The Normalization Committee acting as the Elections Committee of the GFA on Friday, October 2019, issued a press release that shook followers of the elections and also stirred emotions in the camp of one of the presidential aspirants.
Wilfred Kweku Osei, a frontrunner for the elections has been booted out of the race for breaching some articles of the association.
The decision by the NC was based on a recommendation by the Vetting Committee that interviewed all persons hoping to contest the elections.
Palmer was found culpable of breaching Article 33(5) (c) as well as getting on the wrong side of GFA ethical committee ruling in 2017.
What does article 33(5) C say
Ten percent of all training and transfer fees in respect of external transfers shall be paid into football development fund as follows:
i. Five percent shall be paid to the GFA
ii. Five percent shall be paid to GHALCA. Where the player involved is juvenile, GHALCA’s five percent shall be paid to the National Juvenile Committee.
How was Palmer caught in this net
In 2018, Tema Youth Football Club sold its winger Joseph Paintsil to Belgian side Genk for an undisclosed fee.
Per the article stated above, Tema Youth were required to pay 10 percent of the transfer fee to the GFA but the club reportedly refused to make the substantive payment.
Their reason according to our investigations is that when Joseph Paintsil was loaned to Hungarian side Ferencvaros, Tema Youth paid five hundred dollars to the FA for his ITC and that at the point of sale, the player in question was playing in the Hungarian league.
Remember, Palmer is the owner and CEO of Tema Youth FC.
GFA Ethics Committee ruling in 2017
The Ethics Committee of the GFA ruled that Palmer apologise to the association and the sports ministry for comments they described as denigrating to the game.
What did Palmer say?
In the aftermath of Ghana’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Osei Kwaku Palmer in an interview with Citi FM blamed it on the ministry’s decision not to pay ‘classified payments’.
“I was quite surprised that Ghanaians and the media sided with former Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye [about not budgeting for indemnities] when the government whitepaper on the Dzamefe Commission report clearly indicated that unclassified payments were legal in the concept of our budget’.
“If we had spent around $300,000 dollars [on referees], and stood to benefit about $8 million [by appearing at the World Cup], I see nothing wrong with it.”
Palmer’s reaction
Few hours after news of his disqualification broke, the office of the Tema Youth chief released a statement acknowledging receipt of the committee’s decision and also their intentions to appeal.
“First of all I wish to thank the vetting committee and Normalization Committee for the work done so far and to tell my loved ones to keep calm’.
‘I shall in the coming days file an appeal to concerning the decision”, excerpts of the statement read.
Palmer has until Monday, October 7, to submit his appeal.
No Palmer, no elections
The spokesperson of Palmer’s campaign team has hinted of a protracted legal battle after saying that until Palmer is allowed to contest, the elections will not be held.
"Our lawyers will sit down and take the appropriate legal steps. Let everyone stay calm, this election will not be done without Osei Kweku Palmer, his name will be on the ballot box(SIC)", Ebo Appiah tol Kumasi-based Fox FM.
October 25 has been set as the day for the 2019 GFA elections.
Palmer has been declared ineligible by the NC