Black Stars Management Committee Chairman Wilfred Osei Kweku Palmer has expressed his disappointment at the current happenings in football in the country following government decision to block him from attending Wednesday’s FIFA Congress.
Reports went rife over the weekend that, Osei Palmer has been barred from travelling to Russia to participate in the forthcoming FIFA Congress – which is set to decide the host of the 2026 World Cup, following directives from government in the wake of the Anas exposé.
Former head of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, was set to participate in the gathering that will culminate in the voting process before his probation 90-day ban from FIFA disqualified the former president.
In Mr Nyantakyi’s absence, a team of officials such as Osei Kweku Palmer, Isaac Addo and Osei Tutu Agyemang, who is known in the football fraternity as Kotoro, were billed to represent Ghana Football Association at the event only for the Ghana government to deny the travelling trio its consent.
Osei Palmer, an FA official with the beleaguered Ghana FA was due to lead a delegation for the event.
The Tema Youth bankroller bemoaned the action taken by government during an interview with Ohene Bampoe–Brenya on Happy FM‘s Anopa Bosuo Sports, “We are threatened as football people and we must wake up. We’ve been sleeping for far too long.
“People are looking for political power. They’re struggling for power hence spreading all manner of lies.”
“I’ve invested in football for long so I don’t see anything wrong with FIFA inviting me to go for a congress.
“Somebody called the Sports Minister and told him not allow me travel to Russia. Football person did this.
“We were not banned from going to Russia as claimed. Kotoro is still in Russia as I am speaking now. Kwesi Nyantakyi enemies are capitalizing on these issues for political powers.”
“Whatever anybody plans against me, I see it ahead, so before they think, I have thought. They can’t do anything to me; I didn’t go to
Russia because I want to be with Kwesi Nyantakyi and just made it clear to Exco on Saturday.
FIFA will decide who host the 2026 World Cup in a global voting of its members on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 in Switzerland – with Morocco hoisting high the flag of Africa in the bidding race.
The Ghana Football Association has been on the spotlight since the much-publicized expose from Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
Credit: HappyGhana.com