Ex-Ghana Football Association president, Kwasi Nyantakyi, has admitted that he experienced some form of government interference in his line of work as FA head.
According to him, that interference was “needless” because the government could have found the better way of solving issues rather than using an approach he described as “gidigidi”.
Speaking on GTV’s Sports+’s ‘Saving Our Passion’ sow on Thursday evening, the former CAF Vice President explained how his administration was intruded.
“I have had particular issues of what I will call interference. In 2011, I was nominated as the candidate of the Executive Committee to contest the seat on the CAF Executive committee. And you are all aware that there was a letter from the government proposing another person.
“Then in 2010 when we came back from the World Cup, the FA premises were besieged by officials of EOCO. We took the matter to the High Court and the High Court declared it was illegal and demanded damages of 50,000 Ghana Cedis against the state. This is the clearest example of interference that will regularly come to mind,” Mr. Nyantakyi told the show host, Karl Tuffour.
The Lawyer who doubles as a Banker added that “But I taught they were needless because the government could have engaged the FA to seek a compromise on each of these very issues without doing ‘gidigidi’ [use of force].”
“FIFA has admonished the FA’s to cooperate with the government to develop football but interference is condemned so I will preach that as long as possible, the government should tolerate and cooperate with the football association.”
Mr. Nyantakyi charged both the FA and the government to complement each other because, as much as “Government needs the Football Association” same as the “Association needs the government.”
The former Wa All Stars bankroller was in-charge of Ghana Football for 13 years from 2005-to 2018, before stepping down after World football governing body, FIFA sanctioned him over corruption and fraud claims.
