Following the vetting process held on 21st August 2023, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Elections Committee has disqualified George Afriyie to contest for the position
as the president of Ghana Football Association.
This was as a result of the adverse findings against George Afriyie: Below are the findings and reasons against George Afriyie;
1. Breach of Article 13(2)(j) of the Ghana Football Association Statutes, 2019; and
2. Failure to provide the required number of Ghana Football Association Members
to support your candidature.
REASONS FOR DECISION
1. The names of the authorised officers proposing or supporting a Candidate
must be per Article 13(2)(j) of the GFA Statutes, 2019. Therefore, the persons
authorised to propose or support a Candidate must be persons whose names
are captured in “a list of officials, specifying those who are authorised signatories with the right to enter into legally binding agreements with third parties. Any changes of officials and authorised signatories shall be communicated in writing to the General Secretary within thirty (30) days of
the said change”.
2. In addition, the authorised officers of the GFA Members stated on your
nomination form were to “attach a statutory declaration indicating that the
above GFA members are supporting only one candidate for the position of
President” (as stated on the nomination form).
i) On your submitted Nomination Form, Susubiribi Sporting Club (authorised
signatory – Emmanuel A. Frimpong – General Manager) proposed you as a
candidate for the position of President for the 2023 GFA Elections.
Five members of the GFA who supported the application were as follows:
a. New Edubiase United FC – Yakubu Abdul Salam – President
b. Berekum Chelsea FC – Bernard A. Jantuah – President
c. Aduana FC – George Gyawu – Chief Executive Officer
d. Berekum City FC – Kwaku Afrifa Nsiah-Asare – Director
e. Victory Club Warriors FC – Jeffrey Asare – Director
ii) All the authorised persons above signed a Statutory Declaration indicating
that they have proposed or supported only your candidature and no other
candidate for the position of President.
iii) There was however a Statutory Declaration sworn by Nana Ameyaw Manu
of Techiman Eleven Wonders FC which had no reference to your
Nomination Form because no such person had signed the Nomination Form.
iv) The Statutory Declaration must be from the proposing member and the five
supporting members. The Committee is, therefore, not in a position to consider Nana Ameyaw Manu’s statutory declaration as he was not one of
the five persons who supported your application. Further, the said GFA
Statute does not give the Committee the discretion to consider a statutory
declaration from any person who has not been listed on the nomination
form.
v) Petitions were received by the Committee regarding your Candidature
which you were informed of at the Vetting and questions were asked about
them.
vi) On your nomination form, you indicated that the fifth GFA Member
supporting you was Victory Club Warriors FC and the name and designation of the authorised officer of the supporting GFA member was stated as Jeffrey Asare, Director of Victory Club Warriors FC.
vii) However, the records of Victory Club Warriors FC from the Office of the
Registrar of Companies revealed that the only directors of Victory Club Warriors Ltd are Leslie Kuku Bartels and Angela Effah with Angela Effah as Secretary.
viii) The Committee has also confirmed from the records submitted to the GFA
by Victory Club Warriors FC that Jeffrey Asare was neither listed as an authorised signatory for the Club nor was he registered on the FIFA Connect System as a Club official at the time of the signing of the Nomination Form, the vetting and decision making by the Election Committee.
ix) Subsequently, the Committee enquired via a recorded WhatsApp video call
from the owner of Victory Club Warriors FC (the sole shareholder and Director of the Victory Club Warriors Ltd.), Leslie Kuku Bartels, whether Jeffrey Asare was an authorised signatory for the Club or a Director of the Company. Leslie Kuku Bartels confirmed that Jeffrey Asare was neither an authorised signatory for the Club nor a director of the Company.
x) Furthermore, Jeffrey Asare confirmed through a recorded WhatsApp video
call that he was not a Director of Victory Club Warriors Ltd, as stated on
your nomination form and stated in a statutory declaration sworn on 8th
August 2023. Per his admission, he peddled falsehood by his statutory
declaration.
xi) Jeffrey Asare added that he was not an authorised signatory. He therefore
did not have the capacity and authority of Victory Club Warriors FC to support your nomination at the time same was signed.
xii) Consequently, the Committee therefore came to the conclusion that Jeffrey
Asare who was listed as the authorised signatory of your fifth supporting
GFA Member and as a Director of Victory Club Warriors Ltd, was not a director nor an authorised signatory of the supporting GFA Member in accordance with Article 13(2)(j) of the GFA Statutes, 2019.
3. For the position of GFA President, you were required to state one GFA Member
proposing your Candidature and five (5) GFA Members supporting it per the
GFA Statutes 2019. We therefore conclude that your endorsement by Jeffrey Asare is invalid. Due to the above invalidity, your nomination form currently has four (4) GFA Members supporting you.
4. In light of this, you do not meet the requirements to contest the election for the
position of President of the GFA.
RIGHT TO APPEAL
Should you wish to appeal against the decision of the Election Committee, you shall be required to lodge an appeal to the GFA Appeals Committee within three (3) clear days of receipt of the Committee’s decision in writing, supported by any document(s) you wish to bring to its attention on or before 5:00pm, Monday, 11th September 2023 in accordance with the provisions of the GFA Statutes 2019 and the GFA Regulations on Elections 2019.
