“For shopping,” says a man, laying $65,000 on a table. “Thank you,” says Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the Ghana Football Association, scooping it into a plastic bag.
The bribe was a set-up, secretly filmed for a documentary by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, an undercover journalist. So was a sponsorship deal which Mr Nyantakyi appears to negotiate, taking a cut through his own private company.
The film-makers offered money to more than 100 mostly west African football officials, including a Kenyan referee due to officiate at this month’s World Cup. Only three declined.
The revelations have thrown Ghanaian football into turmoil. Mr Nyantakyi, who denies wrongdoing, has resigned. Domestic matches have been suspended indefinitely. On June 7th the government said it would dissolve the football association.
It has been badly and crookedly managed for decades, which is why Ghana, a football-mad country, has a league that no one wants to watch.
In the 1970s fans would hang from floodlights, recalls Sam Suppey, then a goalkeeper for Accra Hearts of Oak, one of Ghana’s biggest clubs. Now many teams play in near-empty grounds. In January an official in Kumasi suggested that the city’s stadium could make more money from funerals than football.
Erratic scheduling is a problem. The current season started late because one team was fighting its relegation in court. The exodus of stars is another. “A player shows up for just a season,” says Nana Darkwa Gyasi, a pundit. The best leave for Europe, but many go to rival African leagues, where big clubs such as TP Mazembe in Congo pay higher wages.
Ghanaians crowd into halls to watch European matches on television. As a child, Sylvester Ali would run from school to watch his local team. These days he follows Arsenal instead. “I’d prefer to sit here, have a bottle of Coke, and watch good-quality football on a clear screen,” he says, sitting in a bar in Accra. He hasn’t been to a stadium for about 20 years.
Still, there is a kickabout on every corner. Mark Noonan, the American chief executive of Hearts, says football in Ghana is like cocoa or gold: “It’s one of their national treasures.” For the faithful few, passion is undimmed. Fans serenaded their team bus through the streets after a recent win against Asante Kotoko, their great rivals. “Never say die”, runs their motto, “until the bones are rotten.”
Source: Graphic.com
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@Kwekwe...Yes, we want natural cases and not artificial or stage managed
Were we not here when Black Stars players accused Nyantakyi and GFA as being corrupt in the 2014 world cup. Since 2014 people like 'countryman Songo, Randy Abbey, Dan Kweku Yeboah and many people have mentioned Nyantakyi is corrupt and needs to resign. The government of Ghana has hired the services of Anas before so it's not new, he could even have been sponsored by the government. During the 2012 elections did Anas not do an Undercover that showed how NDC rigged the election bringing people in from Ivory Coast to come register and vote for them? Was that too an entrapment
@ a concerned citizen (permit errors 3)....are being destroyed massa why are you so critical on yourself of a truth this permit errors exercise could go on and on
[permit errors]...and not to resort to....
[permit errors] ...accused him of collecting....
Where did Anas get the money from? He must be charged with money laundering. According experts calculation the money seen on the video could be $40,000 and not $65,000 as alleged. Anas should be charged with fraud when the truth comes out. Anas has sued his critic for defamation of character then Ghanaian citizens also deserve to sue him for disgracing us to the international community via BBC and Ajazeera. How come he could not sue Hafiz who accused him of collected $50,000 from him?. Fighting corruption is a step in the right direction but his method must change. Women and money to tempt people are the tools of the devil. Kwaku Baako on a radio program admitted that when tempted with women he might fall. Mr, Baako, why then do you encourage Anas to use this method? Anas must play a neutral role to record real cases and to resort to acrobatics of Kwaku Ananse/Ntikuma tricks. Fairness to fairness BBC[colonial masters} should also back Anas to entrap the England FA or the British Prime Minister to see whether they also clean or else I will conclude that Anas s been used to bring the Black people down. I want to know how much authority invested into Anas that when speaks Governments, Police,judiciary, Parliament keep quiet and it is very dangerous. Who tests his doctored tapes whether it is authentic or not. Come to advance countries, security agencies will test the tape whether audios or videos to ascertain whether it is genuine or not. But in our country somebody's doctored video: is like a 'holy wood movie' to them and will not verify for anything. What saddens my heart is that some innocent people could have been affected because of hatred and this 419 entrapment. Huge talent lives are been destroyed and such people deserves a second chance, especially, some judges. Mr Baako claims Anas is clean therefore Anas must come out to declare his assets to the general public. Above all, on that day at the court he must remove the "kakaamotobi"
cant you guys see Anas carries no weight in the society now? he is boring and has lost his credibility. go to youtuuuuuube and type Anas spotted at airport. you will see his true face captured there. bogussss methodology