George Afriyie sacking fires starting gun for intriguing GFA presidential race

Kwesi Nyantakyi is the President of the Ghana Football Association

George Afriyie has been sacked as Vice-President of the Ghana Football Association after a fallout with the body’s president Kwesi Nyantakyi.

The Executive Committee of which George Afriyie is a part of met on Tuesday afternoon and unanimously agreed to remove him after Western Region FA chairman Kojo Yankah claimed the strained relationship between him and Nyantakyi was unhealthy for the running of football in Ghana.

The constitution of the Ghana Football Association empowers the GFA president to pick his vice president after the old voting system was abolished.

But the constitution also requires the mandate of the Executive Committee to remove him.

Nyantakyi will now recommend his next Vice President for the remainder of the term which ends next year with Wilfred Osei Parma thought to be the favourite.

The decision to sack Afriyie effectively means the gloves are off at the Ghana Football Association especially after he declared barely a month ago that he is interested in replacing his boss Kwesi Nyantakyi.

At that declaration, Afriyie paid glowing tribute to his boss but those in the know knew it would trigger a fresh round of politics at the GFA and it has.

First, ExCo members spoke of their displeasure at the announcement and charged that he had disrespected Nyantakyi and demanded an apology. None came.

Then he was removed as chairman of the powerful Black Stars management committee.

On Tuesday, it struck what is surely the final nail into the relationship between the pair by removing him unanimously as GFA Vice-President after a motion by Western Region football boss Kojo Yankah.

There are those convinced this decision strengthens Afriyie, that it allows him to distance himself from the failings of Nyantakyi while projecting himself as a new man for Ghana football.

The problem for Afriyie is that those who voted to oust him are hugely influential members of the larger congress that will vote for the GFA presidency later.

There are others convinced that Afriyie is intricately tied to the good and bad of the Nyantakyi administration and that he has been unduly embarrassed by the presidency.

There are suggestions Nyantakyi will contest the GFA presidency again because as his closest aides including Communications Director Ibrahim Sannie Daara have hinted, “those within football want him t”o”

The decision to sack George Afriyie may have fired the starting gun for an intriguing presidential race between friends yesterday, enemies now.

By Michael Oti Adjei|3news.com|Ghana