Lawyers for former Asante Kotoko Chairman and later Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Mensah, are asking the Ghana Football Association to investigate circumstances said to pose a great danger to the careers of two premier league players at league side, Real Sportive. The Tema-based club’s management is accused of nonchalantly jeopardizing the playing careers of goalkeeper James Nanor and defender Umar Gariba who previously played for the club but who are desirous of relocating to other clubs. Obuasi-based Ashantigold Sporting Club are reported to be interested in the two players who featured for Sportive last season under a deal brokered by Herbert Mensah and has gone ahead to offer them terms after securing their consent from their mother club, Fausan FC. The deal for the 2006/2007 league season, which required Autumn Moon, an European consortium of investors represented by Mensah to finance Sportive to the tune of not less than ¢1bn (GH¢100,000), also secured the transfer of eight players, including the two, from Fauzan FC to Sportive. The other six players were Frank Adomako, Jewel Arthur, Yayaha Seidu, Mohammed Gafaru, Issa Mohammed and Eric Owusu. According to a press release signed by Larry Otoo, counsel for Mensah, “This arrangement was subject to review at the end of the season and after a Board Meeting on July 22, 2007 it was agreed that the arrangement should be abrogated. “Part of that abrogation agreement was the release by Sportive of players who had been procured by Autumn Moon to Fauzan FC. There was a proviso that should any of the players wish to play for Real Sportive then Fauzan will loan them back to Sportive. There was no agreement whatsoever that proceeds from the sale of such players will be split between the parties especially when the players belonged strictly to Autumn Moon.” The release, which was in reaction to a publication in the Graphic Sports of Tuesday, November 13, which publication included views by the CEO of Real Sportive, Isaac Banson, to the effect that his club was being sidelined in the transfer deal, said the same CEO, on August 1, 2007 and subsequent to the abrogation of the deal, signed a release letter for the eight players. “Following the release Ashantigold showed interest in James Nanor and Umar Gariba and Fauzan agreed to release the two players after negotiations. Sadly the registration of the players was stalled when Sportive refused to sign the Ghana Football Association Form T2 which would have concluded the release of the two players to Fauzan and then subsequently to Ashantigold. “Autumn Moon obviously unhappy about the sequence of events wrote to the Ghana Football Association to complain about the conduct of Sportive. James Nanor and Umar Gariba also subsequently wrote to the FA to declare their status as players of Fauzan FC as their careers were in jeopardy.” The release said surprisingly, hours after Autumn Moon and the players’ letters had reached the FA, Fauzan received a letter dated October 31, 2007 releasing all the affected players except two. “The letter signed by Isaac O. Banson also attached the requisite Form T2s. “Why the second letter was relevant after the August 1, 2007 letter is difficult to comprehend. Clearly Real Sportive has every intention of jeopardising the careers of Nanor and Gariba after they had served the club loyally for one year. “What is sadder is the fact that Sportive is showing total ingratitude for the financial intervention of last season, which runs into billions of cedis as per the abrogation agreement they are supposed to refund. “The agreement with the two parties was abrogated because when Sportive had to sign a share transfer agreement to seal the investment arranged the club reneged even though it had received large sums of money to run the club. “We will not countenance such ingratitude backed by inaccurate media allegations. We have served notice to the Ghana Football Association about Sportive’s conduct and we are strongly weighing other options,” said the statement.