2023 GFA elections: Appeals committee affirms George Afriyie’s disqualification

George Afriyie’s appeal against his disqualification from the upcoming 2023 Ghana Football Association (GFA) presidential elections has been denied.

Afriyie was disqualified earlier this month by the elections committee for failing to meet the criteria outlined in Article 13(2)(j) of the Ghana Football Association statutes, 2019, and for not garnering the required support from fellow GFA members for his candidacy.

He had the opportunity to file an appeal, which he did successfully, but the Appeals Committee has upheld the earlier decision, effectively barring Afriyie from participating in the impending election.

Per the notice of appeal, dated 8 September 2023, George Kwasi Afriyie challenged the elections committee’s decision disqualifying him as a candidate for the GFA presidency.

The appeals committee reviewed all relevant documents, including those submitted by Afriyie, the Elections Committee’s decision, and video footage of Afriyie’s vetting, as well as interviews conducted by the Elections Committee.

The main issue to be determined was whether or not George Kwasi Afriyie was rightfully disqualified by the Elections Committee.

One of Afriyie’s claims was that the elections committee was constituted of six persons instead of the required five.

However, the Appeals Committee clarified that the sixth person mentioned by Afriyie was the in-house lawyer of the Ghana Football Association, who played an administrative role and did not increase the composition of the panel from five to six.

Additionally, Afriyie had claimed that he had submitted six GFA member endorsements for his nomination. Still, the Appeals Committee found that he had provided only five valid endorsements as per the standard nomination form, which allowed for a maximum of five endorsements.

The Elections Committee’s disqualification of Afriyie was primarily based on an endorsement from Victory Club Warriors F/C, which was deemed incompetent due to the signatory, Jeffery Asare, not being a director of the club or an authorised signatory as officially registered with the GFA. Despite Afriyie’s arguments, the Appeals Committee affirmed the Elections Committee’s decision.

The outcome of this ruling has effectively ruled George Afriyie out of contention for the GFA presidency in the upcoming elections, with incumbent President Kurt Okraku now set to go unopposed.

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