Lawyer Ralph Gyamerah Esq. of Berekum Chelsea has disclosed why the Ghana Football Association denied him the chance to speak at the 31st Ordinary Session of Congress on Friday, August 12, 2025, at the Ghanaman Centre of Excellence in Prampram.
In an interview after the congress, Ralph Gyamerah, a key stakeholder in Ghanaian football, expressed his dissatisfaction with what he describes as ongoing efforts to stifle his voice during GFA meetings.
“The issue of being stopped from speaking at GFA meetings has been happening for some time now. However, out of respect for the seat of presidency and the invited guests, I had to restrain myself this time around. I didn’t want to be seen as being disruptive,” Gyamerah said.
According to Gyamerah, the core of his concern lies in the assertion that he is being prevented from speaking based on a misinterpretation of existing regulations. He argued that there was no law in the statutes or standing orders that says a letter must be written to the GFA before one questions the agenda of a congress meeting – the reason for which he was stopped from talking at the congress. “If you want to adopt a convention, say so. But don’t point me to a law which does not exist to prevent me from talking on the floor of Congress,” he declared.
Speaking on two specific instances during the congress where he felt his right to speak was abused, he explained that his first attempt was to speak on the mode the GFA presented its activity reports. According to Ralph, the presentation of activity reports in a video format was different from how activity reports had been presented to Congress over the years.
“You have done a video presentation which is different from how activity reports have been presented to Congress over the years. You probably may have decided that this is how you want to go about it. When I rose, the only request I made was that maybe, in future, the activity reports must be backed by a text so that the text would be available. I did not even critique the activity report.”
The second instance involved a proposal for amendment presented by the chairman. Speaking on the second time he was stopped from talking, Ralph Gyamerah, a lawyer by profession, said he wanted to raise an objection on the fact that the floor wasn’t opened for the proposals to be debated. This was after voting had began and people who chose to abstain were being counted.
In the interview, Ralph highlighted the importance of debate in the amendment process, even within a legal setting. He argued that open discussion allows for a more thorough understanding of the proposed changes and can potentially influence the perspectives of the electorates. Gyamerah questioned the motives behind the perceived reluctance to engage in debate.
Related Articles
GFA 31st Congress: Proposals, How Voting Was Done & Integrity of Election Outcomes
“On the second bait was when the chairman read the proposal for amendment. I am a lawyer. And even in court, after proposing amendments, we debate. Sometimes it is the debate in the room that will open up someone’s mind to understand what’s going on. So my question is what are you running away from? What are you hiding?, What is it that you seeking to do?. If you want to pass amendment, take some few minutes to debate it. And I’m sure if members see this must pass, they will vote in support of it.”
Ralph Gyamerah further condemned what he described as a lack of respect for the views of GFA’s shareholders. According to him, shareholders should not be unduly restricted in their ability to engage with company leadership.
“But my challenge is that, there’s no law regulating how we should conduct business at congress. I am a shareholder, yesterday when I went to congress as a shareholder. I don’t expect a director to be going to need a shareholder how the ATM should be conducted. It is a no no no. And I think the executive council and the entire leadership of the Ghana Football Association are failing to appreciate the fact that they are there because we voted them there. We put them there as directors of the company. We are the stakeholders and so at all material times they must respect our views,” he said.
GFA 31st Congress: Proposals, How Voting Was Done & Integrity of Election Outcomes
