THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
Former Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi has announced that he would be heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to appeal against a decision by FIFA to ban him for life.
FIFA handed a life-ban from all football activities to Nyantakyi on Tuesday for various violations of their ethics code, including bribery and corruption. He was also fined 440,000 euros ($498,000).
“I wish to express my shock and deep sadness after receiving the decision from the FIFA Ethics Adjudicatory Committee on Tuesday,” Nyantakyi, a former CAF vice-president, said in a statement.
“My legal advisors are under my instructions to urgently appeal the decision as I think it was unfair, harsh and unwarranted.”
Nyantakyi, who was also a member of the FIFA Council, was seen in a hotel room taking a 57,430 euros ($65,000) bribe from a supposed businessman seeking to sponsor the Ghanaian football league for up to $15 million over three years.
The two-hour documentary, “When Greed and Corruption Become the Norm”, is the work of undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Nyantakyi, a former member of FIFA’s General Council, was found guilty after being filmed by Anas, a famous Ghanaian investigative journalist, in a hotel room appearing to take a $65,000 bribe from a supposed businessman seeking to sponsor the Ghanaian football league.
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The video, which was released in June, also showed Nyantakyi offering to facilitate the award of key government contracts to the businessman on conditions that he paid kickbacks totalling 10.6 million euros ($12 million) through him to top officials including President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Akufo-Addo denied any knowledge of Nyantakyi’s claims and ordered a criminal investigation against the football administrator for fraudulently using his name.
Austin Ohaegbu
