Nyaho Goes To FIFA

The impasse between GFA Chairman, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, and the Executive Council of the association has now been thrown into the court of FIFA. And in the coming days football's world governing body is expected to decide on the fate of the Executive Council, following the international body's receipt of a complaint from the GFA Chairman.

Graphic Sports is well informed that Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe last Thursday made a formal complaint to FIFA, explaining in detail the cause and nature of misunderstanding between him and the Executive Council. The letter to FIFA, however, was apparently dispatched just before the Executive Council prepared its own complaint dossier to the world body last weekend. But Executive Council sources could not confrim dispatching their complaint to FIFA at press time yesterday.

In a report by a private newspaper last Thursday, GHALCA urged the Executive Council to report the GFA Chairman to FIFA, citing Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe's resort to the court as a serious breach of FIFA's ideals. Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe's letter to FIFA, according to Graphic Sports sources, was accompanied by the earlier one to the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, which sought the minister's support to speed up processes to reform Ghana football.

Another letter by Mr Frank Apeagyei, a member of the Executive Council, to the GFA General Secretary seeking to dissociate himself from the intent of the Council to impeach Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, was the last material that accompanied the letter to FIFA, Graphic Sports' investigations have revealed.

The GFA Chairman confirmed the move when the Graphic Sports contacted him, insisting that it was important for the international body to be informed about the situation in Ghana and to appreciate the nature of the system and structure that prevail in the country's football.

Indeed, in the letter to the Minister, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe made reference to Article 2 of the GFA regulations which vests control of football in the country into the hands of the Executive Council but charges the Management Board with the day-to-day mana-gement of the game.By a wider implication, the Chairman of the Executive Council (Mr Y. A. Ibrahim) is the de facto head of Ghana football although the Management Board chairman (Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe) bears the criticism over the performance of Ghana football.

Recognised by FIFA, howere, as the head of Ghana football, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe described the arrangement that places the Executive Council at the helm of Ghana football as "an absurd structure" which has no parallel in football administration anywhere in the world, and sought the minister's support to implement new proposals "to bring Ghana in line with international structures like those of CAF and FIFA".

At FIFA, the president chairs an Executive Committee of 25 members while an annual congress, which brings all nations under the body, is the only other major structure that formulates policies.In Ghana, the 37-member Executive Council supervises the activities of a five-member Management Board.

The letter to the minister, however, triggered a wild response from the Executive Council, forcing Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe to seek refuge in a court injunction that restrained the Council from going ahead with impeachment procedures against the GFA Chairman. That case will be heard in court on Thursday.