Kwesi Nyantakyi, the former Ghana Football Association (GFA) president, has accused Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas of operating like a terrorist.
According to Kwesi Nyantakyi, he had no direct interaction with Anas during the undercover operation.
Mr Nyantakyi on Joy News claimed that Anas failed to show up in court testify against him, because whatever he did was a hoax.
Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews TV on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, Mr Nyantakyi stated, “Anas claims that he did the Number 12 exposé on me, but I never met him. He operated in the way a terrorist would in another country, and when there is a bombing somewhere, he says, ‘I am the one.’ That was what he did. So, I have nothing against him”.
“This is a man who said he has done an investigation on corruption that involved me. For five years now, he has been asked to come to court and testify against me, and he never showed up,” he said.
“This means that whatever he did is a hoax. If he believed in it, he would have come to court to be cross-examined,” he added.
“Because nobody can be condemned in this country unless you are given a fair hearing. If you have not been given that hearing, then you cannot be condemned by the law,” he said.
“I don’t think about him. I hold nothing against him. I blame myself,” he said.
Also, Kwesi Nyantakyi has boldly refuted claims that he said he had the president in his pocket in the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
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.
Kwesi Nyantakyi reflected on the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, 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.