Ernest Addo Writes
Influence peddlers at the Ghana Football Association (GFA), the games governing body in the country are falling all over each, whilst others are fishing for who could be involved in the alleged high-profile misconduct and greed captured by spy grandmaster, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, even before the free public viewing on 6th and 7th June, this year, in Accra.
Since billboards went up announcing the latest exposé titled “NUMBER 12” a fortnight ago, official have been trying hard to make nonsense of the investigative piece.
Chiefly amongst them is the GFA president, Kwesi Nyantakye, who, perhaps after reading from social media, is all over himself that no official of the soccer body had fled outside the country, when, in fact, no such assertions has been made by Anas or any of his investigative team.
Read the GFA president: “The only two people I know are out of Ghana at the moment is my good self and General Secretary Isaac Addo. Both of us are on official CAF duty. We are both returning latest by Thursday. Running football is not a full-time job for the GFA Executive Committee so if someone travels to do his private business how does that amount to running away? For someone to suggest that we are running away is pure mischief,” he told Rosalind Amoh of Graphic Sports”.
As if smarting under some old shadows, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Wa All Stars, Oduro Nyarko has reportedly told Journalist that they (GFA officials) have neither committed murder nor felony to be scared of what is yet to be made public, but that members of the Association were prepared for what would befall them as a result of the undercover investigations.
“That way you the press are, you always want to make bad news good ones. I am not bothered with what Anas will expose. Nobody can conjecture what Anas has done. Murder and armed robbery are very serious crimes considered as first-degree felony. But we have not planned to overthrow the government, murdered or committed a first-degree felony. Let it come we are not afraid at all”, he reportedly disclosed on Sunyani-based Space FM.
Meanwhile, in what appears to be a calculated attempt to force Anas’ hand to reveal the content of the video before the big day, one Veronica Commey, a former Ghana News Agency worker, who was made to resign from the Black Stars management team in 2013 by the spokesperson of the GFA, Ibrahim Saani Daara, on her Facebook page, wrote that: “The President has spoken. Anas got nothing on the GFA. After all they commissioned him in 2015. Anas, bring it on.”
Meanwhile, people who know Veronica Commey say she was one of the hard critics of the Nyantakyi administration and her comment could be sarcastic.
Excerpts of Anas’ latest investigative piece indicated that a tight bubble which was about to burst and would be served hot to the country, with Anas warning ahead of the premier that was not going to be nice, and calling on all to ready themselves for the exposé.
It would be recalled that in January this year at The National Media Festival held by the Press Foundation, TPF in Bolgatanga, the Celebrated Ghanaian investigative journalist, gave an indication that persons who will be captured in his yet to be released exposé may try fleeing the country to avoid the associated embarrassment that may come along with it.
Meanwhile, Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako has described the latest investigative piece as “an explosive mix,” which has football sector and its links with politics covered.
Mr Baako, who is a personal mentor and boss of Anas Armeyaw Anas said the video will cause “irredeemable” damage to persons exposed, saying that “Any person trapped there cannot redeem himself…Anas doesn’t make allegation… anybody caught there and seen by the public would be in big, big trouble”.
He said Ghanaians will see people taking moneys using the name of their superiors, with or without permission from their bosses.
“If you see fiilili, somebody stealing, or somebody taking a bribe, or somebody using somebody’s name to induce things, the person has to come and explain why he is using somebody’s name or indeed if he has the authority of the person to use the name for that purpose,” he said.
He said he sympathized with those who will be exposed.
