Nyantakyi blasts ex-Kotoko CEO

From far away United States of America, Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, appears to have opened a can of worms about the operations of the just-exited Kumasi Asante Kotoko administration headed by Dr K.K. Sarpong, accusing it of under-declaring the transfer fee of striker Ben Acheampong to Angolan giants Petro Athletico.

According to him, even though the player was transferred for $250,000, Dr Sarpong allegedly declared $150,000 with the remaining $100,000 going into undeserved pockets.

Firing verbal salvos from the USA where he is on official duties, Mr Nyatakyi told Fox FM in Kumasi yesterday that but for the respect he had for the owner of the club, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, he would have taken action against Dr Sarpong and Kotoko.

Mr Nyantakyi was responding to allegations by former International Relations Manager of Kotoko in the Dr Sarpong administration, Mr Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, that he (GFA boss) masterminded the developments at Manhyia that culminated in the resignation of Dr Sarpong.

According to Mr Baah-Nuakoh, Mr Nyantakyi used his relations with the Asantehene to make several allegations against Dr Sarpong, thus painting a bad picture of the executive chairman before the Otumfuo.

But Mr Nyantakyi rubbished the allegation, saying he had never discussed anything like that with the Asantehene.

“Otumfuo is my King. I go there to discuss matters affecting the national teams and personal issues and not Kotoko.

“I was expecting Dr Sarpong and his management to act on what Otumfuo asked them to do, instead of accusing me without any basis,” he stated.

Giving details of the Ben Acheampong  deal, Mr Nyantakyi said he sealed a three-year move to Petro Athletico after the 2011/2012 season, just a year after joining Kotoko from Wa All Stars.

Under the agreement between Kotoko and All Stars, the Wa-based side were entitled to a percentage in the onward transfer of the player from Kotoko to another club, and this is where Mr Nyantakyi accused Dr Sarpong of underhand dealings.

Mr Nyantakyi stated that when Dr Sarpong told him that the transfer of Acheampong fetched $150,000 he suspected foul play and made some checks which confirmed his fears.

“Indeed, I got to know that the total amount was $250,000 but Kotoko insisted $150,000 of the total amount covered transfer fee, while $100,000 was meant for co-operation agreement.

“That meant the $100,000 was going into individual pockets and I disagreed because under the Gbadegbe Commission report, as well as other international regulations, there was nothing like co-operation agreement fees in respect of the transfer of the player,” Nyantakyi explained.

He said till date Dr Sarpong had failed to account for the $100,000, “but because of the huge image of the Asantehene, who knew nothing about the deal, and the fact that we all owe allegiance to the Golden Stool, I allowed the matter to die.”

“If that is the reason why Baah-Nuakoh and Dr Sarpong bear me a grudge then they have misfired,” Nyantakyi said.

After days of speculations, Dr Sarpong officially tendered in his resignation letter to the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Asantehene, last Monday afternoon.

Even though Otumfuo is yet to comment on the letter, Graphic Sports has leant from a reliable source that Otumfuo would accept the resignation.

The resignation came just four days after management and players had presented the league trophy to the owner of the club at the Manhyia Palace.

At the Palace, the Otumfuo demanded the cessation of the rampant sale of players by the club’s management and also asked Dr Sarpong to organise a congress to account for his stewardship.

Indications were that Dr Sarpong’s resignation was rooted to the developments at Manhyia that Thursday afternoon.

Kotoko agreed to allow the 24-year-old enforcer to join the Luanda-based side despite spending just a season with the Porcupine Warriors.

In a related development, the Kotoko secretariat in Kumasi that was put under lock and key at the instance of the Special Assistant to Dr Sarpong, Mr Opoku Nti, has been re-opened.

Mr Opoku Nti explained that he caused the doors to the secretariat to be locked because of past experience when some official documents got missing from the secretariat after the exit of the previous administration.

Story: Kwame Asare Boadu