The GFA Disciplinary Committee has fined Bechem United Team manager Francis Dwomo Addai GH¢500 in respect of their First Capital Plus Premier League match against Great Olympics in Accra.
PANEL 1. Prosper Harrison Addo, Esq. - Chairman 2. Godfred Dame, Esq. - Vice-Chairman 3. W.O.1 J.W. Amoo - Member 4. Godsway Glah - Member
Emmanuel Newton Dasoberi - Secretary
IN ATTENDANCE Raphael Tottimeh - GFA Prosecutor
THE CHARGE Francis Dwomo Addai, Operations Manager of Bechem United, was charged with one count of misconduct with regards to the First Capital Plus Premier League match between Accra Great Olympics FC and Bechem United FC played at Accra.
Francis Dwomo Addai was alleged to have immediately after the match rushed on the match referee and attempted to physically assault the match referee but for the timely intervention of the security personnel on duty in violation of Articles 35(2), 35(3)(c), 35(7)(d) and 35(9) the GFA General Regulations.
DEFENCE Francis Dwomo Addai did not respond to the charge even though the Charge Sheet which was sent to him through his club and was also published on www.ghanafa.org stated that: You are required to submit your written Statement of Defence to the charge(s) on or before Thursday, August 6, 2015 on or before 5pm at the GFA Secretariat or through email address to the Disciplinary Committee dc@ghanafa.org, failing which the Disciplinary Committee shall proceed to adjudicate the case without your Statement of Defence.
Should you choose Defence Options 3 (Personal Hearing) in your Statement of Defence, kindly attend the Disciplinary Committee on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 4pm at the GFA Secretariat to answer to the charge(s), failure which the Disciplinary Committee shall proceed to adjudicate the case in your absence.
PROCEEDINGS AND FINDINGS The Committee examined the depositions in the Charge Sheet and the reports of the match officials of the said match.
The Committee has established as a fact that the Charge Sheets was sent to Francis Dwomo Addai through his club Bechem United and were also published on the official website of the Ghana Football Association (www.ghanafa.org) which has become one of the official mode of communication for the GFA since the GFA Congress gave the mode its approval on December 30, 2014.
It is the view of the Committee that there is a proof that Article 35(19) of the General Regulations was complied with, and therefore Francis Dwomo Addai has no excuse whatsoever for their failure to respond to the charges and the invitation to the GFA Disciplinary Committee.
Article 35(19) reads: “All official correspondence including but not limited to daily and weekly information updates, fines, debts, costs, notices, invitations, decisions, communiqués and any other information of the Association, its bodies, its Organs, its committees or the Secretariat shall be deemed to have been duly served on a club, its officers, players, supporters, agents, representatives or whoever described, if the service of the said correspondence is communicated to the Club or the Club Secretary or the Club owner, or the Club Representatives submitted to the GFA through its fax, e-mail address, postal address, or delivery of a hard copy thereof or is made or published through the GFA newspaper or newsletter or other national newspapers, the GFA website or announced through any radio station or television station or posted on the GFA notice board”.
The Committee holds that it will side with Article 85 of the Disciplinary Code on the facts stated in the match report and the evidence given by the prosecution.
The Disciplinary Committee is satisfied with the evidence before it that the conduct of Francis Dwomo Addai amounts to misconduct and a breach of Regulations of the GFA and shall accordingly apply the necessary sanction against Francis Dwomo Addai in this respect.
DECISION
The Disciplinary Committee makes the following decisions:
1. That the Disciplinary Committee having satisfied itself that the evidence adduced before it supports the charge, hereby imposes a fine of an amount of Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHc500.00) on Francis Dwomo Addai.
2. That the fine stated in Decision 1 above, shall be paid to the GFA within fourteen (14) days upon receipt of this Ruling, failing which Bechem United FC shall automatically forfeit all subsequent matches after the said deadline in accordance with Article 15(b) of the GFA Disciplinary Code and Article 39(8)(b) of the First Amendment to the GFA General Regulations.
3. That should any party be dissatisfied with or aggrieved by this Decision, the party has within three (3) days of being notified of this Ruling to appeal to the Appeals Committee (See Article 37(11) of the General Regulations of the GFA).