No Club Has Right To Send GFA To Court - Nsiah

The General Secretary of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Kofi Nsiah has said that no football club operating under its ambit has legal mandate to take the association to court.

He explained that the GFA is an affiliated body of world governing body FIFA and all clubs operating under it must abide by the rules, laws and all other legalities guiding the world football. Mr Nsiah said these rules are clearly spelt out in the GFA constitution that no club operating under it can send the association to court. Mr Nsiah was interacting with newsmen in Sunyani after presenting on behalf of the GFA, computer fax machine and its accessories worth 25 million cedis to the Brong Ahafo Regional Football Association.

The General Secretary stressed that the GFA does not settle cases in courts since it has a 36-member committee that adjudicates on misunderstandings between it and the clubs. He said "Football is run on a scheduled calendar, hence the laws have been tailored in such a way that no club disrupts the programme with court cases”.

Touching on the impasse between Tudu Mighty Jets Football Club and the GFA, Mr Nsiah said the club's letter of withdrawal from the national first division league gave ample reasons for its action and the GFA did not see any need to invite it to a round-table conference for any more explanation. The General Secretary added that the GFA however found the club's 11th hour withdrawal "very embarrassing" and therefore slammed a three year ban on it.

The club petitioned the congress, whose membership includes Mr A.B.K. Ampiah, a Supreme Court judge, on the association's decision to ban the club. He said the club's petition to congress is too early as it should have served six months of the ban before any consideration could be given, "but in less than two months the club sent the GFA to court in contravention of FIFA's laws".