DOL: Tema Youth to petition GFA over Accra Lions’ promotion

The management of Tema Youth has decided to petition the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to set the records straight by declaring them champions in the Zone Three Division One League (DOL) and promote them to the Ghana Premier League (GPL), instead of Accra Lions.

The owner of Tema Youth, Wilfred Kwaku Osei (Palmer), told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview yesterday that the GFA’s decision to promote Accra Lions was a miscarriage of justice which they were ready to challenge through any available legal means.

• Tema Youth petition

He, therefore, hinted that he was already in talks with his lawyers towards petitioning the FA to look into the matter and ensure that justice was served in accordance with the rules governing the DOL.

Accra Lions were crowned champions of Zone Three by officials of the Division One League Board (DOLB) at the Accra Sports Stadium last Saturday on the strength of their superior goals and head-to-head advantage over Tema Youth, despite finishing 65 points apiece.

But according to Mr Osei, had the GFA appeals committee applied Article 13 of the Division One League Regulations to the letter, Tema Youth would have finished tops in the zone with two points ahead of Accra Lions.

• Misapplication of Article 13

Palmer explained that the appellate body skewed the rules in favour of Accra Lions by applying the same Article 13, which deals with the withdrawal of clubs from the DOL, differently in the cases of Amidaus Professionals and Phar Rangers respectively.

He pointed out that while the same committee ruled that all clubs who had already played Amidaus Professionals should forfeit their points following the club’s withdrawal from the league, it directed that clubs which were yet to play Phar Rangers should be credited with three points and three goals.

“How can the same Article 13 which deals with the withdrawal of clubs be applied differently by the appeals committee in the cases of Amidaus Professionals and Phar Rangers.

“Once points were expunged from the accumulated build-up of all clubs in the Amidaus case, the same rule must apply in the Phar Rangers case since the appeals committee applied the same Article 13,” he stressed.

• Points deduction

Mr Osei recalled that before Amidaus Professionals were withdrawn from the league by the GFA, Tema Youth were two points ahead of Accra Lions. He, however, noted that Tema Youth lost that advantage after three points were expunged from their points build-up, while Accra Lions lost only one point in the process.

He explained further that happened because they had earlier beaten Amidaus Professionals as against the drawn game that was recorded by their fellow title contenders.

While lamenting over the unfair treatment meted out to his club by the appeals committee, Palmer urged the GFA to intervene immediately and ensure the strict application of Article 13 for the sake of fairness.

He maintained that the fact that the appeals committee advised the GFA to immediately review Article 13 in the Phar Rangers ruling to promote fairness meant that justice was not served.