High Court settles long-running amputee football governance dispute
One of Ghana's longest-running sports governance disputes has come to an end after the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra delivered judgment in a case involving the administration of amputee football in the country.
In its decision delivered on July 30, 2026, Commercial Court 6 ruled in favour of the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Ghana in the case of Ghana Amputee Football Federation v. National Sports Authority & Others.
Presiding judge, Justice Jerome Noble-Nkrumah, dismissed the claims brought by the Ghana Amputee Football Federation (GAFF), holding that the evidence presented by the defendants was more convincing. The court subsequently granted the reliefs sought in the defendants' counterclaim.
The court also awarded costs of GH¢60,000 each to the National Sports Authority and the National Paralympic Committee Ghana, although the two institutions had respectively sought GH¢250,000 and GH¢200,000.
As part of the judgment, the court granted perpetual orders affecting the Ghana Amputee Football Federation and five individuals—Francis Adjetey Sowah, Charles Narh Teye, John Kuku Dsane, Philip Cecil Richter and Benjamin Charles Armah—in accordance with the terms of the ruling, restraining them from associating themselves with amputee sport in Ghana.
The judgment brings to a close a legal dispute that has dominated the administration of amputee football in Ghana for more than a decade.
Court records, official correspondence, witness statements and institutional documents presented during the proceedings indicate that the dispute originated between 2013 and 2014 over which body had the legal authority to administer amputee football in Ghana.
Over the years, the disagreement developed into one of the country's most prolonged sports governance disputes, involving multiple court proceedings, competing institutional claims, government intervention and correspondence with international sporting bodies.
At the centre of the litigation were questions concerning the lawful authority to administer amputee football, the legal recognition of competing organisations, the legitimacy of governance structures and elections, and the respective roles of Ghana's sports institutions within the national sports governance framework.
Throughout the proceedings, the National Sports Authority and the National Paralympic Committee Ghana maintained that amputee football falls under Ghana's recognised national sports governance structure.
Court documents also show that while the substantive case was pending, the Commercial Division of the High Court directed the then Ministry of Youth and Sports to develop measures to ensure Ghana's continued participation in international amputee football competitions.
Following submissions by the Ministry, the court approved a structured roadmap that enabled Ghana to participate in the Amputee Football World Cup while preserving the integrity of the ongoing litigation. The roadmap was implemented under the supervision of the Ministry, with recognised roles assigned to the Samson Deen-led National Paralympic Committee Ghana.
The ruling is expected to provide greater clarity on the governance of amputee football in Ghana and reinforce the country's sports administration framework. Stakeholders are also expected to shift their focus towards strengthening governance, promoting athlete development and improving Ghana's competitiveness in international amputee football.