Stop peddling unfounded allegations about GFA - Nyantakyi

Kumasi, Feb 24, GNA - Mr Kwasi Nyantakyi, President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has asked sports journalists to stop peddling false allegations against officials of the FA which they cannot substantiate.

He said the press should therefore be circumspect in their reportage so as not to malign officials for no apparent reason. Mr Nyantakyi was reacting to allegations and accusations by some football enthusiasts that some officials interfered in the activities of the Black Stars at the 25th edition of CAN 2006 in Egypt resulting in the team's abysmal performance at a press conference in Kumasi on Thursday.

It was the GFA's first encounter with the media outside Accra during which the media had the opportunity to quiz the GFA President on a number of issues agitating their minds.

The GFA President was emphatic that, "No FA official interfered in player selection. Neither did we impose any player on the technical team nor played the role of player agents".

Mr Nyantakyi who spoke on measures being put in place to ensure a sparkling performance by the Black Stars at the World Cup in June, said the GFA will not shield any of its members who would be found to be engaged in fraudulent deals to the detriment of the development of football and that anyone caught would be punished accordingly. He announced that the GFA was restructuring its Public Relations Department to make it more vibrant to stand the test of time and answer to public needs.

Mr George Amoako, a member of the Executive Committee of the GFA said the GFA was scrutinizing the performance of coach Ratomir Djukovic so as to be informed as to whether to retain him or dispense with his services before the World Cup in June in Germany.

"We can assess him properly after Ghana's friendly match against Mexico on March 1 in Dallas, United States of America".

Mr Amoako who is also the Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Babies however said the GFA was hesitant in dispensing with the coaches services in spite of his non-performance in Egypt, but he was being given a life line in view of the fact that he lost some key players before and during the competition as a result of injuries. He said the GFA has held a meeting with the coach to advice him to improve upon his performance as most Ghanaians had expressed anxiety over his competence. 24 Feb 06