GFA President sues journalist Collins Atta Poku for defamation, seeking GH¢ 30 million in damages

The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has filed a defamation lawsuit against Accra-based journalist Collins Atta Poku and the owners of Sompa TV and Radio as well as Teraone Media Limited. He is seeking GH¢ 30 million in damages.

Kurt Okraku argues that Collins who has quite an amount of following made some defamatory and libelous statements against him which have caused personal and professional damage to his reputation. He claims that Collins made these statements during sports programs that aired on November 18 and November 28, 2024.

Per the lawsuit, the allegations leveled against Okraku include misappropriation of funds meant for the Black Stars players, mistreatment of defender Daniel Amartey, as well as buying of buses for Division One League clubs.

Specific to the claims, Okraku’s lawyers argue that on a sports program aired on November 18, 2024, Collins said on his show that Okraku had dishonestly deducted a sum of 200 USD from the 3,000 USD which was meant for each Black Stars player by former President of Ghana, Nana Akuffo-Addo. The said claims allegedly led to confrontations between defender Daniel Amartey and Okraku leading to the former’s exclusion from the national team.

Daniel Amartey had been visibly absent from the Black Stars team since the tournament, with his last match being the 2-2 draw against Mozambique in 2024.

According to the lawsuit, the journalist also made claims that renowned transport management Services, O.A. Travel and Tour cleared the nine buses acquired for Division One League Clubs for the Football Association following a successful proposal to the company amid financial struggles in clearing the buses at the port.

However, the transport company replaced the brand new 35-seater buses with a ‘second-hand’ model after completing the exercise. GFA refutes this claim stating that it is untrue.

Okraku is therefore seeking GH¢30 million in damages along with a public apology aired on the same mediums for three consecutive days. He hopes that the apology gains as much prominence as the original allegations.

He is also seeking an indefinite injunction to restrain the journalist from publishing any false statements about him in the future.