Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has accused officials of the Kwesi Nyantakyi-led Ghana Football Association (GFA) of rejoicing over the defeat of John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 presidential elections.
Speaking in an interview with Class91.3FM’s Moro Awudu on the Executive Breakfast Show, Mr Vanderpuye wondered why the GFA would want the NDC’s or his downfall.
Ghanasoccernet.com also quoted GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi as having made comments to the effect that Mr Vanderpuye belonged to history following the outcome of the December 7 presidential poll, which ushered in a new government, with Mr Vanderpuye handing over as Sports Minister in January.
A December 14, 2016 story also quoted Mr Nyantakyi as saying on Accra-based Starr FM: “The sports minister was antagonistic to us but we were not and I don’t know why he did that, but now he belongs to history let’s just forget about him and think ahead.”
But Mr Vanderpuye, who has been at loggerheads with the Nyantakyi-led GFA, was not enthused and replied, stating: “I should be history because NDC is no more in power but I am not history in parliament. Yesterday [Tuesday, February 8], his minister appeared before me. [As long as] I continue to be a Member of Parliament)…I could summon him to appear before parliament. So me being history is his word; he knows, if he understands the relevance and the strength in the power of parliament, he will not say an MP is history.”
He continued: “Is that why they were praying that I lose my seat in Odododiodioo? Is that why some people from the football fraternity came and they were financing my opponent for me to lose?
“Is that why they popped champagne at the GFA Secretariat when NDC lost the elections? …They popped champagne and played music. I have the evidence on video, I have the video. They saw me as a problem but I am not a problem. I was fighting in the interest of mother Ghana”.
He raised concerns about the huge amounts of money that have been spent on the Black Stars within the past 12 years without any visible results.
For him, if all those “monies were saved, we would not have to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)”.
“Do you know how much money has come from, which is a state institution, to the GFA and the Black Stars? Do you know how much money they have received from FIFA on behalf of Ghana? If you put all that together, you will be amazed about the amount of money that have been invested into football without any reasons,” he complained.
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