Afriyie accuses GFA of marginalising opponents

Former Vice-President of the Ghana Football association (GFA), George Afriyie, has called for reforms to address what he describes as a lack of a level playing field for all clubs in Ghanaian football.

He alleged that clubs perceived as critics of the current GFA President, Kurt Simeon Okraku, and his administration’s policies have faced unfair treatment in matches and are often disadvantaged in their quest for promotion or in their battle against relegation.

In an exclusive interview with the Graphic Sports, Mr Afriyie alleged that the GFA administration was scheming to punish clubs owned by critics of the FA leadership by ensuring that such clubs struggled to gain promotion to the elite division or were pushed into relegation. 

He stated that the FA administration had resorted to tactics that favoured clubs whose owners were seen as allies of the GFA President, while those seen as opposed to some of the FA’s policies were given a raw deal during matches.

“Kurt has succeeded in making sure that for any club to qualify for the premiership, it must be owned by someone who is aligned with him,” claimed Mr Afriyie. The former GFA vice-president lost to Mr Simeon Okraku in the 2019 GFA presidential election and was disqualified from contesting this year’s polls. His subsequent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland was unsuccessful.

Mr Afriyie cited Division One League clubs such as Liberty Professionals, Tema Youth, Phar Rangers, Techiman City, Berekum Arsenal, and Susubiribi SC as examples of teams he believes have been unfairly targeted. He suggested their recent struggles were not due to sporting failure but rather a strategy to punish owners who oppose the GFA's leadership.

“Where is Liberty Professionals now?" Where is Tema Youth? Once Kurt sees that you don’t toe his line, he makes sure you go to relegation,” Mr Afriyie alleged, pointing to the relegation of Accra Great Olympics last season as another example of what he described as an “undeserved” demotion. He claimed the club was sacrificed to secure another team’s survival in the Ghana
Premier League.

The Susubiribi SC President took representatives of traditional clubs, including Hearts of Oak, Asante Kotoko, Aduana Stars, and reigning champions FC Samartex 1996, to task for failing to stand up against practices he believed were not in the longterm interest of Ghanaian football. 

He accused these clubs’ delegates of prioritising personal benefits over the collective good during the recent GFA congresses. He challenged the leaders of such clubs to take a more active role in advocating for policies that protect the collective welfare of Ghanaian football.

“A day will come when these club owners will wake up to what is going on, and that is when the change will begin,” he stated. Mr Afriyie, who served as vice to former GFA President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, emphasised the need for systemic reforms within the GFA to restore fairness and transparency. He urged club owners to unite against practices that undermine the integrity of Ghanaian football.