GEORGIDO, Others To Refund $784,802

- Ade Coker, Butler, Abu Alhassan out of GFA

A staggering amount of ¢3,767,049,600 is to be coughed up by some individuals and clubs in respect of acts of impropriety they committed in the transfer of Ghanaian players outside.

The amount is made up of monies which were under-declared in the transfer of players, and fines.

This is contained in a government White Paper issued yesterday on the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the transfer of Ghanaian players to overseas clubs.

The inquiry revealed that in many cases, contract sums were under-declared, a case in point being the transfer of Robert Boateng by Kotoko to a Norwegian club.

It said whilst Mr George Aduse-Poku, popularly known as Georgido in football circles, was the chairman of Asante Kotoko, the club secured the contract for Boateng. Through a false contract document to the GFA, Aduse-Poku gave the transfer sum as U$250, 000.00 instead of U$600,000.00.

The then Chairman of the GFA, Nana Brew-Butler, Messrs Wilgodt, the supposed agent, and Kwabena Agyepong, a member of the Executive Council of GFA, were found to have been actively involved in the transfer and the plot to conceal part of the transfer fee from Kotoko.

Accra Great Olympics and Cape Coast Dwarfs were also found to have under-declared the contract sums involving the transfer of Richard Kingston, John Richard Ackon and Michael Coffie and are to pay a total of U$70,750.00 as penalty for the amounts which they sought to conceal from the commission.

The inquiry established that contrary to Article 36 of FIFA regulations prohibiting the signing of players below 18 years as non-amateurs for a period of more than three years, Awuley Quaye Jnr was found to have been signed on for a period of 10 years.

According to the White paper, “the Commission found several instances since 1991 in which the rights of players were abused or ignored. There were also several instances of under-declaration of transfer fees, as well as the non-payment of development levies and a general breach of FIFA regulations which govern such transfers.

“For example, contrary to Article 30 of FIFA regulations which states that the validity of a transfer contract between a player and a club shall not be made subject to the positive results of a medical examination, or the acquisition of a work permit, agreements in respect of players such as Charles Samson, Simon Addo and Kofi Amponsah of GHAPOHA contained this illegal clause.

“Also players such as Robert Boateng and Baba Armado were found to have been transferred by agents who are not licensed by FIFA.”

It said the government has accordingly accepted the commission’s recommendation that Nana Brew Butler, Chairman of the Executive Board of the GFA and Mr Ade Coker, Vice Chairman of the GFA, should resign the offices they hold on the GFA and its Executive Council respectively.

Government further accepts the recommendation that Mr George Aduse-Poku, lately Chairman of All Blacks and Nana Brew-Butler who abetted Mr Aduse-Poku in the commission of the offence of fraudulent breach of trust should refund the sum of US350,000.00 which they concealed from Asante Kotoko. In addition, they have been directed to pay 15 per cent of the amount as penalty to the GFA.

The government has also directed the GFA to take steps to retrieve the outstanding amount of US109,000.00 being part of the enticement fee of former Asante Kotoko player, Robert Boateng, from Mr Wilgodt Anderson, the agent, who has already benefitted from the contract.

Aduse-Poku and Jones Abu Alhassan, a member of the Executive Council of the GFA, were found guilty of under-declaring the amount received from the transfer of Baba Armando Adama to a club in Dubai.

The two persons received a cheque of U$300,000.00 in respect of the transfer of Adamu, and instead cashing it in Ghana, they went to Dubai where they surrendered it to the management of the club in exchange for U$250,000.00 cash to conceal the contract sum from All Blacks.

The two men are to be held jointly responsible for paying U$50,000.00.

In addition to Abu Alhassan being asked to resign from the Executive Council of the GFA, he is to refund an extra amount of U$5,000 to the GFA.

Similarly, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, who accepted a gift of U$26,000.00 in respect of the transfer of Robert Boateng is to be removed from the Executive Council of the GFA. He is also to be referred to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for action to be taken on his tax liability.

Accra Hearts of Oak, Goldfields, King Faisal, Ghapoha, Kotoko, Dwarfs, Real Tamale United, African Stars and Liberty Professionals were found to be in arrears in the payment of development levies to the GFA and Ghalca for transferred players. They are to pay a total of U$200,252,00, including a 10 per cent penalty.

The setting up of the Commission of Inquiry was largely the result of a campaign waged by the Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) in the wake of suspected shady deals in the transfer of Ghanaian players to overseas clubs.

The campaign came to a head when at its annual Awards Night in May 1998 the SWAG called for a probe into the transfer of Ghanaian players over the years.

The Vice President, Pro. J. E. A Mills , who was the Guest of Honour, identified himself with the sentiments expressed by SWAG and directed that player transfers be probed.

The GFA immediately set up a commission under the chairmanship of Justice Sule Gbadegbe, an Appeal Court Judge.

The thrust of the SWAG campaign was the questionable circumstances surrounding the transfer of the late Shamo Quaye to a Swedish Club, Umea, in 1995, and Eugene Addo, also of Hearts, to a German club two yeasr ago.