The Legal representative of the Ghana Football Association(GFA), Naa Odoforley Nortey believes although the federation won the suit filed against them by Wilfred Kwaku Osei Palmer, the verdict from the Court of Arbitration is a victory for the entire football fraternity.
Palmer took the Ghana FA to the Swiss-based legal tribunal after he was prevented from contesting in the 2019 presidential election of the GFA for failing to pay the 10% on the transfer of Joseph Paintsil to Genk in Belgium.
The Tema Youth owner felt he has unfairly disqualified hence his decision to drag the Normalisation Committee of the GFA to CAS.
But CAS ruling on the case indicated that the Electoral Committee’s decision is valid.
According to Naa Odoforley, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has spoken and everything should cease now.
“Ghana Football is the winner on the CAS verdict, it’s a victory for all stakeholders,” she told Kumasi-based FOX FM.
Following the dismissal of his appeal against the Ghana Football Association at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, Tema Youth President Wilfred Osei Kwaku is set to be hit with a heavy arbitration cost by the international arbiter.
Palmer, as he is famously known, had appealed against the decision of the GFA Normalization Committee that barred him from contesting in the Presidential election on 25th October 2019.
The powerful Tema Youth President dragged the case to CAS praying he is de-barred from contesting to enable him put a foot forward in the next election.
He also prayed CAS to nullify the October 25 election and call for fresh elections to determine a new leader for the Ghana FA.
CAS after several anxious moments have finally delivered the verdict, dismissing all the claims of Palmer and confirming the decisions of the Elections Committee of the Normalization Committee then.
Following the verdict of CAS, Palmer will therefore be slapped with the entire arbitration cost of the case which is yet to be determined by CAS.
“The cost of the arbitration to be determined and served to the parties by the CAS Court Office, shall be borne by Mr. Wilfred Kwaku Osei,” the CAS statement noted.
This is obviously a double agony for the experienced administrator who had wished the decision changes to enable him contest in subsequent FA Presidential elections.
With this verdict Palmer will not be able to contest for any position in the leadership of the Ghana FA.
The spokesperson for Wilfred Osei Kwaku Palmer, Mr Ebo Appiah has revealed that Wilfred Osei Kwaku Palmer is calm and strong despite losing his suit against the Ghana Football Association on Wednesday.
Palmer was contesting his disqualification from the 2019 GFA Presidential election but according to the ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sports, the Electoral Committee’s decision is valid.
He was dismissed for failing to pay the mandatory 10% to the association after he transferred Joseph Paintsil to Belgium giants Genk.
Ebo Appiah insists Osei Palmer is not down and is ready to support the current administration to succeed.
“It is time for us to move on and support the current administration.” He told Kumasi-based FOX FM.
He also indicated that sports is about to win or lose, hence they accept the verdict in good faith.
“Palmer is a pillar in Ghana Football. There are more important things Palmer can do to develop Ghana football, the Ghana Football Association Presidency is just one of them.”
The ruling from the CAS means that Kurt Okraku will remain as the GFA president till his tenure ends in 2023.
The Lawyer for the Ghana Football Association(GFA), Naa Odoforley has revealed that disqualified Wilfred Kwaku Osei Palmer can contest in the next election of the federation although his suit against the FA was dismissed the Switzerland-based football tribunal.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports(CAS) on Wednesday threw away Palmer’s suit against the Ghana FA. The controversial football administrator felt he was unfairly disqualified from contesting in the 2019 presidential election of the GFA.
Naa Odoforley
According to the CAS ruling, the Electoral Committee’s decision was in the right direction.
Although Palmer’s case was dismissed, Naa Odoforley who served on the Normalisation Committee has hinted that the Tema Youth owner had what it takes to go in for the position again if he wishes.
“There’s no reason why he can’t stand in the next elections, as for that one I will say it for free, ” she said on Kumasi-based Oyerepa FM.
“One thing is that every candidate will have to pass integrity test so this time when the answer is Yes, he should tick Yes and explain and that’s it and if he’s in breach of any of the articles or regulations of the FA, he should go and make sure that he has cleared those breaches and he will be free.”
Wilfred Kwaku Osei Palmer was ousted from the race for breaking the association’s code of conduct.
