The High Court in Accra has brought an end to one of Ghanaian sport’s longest-running legal disputes, ruling in favour of the National Sports Authority (NSA) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Ghana in a case over the governance of amputee football.
Sitting in Commercial Court 6, Justice Jerome Noble-Nkrumah, JA, dismissed all claims brought by the Ghana Amputee Football Federation (GAFF) against the NSA and other parties.
The judge ruled that the evidence presented by the defendants was more probable and upheld the counterclaims submitted by the NSA and NPC Ghana.
The court ordered GAFF to pay GH¢60,000 in legal costs to each of the two institutions. The NSA had sought GH¢250,000, while NPC Ghana had requested GH¢200,000.
In one of the judgment’s most significant measures, the court granted perpetual reliefs against the Ghana Amputee Football Federation and five individuals: Francis Adjetey Sowah, Charles Narh Teye, John Kuku Dsane, Philip Cecil Richter and Benjamin Charles Armah.
Under the terms of the judgment, the five individuals and GAFF are prevented from associating themselves with amputee sport in Ghana.
The dispute began in 2013-14, when disagreements arose over which body held the lawful authority to administer amputee football in the country.
It subsequently became one of Ghana’s most prolonged sports governance disputes, involving several court proceedings, rival administrative arrangements, government intervention and correspondence with international sporting organisations.
The case centred on the legal authority to oversee amputee football, the recognition of competing organisations, the validity of elections and governance structures, and the mandates of Ghana’s sports institutions within the national sports governance system.
The NSA and NPC Ghana maintained throughout the proceedings that amputee football was part of Ghana’s recognised national sports governance architecture. They argued that the sport should therefore be administered within that framework.
While the main case was still before the court, records showed that the Commercial Division of the High Court instructed the then Ministry of Youth and Sports to put arrangements in place to ensure Ghana could continue taking part in international amputee football competitions.
After receiving submissions from the ministry, the court approved a structured roadmap. That plan allowed Ghana to participate in the Amputee Football World Cup without compromising the ongoing legal proceedings.
The roadmap was implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with the Samson Deen-led NPC Ghana given recognised responsibilities.
The judgment is expected to bring an end to years of administrative uncertainty around amputee football in Ghana and could have wider consequences for the country’s sports governance.
With the legal proceedings concluded, focus is now expected to turn to rebuilding the sport, reinforcing its administrative structures, developing players and improving Ghana’s competitiveness internationally.
A detailed legal analysis of the ruling and its consequences for sports governance is expected once the High Court publishes its full written decision.
