By: Michael Eli Dokosi
First wife of Kwesi Nyantakyi; Christine-Marie Nyantakyi has spoken publicly about her husband’s fall from grace on Metro TV.
On Tuesday, 6 November; Madam Christine-Marie revealed to Paul Adom-Otchere amongst other claims that the family is reeling from the developments since investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas made his documentary public involving the former Ghana football Association (GFA) boss.
The mother of two disclosed her children’s education are suffering since the bribery and influence peddling findings surfaced adding the day government announced Mr. Nyantakyi make himself available for questioning, a school mate of her daughter asked her if she was aware her dad was headed for jail, eliciting tears from the hapless child.
She continued: ”My pain is that Ghanaians should exercise patience. Kwesi is not running away; he’s here. If the court or if the processes find Kwesi guilty, he’s available to face the consequences. But until then, the name-calling, the insults, the jubilation and the celebrations that he’s down, I am begging and pleading that we should all hold our horses and wait. Time will tell; he’s ready to face any consequences. He says if I have done something wrong; let the law take its course. If he’s found innocent we give glory to God; so we are ready for any consequences.”
The highlight of the night’s interview however will have to be a disclosure that her husband parted with US$100,000 in a bid to stop the screening of the Anas documentary after certain people informed him there was a video soon to be aired which could damage him but by paying US$150,000 the video would not be aired. Upon the release of the damning video however those who took the cash have since returned it albeit in tranches.
“… Apparently, we became so desperate when we realised that all that they presented to us were false, so we tried to make some interventions and they proposed that he pays some money. They proposed US$150,000; my husband couldn’t afford it, so he gave out US$100,000 and they came back to him and said the person says you need to add US$50,000 and he said: ‘Well, I don’t have it’; that’s all that I have’.”
Despite FIFA’s Ethics Committee banning the biggest football name in the county for life from all football-related activities at both national and international level; Mrs. Nyantakyi holds her husband has only been sanctioned by FIFA for breaking its code of ethics but criminal findings have not been levelled against him. Mr. Nyantakyi however has been fined 500,000 Swiss Francs (£390,000).
Mr. Nyantakyi was filmed in an undercover investigation by Anas Aremeyaw Anas taking US$65,000 (£48,000) from him pretending to be a businessman. The footage from Anas’ film was later broadcast by the BBC World Service’s ‘Africa Eye’.
Soon after the ban on June 8, the longest-serving Ghana FA boss resigned from the positions he held at FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Kwesi Nyantakyi who is also the owner of premier league side Wa All Stars has agreed to also offer the club for sale in an unfolding development of a man who was so high yet has been humbled.
