Former vice President of the GFA George Afriyie, President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana Kwabena Yeboah and legal practitioner Nii Adamah Sackey are among leading voices who have condemned the Ghana Football Association’s decision to ban division one league side Phar Rangers and its directors.

The GFA’s decision to ban the division one league side and its directors for five years has divided opinions after the latter’s attempt to pull out of all FA competitions.

George Afriyie described the ruling as “wrong and bad and asked how a shareholder of a club can be banned without being charged.

“The Ghana FA ruling on Phar Rangers is wrong and bad. I have told Phar Rangers to appeal the Disciplinary Committee decision and I strongly believe that the decision would be overturned. How can you ban a shareholder without a charge?”

The former CAF Marketing Committee member also says GFA president Kurt Okraku who is the former president of premier league club Dreams FC wouldn’t have been President of the FA if the same principle was used against him.

“Kurt Okraku wouldn’t have been an FA President if the GFA had banned the Board of Directors and the Shareholders of Dreams Football Club when they were banned,” he told Kumasi-based Pure FM.

President of the Sports Writers Association of Ghana Kwabena Yeboah has expressed his disappointment in the decision of the GFA, alleging that decision was targeted at Asante Kotoko CEO Nana Yaw Amponsah who is also a director of Phar Rangers.

“It was all aimed at Nana Yaw and Asante Kotoko. The relationship between Kotoko and the GFA has been that acrimonious and that is why the FA must employ common sense not to fall in that trap and feed into the perception that they are doing this just because of one man – Nana Yaw. And, I’m saying that the Disciplinary Committee has not done itself any good at all. They have not done Ghana football any good at all. This ruling is ridiculous. It’s outrageous. I think the Appeals Committee must take a second look at it”.

Legal practitioner Nii Adamah Sackey has however hinted that the 5-year ban handed to shareholders and directors of Phar Rangers may not necessarily apply to Nana Yaw Amponsah.

He said until the Disciplinary Committee proves that shareholders of the club took footballing decisions, the shareholders cannot be punished.

“The fundamental thing is that if the shareholders have not committed any act and you yourself assert that they have not committed any act, how then do you punish them? What is the basis for punishing shareholders?

If you are a shareholder, you are not necessarily an official of the club because an official is involved with the day to day running of the club. The directing minds of the clubs are the directors and employees and officers of the club. Shareholders are not part of the day to day running of the club so unless you can prove to me that shareholders took a decision to make a club defunct, you cannot punish the shareholder”, he told Happy FM’s Ohene Brenya Bampoe.

Member of FIFA’s Normalisation Committee Naa Odofoley Nortey has criticised the GFA for the decision saying “it [the decision] can’t be right”.

“Tell me it’s a bad joke. It can’t be right. Basic principles. You can’t punish a party not named on a charge sheet. Secondly, article 13 (1) states that withdrawal from a competition is a misconduct. Further in that article the punishment is clearly prescribed. Loss of points and a fine for thousand Ghana. A careful reading of the GFA statutes particularly articles 17, 18, 19 and 24 makes it clear that its only congress that expel, suspend or remove a member. Yes I have read the GFA disciplinary code especially article (6) 2. It doesn’t apply here. In any case how do you punish someone you have not charged? I vex,” she wrote on Facebook.

However former chairman of the Division One League Board Ntow Fianko has backed the Ghana Football Association’s decision, insisting the decision is backed by law.