Financial Analyst and social commentator, Sydney Casely-Hayford has lashed out persons making suggestions that Kwesi Nyantaktyi was handed a relatively harsh ban by FIFA because he is black.
“What I didn’t like, was Rashid Pelpuo making aspersions that he [Nyantakiy] is being fined or being treated this way because he is a black man,” Mr. Casely-Hayford said on The Big Issue.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2zaJOdwv6nCNGtldhFJDulCJ8s1GKo4f”]Kwesi Nyantakyi was caught on tape plotting to set up an agency that would broker a sponsorship deal for the Ghana Premier League.
But the deal would have seen the former GFA boss benefit significantly more than the association. The agreement under discussion was to be worth $5 million for a year for five years.
After its processes, FIFA’s Ethics Committee banned Kwesi Nyantakyi for life from all football-related activities at both national and international level. FIFA also imposed GHc2.4 million fine.
He violated conflicts of interest statutes and was found to have engaged in bribery and corruption by FIFA.
Mr. Caseley-Hayford saw no form of bias in FIFA’s processes that led to the ban.
“The fact of the matter is the man has committed what his boss considers to be an offense that has brought their organization into disrepute. It has nothing to do with his blackness. We have to stop that.”
“We are trying to match ourselves up to a certain standard in the western world and then when you go and you are caught and you do things wrong then you come and say you are doing this because I am black. We have got to get out off that way of thinking,” he said.
Most of the public support for Mr. Nyantakyi has come from his native Wa, where he owns a football team.
The Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Rashid Pelpuo, described the punishment as harsh and urged him to appeal.
“Why was the fine even imposed? You’ve banned somebody for life and you also imposed a fine on him. Is it because Nyantakyi is a black man or what? You [Executives of FIFA] do all the big mistakes worldwide. This guy just made pronouncements which were not substantiated which have been described as influence peddling and in the end you are judging him based on the remarks that were never implemented.”
Kwesi Nyantakyi is indeed going to appeal his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.
In a statement released on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 he said he was “shocked” and described the verdict from FIFA as “unfair and harsh”.
–
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa | citinewsroom.com | Ghana