<<Print>>

A legal showdown between King Faisal FC and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) which has virtually brought domestic football to a standstill, has taken a different turn with the Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Woode, set to meet the two factions in her office today, in a bid to speed up the litigation. Even though an Accra High Court (Cocoa Affairs Court) is expected to deliver a ruling today in one of three separate courses of action brought before it by Faisal, the Chief Justice has come into the picture, following a petition filed by the FA seeking �expeditious hearing of cases filed� against it by the complainant. Subsequently, the Chief Justice invited the parties to a meeting today to seek to get a clearer picture of the issue and advise on how best to proceed with the issue which is gaining a life of its own with each passing day. In their petition signed by acting GFA General Secretary, Emmanuel Gyimah, the FA claimed Faisal had taken advantage of the judicial process with the aim of disrupting the football calendar of the FA. The FA, in advancing their case of expeditious adjudication of the suits, which includes two writs of summons whose ruling will be made on Thursday, stated that Faisal�s course of action had adverse effect on the FA�s sponsorship obligations which were not only time bound but also carried with them huge costs to the participants. However, the FA�s petition drew a strong reaction from the counsel for Faisal, Egbert Fabille, who took strong exceptions to the FA�s description of his client�s application for judicial review as mischief and selfishness. In a reply, Mr Fabille expressed surprise at the steps taken by the FA to get the Chief Justice to bend the rule in their favour, but he indicated the readiness of his client to respond to the invitation and cooperate fully with the legal processes.