Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, has accused the United States government of scheming to destroy the the image of FIFA.
Commenting on allegations of corruption which have rocked FIFA in recent days as well as the subsequent planned resignation of President Sepp Blatter, an incensed Nyantakyi told told Metro TV's 'Good Evening Ghana' Tuesday that the arrest of some FIFA officials in Switzerland, was an attempt by the United States (US) to paint the institution as a corrupt one.
"Why would they (U.S. security officials) arrest these people most of whom travelled to Switzerland through the United States? It was intended to create a certain effect. They [United States] wanted to highlight FIFA as a corrupt institution [and] FIFA officials, including all of us, as corrupt people and get world attention...which they succeeded", Mr Nyantakyi said.
According to him, the timing of the arrests was suspicious because the USA had opportunities even in the US to arrest the alleged corrupt FIFA officials.
"The U.S. security agencies including the justice department and the American security system had all these information [on bribery and corruption] several months before the FIFA congress and they could have picked them in America because they travelled through the United States, and they alone know why they didn't arrest them?", he said.
The GFA President went on to add that the sudden resignation of Sepp Blatter Tuesday caught him by surprise.
"His decision really came as a big surprise to me, am yet to contact any of the executive members. But I was really surprised when I heard the news,” Nyantakyi said.
“Just days after his election he decides to quit and am still wondering what would have caused him to take such decision,” he added.
