Kurt Okraku reaches out to George Afriyie to build Ghana football together

Okraku secured a second term in office as GFA president after running unopposed following the controversial disqualification of Afriyie.

"Two days ago, I had a meeting with my brother George Afriyie. I have just one message for him: We can only build the Ghanaian game if we stay together,” Okraku said after his re-election.

“The football game is a very big one, and everyone, including George, has a role to play. I will reach out to George and bring him back home. So, George, wherever you are, we are one."

Okraku polled 117 votes out of a possible 120 at the GFA Elective Congress in Tamale on Thursday, October 5, 2023.

The votes polled by the 56-year-old represent a whopping 98.3% of the total votes cast by the members of the Football Association.

That was, however, only possible because Okraku contested for the GFA presidency unopposed following the disqualification of his only rival George Afriyie.

Afriyie, a former vice president of the Ghana FA, was aiming to unseat the incumbent GFA president after losing out to him four years ago.

However, earlier in September, Afriyie was disqualified after the Elections Committee said he failed to provide the required number of GFA members to endorse his candidature, with his appeal also being thrown out by the Appeals Committee of the GFA.

Afriyie went on to file an application for injunction seeking to halt the presidential election, while also contesting his disqualification at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Also, Ghanaian club King Faisal, through its bankroller Alhaji Karim Grunsah filed a separate injunction to stop the elections.

The GFA, though, decided to go ahead with the elections, with the unofficial explanation being that the tenure of the current administration will end on October 25, hence the need to avoid having an FA without leadership by that time.