Ghana:FIFA bans Nyantakyi for life; fined $500k

By Papisdaff Abdullah

The adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee has banned the former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and former FIFA Council member, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, for life.

A release from FIFA stated that during this time, Mr Nyantakyi is banned from all football activities at both national and international level (administrative, sports or any other). The ban comes into force immediately.

The decision was taken upon the request of the chairperson of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee carrying out the formal investigation proceedings into Mr Nyantakyi.

The statement by FIFA read in parts that “the adjudicatory chamber found Mr Nyantakyi guilty of having violated art. 19 (Conflicts of interest), art. 21 (Bribery and corruption) and art. 22 (Commission) of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2012 edition. As a consequence, Mr Nyantakyi is banned for life from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level. Additionally, a fine in the amount of CHF 500,000 has been imposed on Mr Nyantakyi.”

The ban comes after Mr. Nyantakyi was earlier handed a 90 day provisional ban by FIFA for breaching the football governing body’s Code of Ethics.

Nyantakyi, came under scrutiny in June this year following an undercover investigation done by Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas between 2016 and 2018.

Nyantakyi was captured on videos negotiating a deal with businessmen and accepting a bribe of $65,000 to help establish an oil business in his native country.

Also, he was filmed while negotiating how to create a fake agency to pocket 20 per cent of a supposed five-year sponsorship deal for the Ghana Premier League worth $15 million. He would’ve been $3.7 million richer if everything had gone as planned.

Nyantakyi, who was in his third term in office before he resigned, became Ghana FA boss in December 2005, after succeeding Dr. Nyaho-Nyaho Tamakloe.