Sports Minister insists there is no grudge with GFA

Nii Lantey Vanderpuye is a former sports journalist
Nii Lantey Vanderpuye is a former sports journalist

Youth and Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye is adamant he has no personal scores to settle against Kwesi Nyantakyi or Ghana Football Association officials following the recent tense stand-off between the two parties.

Vanderpuye has been keen to cut off some of the entitlements to the GFA’s main baby the Black Stars as a part of general cost cutting measure but has faced accusations that he is disrespecting the GFA in the process.

There have also been major disagreements between the two bodies over allowances due officials and who owns the Black Stars.

But Vanderpuye, a former sports journalist, is adamant none of that is influenced by a personal disagreements despite suggestions from the GFA president Kwesi Nyantakyi that the manner issues are discussed publicly by the minister shows the minister ‘clearly’ has a problem with the GFA.

However, in a TV3 Sports’ exclusive interview with the minister, who took over office after Dr. Mustapha Ahmed seven months ago, he denies having personal problems with the GFA but was firm in his comments about making changes to the system in Ghana football no matter what it took.

“Why will I have a problem with anybody?” he said.

“We are supposed to work together to be able to achieve an objective for this country. I don’t have any problem with anybody and seriously who the President of the FA is does not really matter to me.

“At the end of it all, I’m supposed to work with those people. They are one of my agencies and we’re supposed to work together. If I’m not able to work with Kwesi Nyantakyi then I can’t work with anybody else. The most important is whoever is there, I should be doing the right thing, that person should be doing the right thing. We will work together to achieve our objective,” he added.

“I don’t have any problem, that issue is just the figment of the imagination of people who think that, because I’m insisting on certain things been done I’m out on the FA. I’ve seen some people who don’t know their left from their right, writing articles and insulting me here and there thinking that I’m on a witch hunting spree, well if I go to a place and there is a witch and I don’t hunt that witch that witch will hunt me.

“So when I go a place and I see that this issue could possibly be a witch hunt to me tomorrow, what I have to do is to immediately to exorcise that witch or make sure I deliver that witch and make sure I live freely.”

By Thierry Nyann|3news.com|Ghana

Twitter: @3Newsgh

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