Gov’t Of Ghana Responds To FIFA, Calls For Further Talks

The Government of Ghana has called for further discussions with world football governing body, FIFA, in response to FIFA's threat over a ban if a petition to dissolve is not withdrawn.

FIFA sent a letter to Ghana yesterday asking the petition to be taken out of court by August 27 or an international ban will be handed to Ghana for government interference.

Government’s petition to the High Court court to dissolve the Ghana FA was a major fallout from the Anas Aremeyaw Anas documentary on corruption in Ghana football.

The government, in its response to FIFA, says that further discussions are needed to find a balance between fighting criminal behaviour per Ghana’s laws and respecting FIFA's laws dealing with interference in the running of football in each of its member states.

In a letter signed by Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, the government said that:

“… Given the nature of the empirical and overwhelming nature of the evidence of widespread corruption, bribery, match-fixing and other forms of illegality at all levels of the Ghana FA, the Government of Ghana was left with no choice than to enforce the domestic laws of Ghana to bring the operations of the Ghana FA to a halt…”

"Ghana recognises the mandate of FIFA to administer football globally. Government of Ghana is not interested in interfering with the adminstration of football in Ghana.”

"It is our understanding that FIFA remains committed to purging football administration in Ghana of corruption and related criminal conduct, which objective is in accord with that of the Government of Ghana.”

It is unclear what FIFA’s response will be to Ghana’s demands of a meeting but the country’s letter hints of a possible urge to avoid a ban since that will affect the Black Stars as they are scheduled to play against Kenya in the 2019 AFCON qualifiers in September.

In addition, the nation’s women’s U-17 team, the Black Maidens, are to travel to Uruguay for the U-17 World Cup in November.