2023 Ghana Football Association, GFA, Presidential Hopeful, George Afriyie’s bid to overturn the decision of the Elections Committee of the GFA to disqualify him from the race at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS, has not been successful.
CAS’ decision to uphold his disqualification was revealed by George Afriyie, on Monday, May 6, 2024, in a statement first cited by 3Sports, saying he accepts “the decision in good faith.”
George Afriyie’s disqualification from the 2023 GFA Presidential race stemmed from his alleged submission of faulty documents needed for his endorsement to contest the race against the incumbent, Kurt Okraku.
George Afriyie was said to have had his papers signed by Jeffrey Asare who was found not to have had the required certification to do so, leading to his disqualification.
George Afriyie’s internal appeal for reconsideration of his disqualification was not successful, leading to his decision to take it further, challenging the GFA’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS.
After several months of consideration of his appeal, George Afriyie revealed on Monday that he was not successful in his bid.
He was initially disqualified for not having had the required number of endorsements from GFA members, but the Elections Committee of the GFA later found Jeffrey Asare not to be authorized to endorse him, as it turned out that there was a false claim of Jeffrey Asare being a Director at Victory Club Warriors FC.
“For the position of GFA President, you were required to state one GFA Member proposing your Candidature and five (5) GFA Members supporting it per the GFA Statutes 2019. We therefore conclude that your endorsement by Jeffrey Asare is invalid. Due to the above invalidity, your nomination form currently has four (4) GFA Members supporting you,” the Committee conveyed in an email to George Afriyie at the time.
“In light of this, you do not meet the requirements to contest the election for the position of President of the GFA,” it added.
Read the full decision below:
Meanwhile, George Afriyie’s disqualification from the 2023 GFA Presidential race meant that Kurt Okraku, seeking a second term, went unopposed, as George was his sole challenger.
The elections held in Tamale on October 5, 2023, saw Kurt Okraku winning 117 out of 120 votes to retain his position as GFA President for a second term. Two people voted against him, with one abstaining from the vote.
“I have today received the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding my appeal against the Decision of the Elections Committee of the Ghana Football Association (GFA),” George Afriyie said in a statement after learning of CAS’ decision.
“The CAS, in their decision, has upheld the decision of the Elections Committee of the GFA. I take the decision in good faith. I express my sincere gratitude to everyone who supported me during this period,” the statement continued.
This effectively puts an end to the matter that has been there since September 2023, and by that, Kurt Okraku can now go about his duties without having to worry about the issue any longer.
Meanwhile, not many Ghanaians are enthused by Kurt’s administration, but he is working hard to turn things around with cutting-edge policies meant to raise Ghana football to the levels it was once known for.