CAS ‘Scarecrow Stares’ At Kurt Okraku And GFA Executive Council – Nana Prempeh

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, Kurt Simon Okraku and the executive council members are sitting on tenterhooks as the day for Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to rule on the case involving Wilfred Kweku Osei aka ‘Palmer’ and the football body’s Normalization Committee comes up on Friday, July 17, 2020.

Nana Prempeh, editor of Sports at XYZ Broadcasting Group Ltd; has shown much concern on the issue on its effect on the future of Ghana Football.

The AIPS and SWAG member maintains the verdict of CAS would definitely affect Ghana Football which has many stakeholders apart from the clubs at the lower and premier divisions, schools and colleges, security services and the media.

According to Nana Prempeh, football is the passion of the nation and it is an activity that unites the nation, so he prays for a fair hearing and fair verdict that is going to made all parties happy save the nation.

He noted that Kweku Osei Palmer feels discontent resulting in the 10-month litigation over his disqualification from the FA presidency.

Osei, President Ghanaian second- division club Tema Youth, dragged the now-defunct Normalization Committee to the global tribunal over his unfair and biased disqualification from the GFA presidential race in October 2019.

“The decision of CAS will go a long way to determine the future of current FA boss Kurt Okraku as it threatens his time in power” Nana Prempeh said.

The Swiss-based body says its panel has sat on the case titled: CAS 2019/A/6517 Wilfred Kweku Osei versus Ghana Football Association, and set 17 July, 2020 as the date to rule on Wilfred Osei Palmer’s case that he was illegally disqualified from the Ghana FA Presidential election that brought Okraku to power.

The case was brought by Palmer last year after the election that brought Okraku to lead the GFA, but the coronavirus pandemic stalled the ruling on the matter which prompted hopes among the legal advisers of the GFA President that the case would not be heard.

CAS will announce the decision whether to uphold Palmer’s quest to annul the election and order for fresh polls to decide on a new President for the GFA.

The case has got the possibility of ordering for a fresh Ghana FA election almost 10 months after Kurt Okraku, former CEO of Dreams FC was elected.

Palmer dragged the Ghana FA to CAS over his ‘unfair’ disqualification from the presidential race in October last year.

The situation has put the presidency of Kurt Okraku on the line with wide-reaching implications if Palmer becomes successful.

It is most likely that CAS will throw out the case and allow the status quo to remain or order for a re-run of the election if it was deemed the plaintiff was unfairly disqualified from the race.

The judgement from CAS will put to rest months of intense anxiety involving all the principal actors.

Osei paid 22,000 Swiss Francs to CAS early this year on behalf of the GFA for his disqualification from the federation’s presidential election appeal case to be heard.

The GFA refused to pay 22,000 Euros so per the rules, Palmer decided to play both so that the hearing can go ahead which means he has now paid 44, 000 Euros which is $48,000.

Nana Prempeh recalled that some media organisations believed to have received leaks from the GFA reported that Palmer might not be able to pay the amount which would have ended the litigation.

The Ghana Football Association is represented by Swiss lawyer Hendrik Willem Kesler buttressed by Naa Odorfoley Nortey, while Osei Kwaku has highly-rated Australian John Didulica backed by Thaddeus Sory.

Nana Prempeh has urged football fans to tune in to his media outlets for the results and what will happen next.