Hearts of Oak Board Member, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has stated that Kwesi Nyantakyi could have made history as the first black man to lead FIFA if not for the 2018 exposé by investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
In an interview with Starr FM, Dr. Tamakloe expressed his belief that Nyantakyi was on the brink of ascending to the highest position in global football administration before his career was derailed by the corruption scandal.
“Nyantakyi would have been the first black man to head FIFA if the Anas exposé hadn’t happened,” Dr. Tamakloe remarked.
“He had gained a lot of grounds with his work at Caf and it was really possible.”
Kwesi Nyantakyi, once a towering figure in African football, served as the President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and held influential roles within both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
His rapid rise in the football world suggested a bright future, potentially even at the helm of FIFA.
However, this trajectory was abruptly halted by the investigative piece known as “Number 12,” in which undercover journalists, posing as businessmen, captured Nyantakyi allegedly accepting a bribe of $65,000.
The revelations from the exposé led to Nyantakyi’s resignation from all football-related positions and his subsequent lifetime ban from the sport by FIFA.
Reflecting on the impact of Nyantakyi’s fall from grace, Dr. Tamakloe lamented the loss not only to Nyantakyi’s career but also to Africa’s opportunity to have a representative in the highest echelons of global football governance.
