Ghana court rejects GAFF’s claim to oversee amputee football
A High Court in Accra rejected the Ghana Amputee Football Federation’s claim to exclusive oversight of the sport and permanently barred it from presenting itself as the lawful governing body. The judgment also cited earlier WAFF correspondence recording lifetime bans against three individuals.
myjoyonline.comCourt hands Adjetey Sowah, two others lifetime bans after Amputee Football legal dispute
ghanasoccernet.comCourt ruling deals blow to GAFF in amputee football governance dispute
Court rejects oversight claim
The Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra rejected the Ghana Amputee Football Federation’s (GAFF) claim to exclusive responsibility for administering and overseeing amputee football in Ghana. Justice Jerome Noble-Nkrumah delivered the judgment on July 30, 2026.
The court granted the National Paralympic Committee of Ghana’s (NPC-Ghana) counterclaim and permanently restrained GAFF and those acting through it from presenting the federation as the lawful oversight body for the sport. The judgment cited GAFF’s lack of recognition from the National Sports Authority, NPC-Ghana and the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF).
Earlier bans cited as evidence
The judgment examined a WAFF email dated September 25, 2019, referring to lifetime bans against Francis Adjetey Sowah, Charles Narh and Benjamin Armah over ethical breaches. The bans were recorded in evidence considered by the court; the court’s operative injunction concerned GAFF’s claim to lawful oversight, rather than imposing new lifetime bans.
Evidence behind the decision
According to the judgment, Sowah promoted GAFF’s affairs while serving as an officer of the Ghana Amputee Football Association. The court described his conduct as “surreptitiously” carried out before it was discovered and he was removed. It also examined letters he signed on the association’s letterhead alongside his later use of GAFF letterhead as its president, finding that this evidence weakened GAFF’s claim to exclusive authority.
A GAFF witness acknowledged that the federation’s original objectives when incorporated in 2009 did not include organising, administering and managing amputee football; those objectives were added in 2014. The court considered this evidence in rejecting its claims.
GAFF’s arguments
GAFF argued that its history of official engagement supported its recognition and challenged the placement of amputee football under NPC-Ghana. The court was not persuaded. Although the judge acknowledged that the sport’s institutional placement could be reconsidered in future, that observation did not alter the outcome.
-1-610x399.webp)
