Palmer drops from GFA elections

Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidential aspirant, Wilfred Kwaku Osei (Palmer), will not contest in the upcoming Elective Congress slated for October.

The owner of Tema Youth FC hinted at Graphic Sports last Saturday that he had not even given the GFA elections a thought yet this time around.

It is not clear whether Palmer’s decision has anything to do with his recent ill health, but he told this paper that he was enjoying a clean bill of health now.

“I’m feeling better now but as for the GFA elections, I have not given it a thought yet,” he affirmed.

Mr Osei was disqualified from contesting the 2019 GFA presidential elections by the then Vetting Committee chaired by Mr Frank Davies Esq.

The bankroller of Tema Youth, who served as an Executive Committee member during the Kwesi Nyantakyi administration, has a wealth of experience in football administration. He was, however, disqualified on grounds of his club’s failure to pay 10 per cent of Joseph Paintsil’s transfer fee of 3 million euros from Hungarian side, Ferencvárosi Torna Club, to Belgian club, KRC Genk.

His appeal for a stay of execution of the GFA presidential election at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) until the determination of the case was dismissed, paving the way for the election, which was eventually won by Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku.

Before his disqualification, Palmer was a hot favourite.

Aside from that, Tema Youth is currently threatened by relegation to Division Two following an order by the GFA Player Status Committee asking the club to settle their indebtedness to Young RedBull FC in respect of the onward transfer fee of Joseph Paintsil.

The outcome of Tema Youth’s appeal, which is pending before CAS, will determine their fate in the Division One Zone Three league after finishing bottom in the 2022/2023 league due to a points deduction.