Neoplan Stars express dismay over decision

Kumasi, Aug 2 GNA - Neoplan Stars Football Club has expressed dismay at the ruling of the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) in its case with the Ashanti Regional Football Association (RFA).

The Club said it is regrettable that the GFA has twisted the case in favour of the RFA by the Administrative 0fficer of the GFA.

Mr Jonathan Abbey Pobee, Chairman of Neoplan Stars in a letter to the GFA copied to the GNA Sports described the conduct of Mr Isaac Addo, Administrative 0fficer at the GFA but deliberately turned the decision round as most unfortunate since he was aware of the decision of the Appeals Committee.

Giving a background of the case, Mr Pobee said in August 2003, Prempeh Warriors loaned Henry Yeboah to Neoplan Stars for one season. After the season, Neoplan Stars released the player back to Prempeh Warriors in 2004 and according to the rules of the GFA the player should have been re-registered by Prempeh Warriors before he could be eligible for any team.

Mr Pobee said Prempeh Warriors however used Yeboah against Neoplan Stars in the Fifth Week Ashanti Region Second Division Football League match on 10th November 2004 without re-registering him contrary to the GFA rules.

He said Neoplan Stars therefore lodged a protest against Prempeh Warriors at the Ashanti Regional Disciplinary Committee for the use of the said player.

Mr Pobee said the RFA ruled in favour of Prempeh Warriors in contravention of the GFA rules and said that this miscarriage of justice compelled Neoplan Stars to appeal against the ruling to the National Disciplinary Committee and the case was ruled in favour of Neoplan Stars.

He explained that Neoplan Stars wrote to the Disciplinary Committee on its appeal and received the Committee's decision on 11th July 2005 a copy of which was faxed to the RFA on 13th July 2005.

Mr Pobee said surprisingly the Administrative 0fficer of the GFA wrote a different decision, 'the contents of which we do not understand' by twisting the findings of the Committee.

He said following this development, he the Chairman rushed to Accra on Friday, 15th July 2005 and confronted Mr Addo in the presence of one Mr Bawa, a member of the Committee that sat on the appeal.

Mr Pobee said Mr Addo admitted before Mr Bawa that it was a mistake and that he had already made the correction but was waiting for the Chairman of the Committee to sign a rejoinder and so he Pobee left Accra without the letter carrying the correct decision of the Committee but since then he had not received the any correspondence from Addo. The Neoplan Stars Chairman wondered why a decision taken on an appeal since 9th January 2005 should be kept by an official of the Disciplinary Committee for such a long time while fresh cases continue to be heard.

He said in this present democratic dispensation, 'this kind of attitude leads to miscarriage of justice, which does not augur well for the future of Ghana football'.