ACCRA, GHANA — The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is facing disciplinary action from FIFA for failing to fully comply with a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling. This could lead to a 20% reduction in the GFA’s next FIFA Forward funding installment.
FIFA’s Legal and Compliance Division initiated proceedings, citing a potential breach of “Art. 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) – Failure to respect decisions.” The issue stems from the GFA’s alleged failure to enforce a CAS decision from February 26, which ordered Hearts of Oak to pay Francis Adjetey.
According to a FIFA letter dated June 3, 2025, and seen by JoySports, the GFA “did not comply in full a decision passed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).” As a result, the secretariat to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has proposed that the GFA pay CHF 1,000 (approximately $1,120 USD) to Francis Adjetey for arbitration costs.
Potential Sanctions and Deadlines
The GFA has been given a final deadline of 30 days from the date the proposal becomes binding to pay the amount due and fully enforce the CAS decision. Failure to comply will result in significant financial penalties.
FIFA explicitly stated that “20% of the next FIFA Forward instalment due to the Respondent will be withheld by FIFA until the amount(s) due to the Creditor are paid.” If the payment is still not made after the initial withholding, a further 20% of the subsequent FIFA Forward installment will be withheld, and the matter could be referred back to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for escalated measures.
GFA’s Options
The GFA has five days from the notification of the communication to either accept the proposed sanction or submit a defense to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. If the GFA rejects the proposal, “regular disciplinary proceedings will be conducted,” with a tentative Disciplinary Committee meeting scheduled for June 19, 2025.
FIFA has also provided instructions for legal representation and emphasized that if no response is submitted within the stipulated deadline, the proposed sanction will become “final and binding.”
The letter, signed by Américo Espallargas, Head of Disciplinary, was copied to Francis Adjetey, c/o Professional Footballers Association of Ghana (PFAG). Both the GFA and Adjetey are required to notify FIFA of all payments made and received, along with proof.
