Dreams want Tema Youth case dismissed
The management of Dreams FC has called on the Review Panel of the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to dismiss the review of the case involving their club and Tema Youth.
Last year, Tema Youth lost a disciplinary case at the Disciplinary Committee, as well as at the Appeals Committee, against Dreams for fielding two unqualified players, Daniel Gozar and Cudjoe Mensah, during one of their Division One league encounters.
Tema Youth, led by their president, Wilfred Osei Kweku Palmer, dragged the GFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) requesting for a review of their protest, which was granted last July.
In accordance with the ruling of the Swiss-based body, the GFA reconstituted its Appeals Committee to begin the review of the case involving the two teams.
However, the league debutants have raised preliminary objection to the case, calling on the Review Panel to strike out the case.
Per a document addressed to the Review Panel of the Appeals Committee through the General Secretary, which was copied to the Graphic Sports last Friday, management of the club provided four arguments to support their application for the Review Panel to dismiss the review.
“Respectfully, Dreams Football Club, having been served with the Statement of Case of Tema Youth Football Club for a review as directed by the GFA, hereby file this preliminary objection to the case for a review and for the Review Panel of the Appeals Committee to strike out the review,” the statement noted.
Stressing, it added, “Respectfully, we wish to provide the grounds and arguments in support of our application to strike out the Review as follows: It is our case that Tema Youth FC failed to file their statement of case for the review on the GFA prescribed form as strictly required by the GFA General Regulation.”
It further noted that “it is our case that Article 37 (13) (b) of the GFA General Regulations was not adhered to by Tema Youth FC in filing their Statement of Case for the Review. It was upon the receipt of the documents filed by Tema Youth FC, and our subsequent checks on the face of the document and at the GFA, that we have filed this Preliminary Objection”.
It stated again that “in law, two parties cannot and must not be allowed to enforce an Arbitration Award against an innocent third party, which is not privy to the proceedings and the award of arbitration between two other parties legally unrelated to them”.
Finally, Dreams FC argued that the weight was on Tema Youth FC and not on the GFA. The statement concluded, “it is our case that the burden still remains firmly on Tema Youth FC to execute their case in accordance with the GFA regulations.”
The Review Panel is expected to sit on the matter again on Thursday.