World soccer governing body, Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) has fingered the Ghana Football Association (GFA) over the tortoise pace of the nationality switch of Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. FIFA told GNA Sports in a correspondence that the process has been held up due to the unavailability of documentation from the GFA required to decide the status of the 20-year old Ghanaian-born midfielder. The revelation by the world soccer governing body absorbs it of any form of blame; leaving the matter at the doorsteps of the GFA to answer for the delay in the process which has lasted almost 12 months. In a response copied to GNA Sports, FIFA catalogued the progressions reached on the issue, which has become a subject of discussion in local football circles. Frimpong is eligible to play for Ghana despite representing England at the youth level. “On 13 December, 2011, FIFA received a formal request dated 21 November, 2011 from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for the change of association of the player Emmanuel Frimpong. FIFA thereupon requested the GFA the standard documentation needed to process such a request. “To date the GFA has not yet provided FIFA with a complete and updated file reflecting the current situation of the player, although FIFA has always immediately answered to all correspondence of the GFA and informed the latter of the necessary documents still needed,” FIFA said. The global soccer sanctioning body requested the GFA to seek clearance from the British Football Associations including England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, on whether the Frimpong has ever represented either at senior level. This was corroborated by Ibrahim Sannie Daara, Communications Director of GFA, who told GNA Sports three of the Federations, responded accordingly but Northern Ireland. According to FIFA, it communicated to the GFA last week it’s preparedness to rule on the matter once the requested documents are intact. “Moreover, on November 1, 2012; FIFA confirmed the GFA that once in possession of the respective documents, it would immediately proceed to submit the matter to the deciding body,” FIFA stated. However, the good news is that the Irish communicated their response recently to complete the documentation requested by FIFA. “We have received the response from the Irish Football Association. Now we have all the documents requested by FIFA and we have sent it to them accordingly,” said the GFA Communication Director. With this, it is expected the documents will be forwarded to the FIFA Players’ Status Committee headed by Dr. Theo Zwanziger, former President of the German Football Federation (DFB) to rule on the matter. Frimpong who played for the England U-16 and U-17 between 2007 and 2009 pledged his future with the Black Stars on September 6, 2011 after a meeting GFA President Kwesi Nyantakyi in London.