Kwesi Nyantakyi, former president of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), has described the controversial “Number 12” investigative exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas as an act of blackmail, alleging that the journalist did not substantiate claims of corruption against him.

The “Number 12” investigation, released in 2018, exposed widespread corruption in Ghanaian football, including bribery and match-fixing among referees, officials, and administrators. Nyantakyi, who was the GFA president at the time, was implicated in the report but has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Speaking on the AM Show, Nyantakyi explained that while Anas claimed to have evidence of wrongdoing, he never presented it in court, calling the situation a form of coercion rather than investigative reporting.

“This was blackmail. You claim you have evidence of corruption against a person, come to court… yet you hold on to those views without the boldness to substantiate them,” Nyantakyi said.

He recounted a personal experience involving payments he made to a friend of Anas’s, noting that the money was handed over in instalments. “I gave $100,000… bits and pieces. $10,000 this month, $15,000 next month. But let me make it clear here that I have never held public office in Ghana,” he said.

Nyantakyi said the payments were requested by a friend of Anas and that he complied, emphasising that this was not tied to any misuse of public funds or football governance.

The former GFA president insists that the allegations against him, highlighted in previous exposés, were tied to claims of blackmail rather than proven misconduct.