The Ghana Football Association could place a transfer ban on Right to Dream (RtD) Academy after Phobia Babies SC rejected RtD’s €10,000 offer to settle the training compensation controversy over the transfer of player Kamal Sowah to Leicester City.

The Disciplinary Committee of the GFA set a 19th February (TODAY) deadline for RtD to pay €78,427.5 each to Phobia Babies and Sporting Club Accra respectively as their share of the training compensation and FIFA Solidarity arising from the transfer.

The action by the DC on 31st January was to enforce an earlier decision by the Player Status Committee (PSC) on 18th May, 2018 which was subsequently upheld by both the Appeals Committee and the Review Committee of the FA.

But in an interview with ghanasoccernet.com following the enforcement letter by the GFA on 31st January, RtD through its lawyer Phil Radley said it was preparing to pursue the matter at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).

In a rather sharp turnaround, Phil Radley wrote a letter to Phobia Babies SC on Tuesday, 18th February offering a paltry €10,000, less than €68,000 of the amount due, for the latter to drop the case but the Vice President of Phobia Babies SC Joshua Tetteh called the bluff of RtD in his response.

“I do appreciate your letter for amicable settlement, but sorry to say this: I prefer you write to CAS as you have already made your decision. Once again, I am sorry and wish you all the best in your future endeavours,” Joshua Tetteh said.

Phil Radley had earlier tried unsuccessfully to entice the Ghanaian juvenile football Vice President to accept the terms of his offer in a last minute attempt to stop the looming transfer ban.

“We understand how hard it is to operate a club in Ghana-we have had the same challenges-and that is why we want to offer you the sum you would be entitled to under the FIFA Regulations for one year on the player passport-EURO 10,000 (that is 57,000 New Ghana Cedis). We would need you to formally withdraw your claim for the amount ordered by the PSC (and we would need SCA to do the same) before making the payment,” he said.

Having failed in its bid to overturn the PSC decision at the Appeals and Review Committees, Phil Radley now claims the FA has no jurisdiction to order RtD in respect of training compensation.

“The GFA has no power to order a club to share FIFA training compensation. For this reason, our application to CAS is not an appeal-but it is a stand-alone application to require the GFA to adhere to FIFA Regulations.”

‘Gross Disrespect’ to GFA Judicial Bodies

The training compensation saga has lasted over a year and nine months. The PSC decision came in the days leading to the disruption of football in the country under the erstwhile Kwesi Nyantakyi FA administration following the #12 expose by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas in June, 2018.

Despite the order from the PSC on 18th May, 2018 to share the training compensation in the agreed formula after the PSC had found Sporting Club Accra guilty of ‘data manipulation’, RtD appeared to have shown gross disrespect to the GFA and collected €261,425 from Leicester City as training compensation.

Further, Sporting Club Accra also collected another €30,000 from Leicester City in flagrant breach of the FA’s decision.

Again, despite letters from the GFA – on 5th April, 2019 and on 20th September, 2019- to return the amount received from Leicester City, RtD has failed to comply.

“You are kindly requested to return the amount received from Leicester City FC as training compensation on player Kamal Sowah to the GFA Account (find attached) on or before Tuesday, 16th April, 2019 to enable the Accounts Department of the Ghana Football Association share the amount as directed per the decision of the Player Status Committee dated 18th May, 2018,” stated a letter signed by a Deputy General Secretary of the GFA, Ismaila G. Amin on 5th April, 2019.

Meanwhile, in an email to the PSC on 4th June, 2018, RtD said it disagreed with the PSC’s calculation of the training compensation.

“Whilst we fully support and agree with the decision of the PSC regarding the registration period of the player, we must point out errors in the calculation of training compensation under 9 of the decision.”

“Training compensation is calculated in accordance with the periods a player was registered with a club, in accordance with the Player Passport. Further, training compensation is limited to €10,000 per year for the first 4 years from 12 to 15 years of age when registering for a category 1 UEFA club, and €90,000 per year thereafter.”

According to RtD’s calculation, it is due €237,233 while Sporting Club is due €24,192 of the total training compensation.

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