FIFA has acknowledged the receipt of a petition submitted by a Ghanaian whistleblower against Kurt Okraku, the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
The petition alleges breaches of FIFA’s code of ethics by Okraku.
According to Joy Sports’ Muftawu Nabila, FIFA said the petition was filed on July 7, 2023, and the Secretariat of FIFA may initiate preliminary investigations into the alleged breach of the code of ethics, following instructions from the Chairperson of the Investigatory Chamber.
“Following an evaluation of the documents and information submitted, the Secretariat may initiate preliminary investigations into a potential breach of the FCE following instructions from the Chairperson of the Investigatory Chamber in accordance with Article 61 FCE,” portion of the confirmation email said.
While FIFA confirmed the receipt of the petition, they did not provide any information regarding the current status of the proceedings or whether it has been received by the Independent Investigatory Chamber.
“We are not in a position to provide you any further information regarding the state of the proceedings (if any),” it stated.
The whistleblower, Akwasi Ossei Nkrumah, listed several alleged breaches of FIFA’s code of ethics by President Okraku in his petition. These alleged breaches include forgery and falsification, conflict of interest, abuse of position, duty of loyalty, and manipulation of football matches or competitions.
Among the allegations, Nkrumah claims that Okraku serves as the director of Dreams Football Club, a Ghana Premier League Club, as well as for Proton Sports Services, a player and match agency, which allegedly violates FIFA’s statutes.
(a) Breach of Article 25 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 (Forgery and Falsification)
(b) Breach of Article 20 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 (Conflict of Interest)
(c) Breach of Article 26 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 (Abuse of Position)
(d) Breach of Article l6 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 (Duty of loyalty)
(e) Breach of Article 30 of the FIFA Code of Ethics, 2023 (Manipulation of Football Matches or Competitions)
During the GFA’s 29th Ordinary Congress in Kumasi, Okraku suggested that he was being unfairly targeted by members of the football ecosystem, but stated that he would refrain from using any potentially damaging information he possesses.
Kurt Okraku, who became GFA President in October 2019, has expressed his intention to seek re-election for a second term in office, which is scheduled to take place in October of this year.
