The Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 dismissed Osei Kwaku Palmer’s case against the Ghana Football Association over his disqualification from the association’s presidential election in 2019.
READ MORE: Breaking News: Kurt Okraku remains GFA President as CAS dismisses Osei Palmer’s case
Osei Kwaku Palmer was disqualified from contesting in the 2019 presidential elections of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) by the Elections Committee formed by the Normalisation Committee which was in charge of Ghana football at the time.
The disqualification of Palmer from the GFA elections generated much tension in the football cycles and the President of the Normalisation Committee Dr Kofi Amoah and his administration were accused of foul play.
Kurt Okraku was elected as President of the GFA after beating off competition from George Afriyie and others in the resultant elections
Osei Palmer appealed against the decision of the Elections Committee at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, but after several postponements, the international sports tribunal has brought to an end a long-protracted arbitration process by upholding the earlier ruling.
Dr. Kofi Amoah has said that the verdict of CAS has vindicated the former Normalisation Committee of the GFA.
“It’s a complete vindication which must be embraced in Ghana here that organizations that are ruled by statutes and regulations, the members of those organizations must respect those regulations and statutes. This case had nothing to do with any personality clash. I didn’t know Palmer from anywhere until I joined the Normalization Committee,” he told Ghanaweb.
“We went strictly in doing our work by the mandate given to us by FIFA and by the regulations of football including the statutes and the GFA regulations. Here is a clear case of an association that has decided properly, discussed and enacted by Congress that to develop football any club that transfers a player must pay ten percent to the GFA. Tema Youth club is aware and so is Palmer and he confirmed that to the NC. The arrogance with which he refused to do it could not establish the integrity of such a person as to come and run an organization”, he said.