a GFA statement, the next Ghanaian coach needs to fulfil a number of requirements, such as having a winning track record and a philosophy of football that is in line with Ghanaian football culture.

    Jurgen Kohler, a German coach, applies for a position with the Black Stars.
    Along with having over 15 years of coaching experience, the highest football licence in the world, and a history of team rebuilding, organisation, and developing young talent are also requirements.

    Although Kohler has been coaching since the early 2000s, the majority of his managerial experience has been at the lower levels.

    In 2019, he took on the role of interim manager for German third-division team Viktoria Koln.

  • Be a leader who is concerned about his people, Saddick Adams to Akufo Addo

    Be a leader who is concerned about his people, Saddick Adams to Akufo Addo

    Saddick Adams, a celebrated sports journalist, is also referred to as Obama has requested that Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo give sports in the nation top priority and implement workable plans to boost athletics.

    The well-known sports journalist claims that, with proper management, sports represent one of the main tourist opportunities for the country to increase its revenue.

    Saddick Adams challenged Nana Addo to be a good leader who is concerned about Ghana’s development in a statement posted on his X account.

    “Act with dignity as a leader who is concerned about the nation’s reputation. He wrote, “One of the main tourist destinations is football.”

    Additionally, he urged the president to direct the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. Mustapha Ussif, to publicly apologise to the Ghanaian people for their appalling performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast.

    “Assign your minister of sports to direct the GFA to apologise to the fans and the entire country for the embarrassment,” he continued.

    The 2018 Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) sports journalist of the year commented on the five-member committee that the GFA formed to find a new coach for the Black Stars, the Ghanaian national team, saying that the committee should be dissolved because it is pointless.

    He said Nana Addo ought to “be a leader! Do not reward ineptitude and promote mediocrity. The Ghanaian standard has never been that. The two most terrible AFCON campaigns in our history have followed under your rule. DISMISS that fraudulent committee before they have a chance to embark on their pointless journey.

    “With all due respect, disband the committee responsible for finding a new coach for the Black Stars.” Our taxes will be used to pay thousands of dollars to the next coach. According to Saddick Adams.

    Dear @NAkufoAddo

    With all due respect, dissolve the committee that is to search for a new Black Stars coach.

    The next coach will be paid thousands of dollars with our taxes.

    Respectfully ACT as a leader who cares about the image of the country.

    Football is one of the biggest tourism avenues. Instruct your minister of sports to instruct the GFA to issue an apology to the entire nation and fans for the embarrassment.

    Hold on with the search and get a caretaker manager for the team.

    Demand an emergency technical and management report and budget of the AFCON and get neutral experts to properly investigate and appreciate the ills of the campaign.

    Be a leader! Do not encourage mediocrity and be rewarding incompetence. That has never been the Ghanaian standard.

    Your reign has characterized two successive most disastrous AFCON campaigns in our entire history.

    DISSOLVE that sham of a committee before they even start the walk to no where.

  • Chris Hughton fired after Black Stars crash out of AFCON 2023

    Chris Hughton fired after Black Stars crash out of AFCON 2023

    Following the Black Stars’ disastrous exit from AFCON 2023, Chris Hughton was fired.

    The head coach of the Black Stars, Chris Hughton, has been relieved of his duties, according to an announcement made by the Ghana Football Association (GFA).

    The choice was made after the Black Stars lost all three of their group matchups and were eliminated from AFCON 2023.

    Dissolution of the technical team was also mentioned in the GFA statement, which was released four hours after Ghana’s early elimination from the Ivory Coast tournament was confirmed.

    According to the FA, “a roadmap on the future of the Black Stars” will be provided in the upcoming days.

    After Otto Addo’s contract with the men’s senior national team expired following the 2022 World Cup, Hughton was appointed in February 2023.

    He was assigned to manage the start of the Stars’ 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign as well as the remaining Ghanaian qualifiers for AFCON 2023, as well as travelling with the team to the competition in Ivory Coast.

    Hughton was named the Black Stars’ Technical Advisor prior to taking over as head coach. He held this position for the Qatar tournament and before the team’s two-leg playoff match against Nigeria for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

    As Black Stars head coach, Hughton oversaw 13 games, going 4–5 in wins, 5–5 in draws, and 4–4 in losses.

    Hughton’s team recorded three victories, two defeats, and four draws in nine competitive games.

    In addition to the results, the Black Stars’ performances under the former manager of Brighton, Newcastle, and Nottingham Forest have drawn criticism, leading to the team’s dismal performance at AFCON 2023.

    Fans and commentators have frequently questioned his decisions and handling of the games.

    Ghana was eliminated from the AFCON for the second consecutive year at the group stage after drawing with Egypt and Mozambique and losing to Cape Verde in the opening match.

    Hughton acknowledged that he was to blame for the Ivory Coast’s subpar performances.

    He told the media following Monday’s 2-2 draw with Mozambique, “I take responsibility for this performance and admit my results with the Black Stars have not been good enough.”

    With two international friendlies against world champions Argentina and China scheduled for March, the Black Stars will now need to regroup following their most recent setback.

    They will then return their focus to the World Cup qualifiers, where they will play matches against Central African Republic and Mali in June.

  • Afua Asantewaa is a heroine  – Kwesi Nyantakyi (Video)

    Afua Asantewaa is a heroine  – Kwesi Nyantakyi (Video)

    Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kwesi Nyantakyi was at the Akwaaba Village to lend his support to Afua Asantewaa’s bid to break the Guinness World Record Sing-a-thon.

    Kwesi Nyantakyi storms Akwaaba Village to support Afua Asantewaa
    The 55-year-old called for more support for Afua, adding that she remains a heroine irrespective of the final result.

    The journalist and former beauty queen brought down the curtains on her attempt to break the world record on Friday after 126 hours and 52 minutes.

    “We need to pray for her so that God will strengthen her to complete the task,” Nyantakyi told the media.

    “We’ve already declared her a champion. Whether she breaks the Guinness World Record or not, she’s still a heroine.”

    Afua’s attempt to break the Guinness World Record Sing-a-thon has garnered massive support from Ghanaians across the country.

    Early on Wednesday, she crossed the 72-hour mark after singing for three days straight in her bid to become the outright holder of the record, which is currently held by Indian Sunil Waghmare, who did 105 hours in 2012.

    She finally ended her quest at 126 hours and 52 minutes in the early hours of Friday and is now awaiting verification by Guinness World Record judges.

    Meanwhile, several Ghanaian celebrities have also stormed the Akwaaba village to lend their support to the journalist and former beauty queen.

    In the last five days, actors and musicians, including Shatta Wale, Becca, Cina Soul, Sista Afia, Kwabena Kwabena, Eno Barony, Kobi Rana, Sarkodie and Nana Ama McBrown, have all appeared in person to support her.

    Ghana’s Vice President and flagbearer of the ruling NPP Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was also there to give morale for the record attempt.