The move by government to liquidate the Ghana Football Association (GFA) was given the greenlight yesterday as the Commercial Division of Accra High Court mandated the Registrar of Companies to take control of the assets of the association.
The court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu granted all the reliefs sought by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice to bar members of the GFA from holding meetings and selling off assets of the FA.
Justice Samuel Asiedu held that the application was not frivolous, and said government could compensate the GFA in the event that it lost the substantive case.
Before ruling on the application for injunction filed by the A-G, the Judge gave five minutes each to counsel for the football governing body, Mr. Thaddeus Sory, and Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame, a deputy A-G, to argue for and against the application.
Mr. Sory submitted that the application was incompetent because the application was about Kwesi Nyatakyi, former president of the FA and not the entire committee.
He said respondent was not served with the application and urged the court to order the applicants to do the right thing.
The counsel further argued that the GFA was established to regulate football activities of its members and not the public.
In opposing arguments of counsel for GFA, Mr. Dame said it was “totally inappropriate” for respondent to suggest the application was outside the permissible terms of Act 180.
He asked the court to injunct the GFA to ensure assets of the association were not “dissipated and unnecessarily disposed off”.
On July 12, the A-G filed an ex-parte motion for a ten-day injunction to bar the GFA and its officials from engaging in any form of football related activity.
This included the appointment and election of officials, disposing of assets of the GFA, organising football matches, among other football related activities.
The A-G, following the expiration of the 10 days injunction, filed a motion on notice, seeking an extension of the restraining order against the GFA.
The A-G is seeking to dissolve the GFA, following investigations into football administration by investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, in which former FA president, Kwesi Nyatakyi, and other officials of the FA, were ‘caught’ on video negotiating various sums of money to influence the outcome of matches.
Ms. Gloria Afua Akuffo, A-G and Minister of Justice, argued that the association was being used for illegal activities, and that the government had the duty of protecting the interest of the public and would safeguard that interest.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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