The President of the Ghana Football Association’s (GFA) Normalisation Committee (NC), Dr Kofi Amoah, has described the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on the case involving Wilfred Kwaku Osei (Palmer) and the association as a ‘complete vindication’ of their work.
Dr Amoah’s three-member NC disqualified Palmer from contesting the GFA’s presidential elections last October for failing to pay an amount of €300,000 to the association as 10% due the GFA for the transfer of Joseph Paintsil to Belgium giants, KRC Genk.
The FA caretaker body, acting on the recommendations of a vetting committee for the elections in 2019, stated also Palmer’s refusal to pay another $15,000 of Gabriel Laveh as basis for his disqualification from the elections.
Palmer, after several failed attempts to have his disqualification overturned, sought redress at Switzerland-based CAS, with the international judicial body for sporting disputes dismissing all four of his reliefs.
However, commenting on CAS ruling, Dr Amoah stressed that his interim GFA administration applied the statutes correctly in the decision to bar Palmer from contesting the elections.
Wilfred Kwaku Osei (Palmer)
He said that the ruling by CAS disproved claims that he carried out a personal vendetta by disqualifying Palmer.
“It’s a complete vindication which must be embraced in Ghana here that organisations that are ruled by statutes and regulations, the members of those organizations must respect those regulations and statutes. This case had nothing to do with any personality clash. I didn’t know Palmer from anywhere until I joined the Normalization Committee,” Dr Amoah said.
“We went strictly in doing our work by the mandate given to us by FIFA and by the regulations of football including the statutes and the GFA regulations. Here is a clear case of an association that has decided properly, discussed and enacted by Congress that to develop football any club that transfers a player must pay ten percent to the GFA.
“Tema Youth club is aware and so, too, is Palmer and he confirmed that to the NC. The arrogance with which he refused to do it could not establish the integrity of such a person as to come and run an organisation,” he added.
Lawyer for the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Mrs. Naa Odoforley says the verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has fueled evidence in the decision of the Ghana Football Association’s Electoral Commission to disqualify Mr. Wilfred Osei Kwaku Palmer.
Speaking in an interview with Rockson Adjei – Yeboah on FOX FM’s Focal Sports Show, Naa Odoforley disclosed that, anyone who intends to contest for the Presidency of the Ghana Football Association must be a person with integrity. “If you want to stand as a GFA President, you must be a person of integrity”.
According to Naa Odoforley, everything is now ceased since The Court of Arbitration for Sports has finally released the verdict. “The decision of the GFA’s Electoral Committee has been confirmed by the CAS verdict. It is what it is.”
The Lawyer for the country’s football governing body also revealed that the behaviour and conduct of the candidate were not eligible to contest for the GFA presidency from day one.
The Court of Arbitration for Sports has dismissed Wilfred Osei Palmer’s appeal case filled against Ghana football Association.
In a statement cited by footy.ghpush.com/ confirms the dismissal of the case after ruling by CAS.
The Swiss-based adjudication body dismissed all the issues raised by Palmer claiming he was unfairly disqualified from the 2019 Ghana Football Association Presidential race.
According to the statement Palmer will also bear all the costs incurred by the GFA in fighting the case.
Head coach of Medeama SC, Samuel Boadu has said that star midfielder Justice Blay would have to prove his worth to be able to get into his first-team should he return to the club for the upcoming season.
The 28-year-old lanky midfielder had a successful loan spell at Asante Kotoko and the Porcupine Warriors are working tirelessly to sign him permanently. The agreement is yet to be reached between the two Ghana Premier League clubs.
Coach Samuel Boadu
Reports suggest that the price tag placed on Justice Blay by Medeama is around $100,000 but the hierarchy of the Porcupine Warriors sees it as huge, making the deal unlikely to happen.
The player will revert back to the Yellows and Mauve and coach of the side, Samuel Boadu insists Blay would have to work hard to get his name into the starting eleven.
“Should Justice Blay return to Medeama SC again, he has to justify himself well else he will not get into the first team,” Coach Boadu told Kumasi-based Pure FM.
footy.ghpush.com/ sources indicate that Medeama is considering other offers from foreign clubs.
