Tema Youth Threatens To Go To Court

Tema Youth Club has threatened to go as far as the Court of Arbitration of Sports (CAS) to seek justice in their quest to survive the premiership.

The Tema-based club was relegated after the Appeals Committee of the Ghana Football Association deducted six points from the accumulated points for allegedly using an unqualified player in the person of Emmanuel Clottey. Prior to that, the Disciplinary Committee had deducted six points from their points' haul which clearly destined their status out of the elite division.

At an emotionally charged press conference on Tuesday, Wilfred Osei Kwaku, Chief Executive Officer of the Club announced that his outfit will seek justice at the corridors of the Lausanne-headquartered International Sports Arbitration outfit if the ruling of an impending review turns otherwise. "We will have to channel our grievances to CAS if the decision of the Review is not in our favour. We believe we followed the due diligence in the registration of the player and such an independent body will be the right place to determine our fate."

Osei Kwaku has challenged the basis of the rulings of the Disciplinary and Appeal Committees, insisting that they are contrary to the interpretation of the rules and regulations of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). The Chief Executive Officer added that the decision of the two legislative bodies was motivated by a conspiracy against Tema Youth for the survival of other clubs.

"The GFA system is now being controlled by invisible 'hands' with the financial clout that is unprecedented in the annals of Ghana football to the extent that the rules and regulations are being twisted with impunity to ensure that Tema Youth is relegated at all cost." Backing his claims with some documentary evidence, Osei Kwaku mentioned some of the 'conspiracy theories" as the failure to allow teams to use the artificial pitch at the Tema Stadium and being a bogey for some clubs; which instigated their exit from the top flight.

Osei Kwaku also questioned the timing of the hearing of the Review as another factor, which has not helped their call for justice. "There is miscarriage of justice as Tema Youth is being offered on the altar for some clubs that have performed abysmally in the course of the year to remain in the premiership and Tema Youth relegated for financial expediency."

He argued that Clottey was registered the same manner as a fellow team colleague, Gado Mohammed who also joined after a brief spell with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, yet the latter was not deemed unqualified. Following the decision of the two legislative bodies, Tema Youth finished just a place above bottom-placed Sporting Mirren on 34 points. Both clubs were relegated alongside Gamba All Blacks who finished two points ahead of Tema Youth.