Kwesi Nyantakyi, the former President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has revealed he was close to becoming the next president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
According to Kwesi Nyantakyi, he was the first vice president of the federation and, at the time, the most senior football official on the African continent.
Kwesi Nyantakyi claimed he was the favourable person to step into the CAF president’s shoes.
Speaking in an interview on Joy News on Tuesday, January 6, Kwesi Nyantakyi stated, “It was very possible. At the time I exited CAF and football, I was the first vice president of the federation”.
“I was the next most senior football official on the continent of Africa. So it was just a matter of course that if the president was not there, I was the most favourable person to step into his shoes,”
He added, “So, Ghana would have had a CAF president. Although it is still possible. With the current regime of officers and the future, anybody who works hard can be the president”.
“I am not hurt by anything like that. Life goes on. There are many opportunities in life for every individual,” he said.
Mr Nyantakyi, in the same interview, asserted that the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas caused irreparable damage to his life.
According to Kwesi Nyantakyi, his nine-year-old daughter, who was at the time at GIS, asked him whether it was true he was a thief.
Speaking on the AM Show, Kwesi Nyantakyi reflected on the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, saying, “The damage is irreparable, but I don’t have anything against him. He should relax. If his conscience is battling with him, it’s between him and God,” Nyantakyi said.
“My daughter was in GIS at that time, and she asked me, ‘Daddy, is it true that you are a thief?’ I said, how are you to know from this funny question? She said she heard it on the radio. Imagine a judgment by your own daughter that you heard you are a thief,” Nyantakyi told the show.
“The condescending posture of some people towards you…They see you as a condemned criminal. The aura of respectability around you is broken. It was very damning,” he noted.
Also, Kwesi Nyantakyi denied claims that he said he had the president in his pocket in the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé.
According to Kwesi Nyantakyi, the allegation gained so much notoriety that it would be illogical for him to stand up to even contradict it.
He stressed that the statement was from somebody’s imagination just to discredit him, just to make him look very bad in the eyes of Ghanaians, which they succeeded in doing.
Nyantakyi stated, “I don’t hold any grudge, I can’t do anything to him, I don’t have the power to do anything to him, I leave him to God.
If there is a day of judgement which I believe there is, it will be an interesting record for us all to present our cases to the Almighty to judge us”.
When asked by the host whether it was true, he had the president in his pocket, Kwesi Nyantakyi stated, “I never said that, please, I challenge you on this network, by the end of the day, produce evidence that I said the President was in my pocket. I never said that.
But that allegation has gained so much notoriety that it will be illogical for me to stand up to even contradict it. But you are a journalist, prove it, call Anas and ask him to give you the evidence before the end of today and publish it for every Ghanaian to see. It was a statement of somebody’s imagination just to discredit me, to make me look very bad in the eyes of the public, and they succeeded”, he added.
It will be recalled that back in 2018, the “Number 12” investigation, which aired, brought shockwaves in Ghana’s football world.
The “Number 12” exposé brought to light the corrupt nature of Ghana’s football, with officials exposed for soliciting bribes and influencing refereeing decisions.
The video led to sweeping reforms in the GFA and the banning of several officials.
Kwesi Nyantakyi, then the GFA boss, was captured in the documentary receiving $65,000 from an undercover reporter and claiming he could leverage political relations to advance business interests.
The controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Revelations triggered widespread public backlash and led to his resignation from the GFA, CAF and FIFA.
He was also banned by FIFA for life in October 2018, a decision that was subsequently reduced to a 15-year suspension.